The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-07-23
MERIT CERTIFICATES
WILL BE AWARDED
Funerals of Three Explosion Vic
tins Held at Pheobus- Report
on Inquiry Expected Soon.
Continued from First Page)

/ ~ ran back TO their barracks
OF the four men, Private Charles e
Parks. is said to have shown the great
est nerve and courage He was knocked
[ down by the explosion and struck half
( a dozen times BY burning chunks OF
| powder. Bleeding from severe cuts on
/ his head and face, ne scrambled 70 his
! feet and dashed for the covered section
/ Of the platform where the powder was
/ kept He seized n sack OF i and ran
/ back across part Of the platform again
/ and down the steps 10 the ground
! Cook William H Hawk is the man
] who SuatChed a sack Of powder, already
Prentice and ran with Il 70 the M ga
zine, extinguishinE the sparks tEat had
caught in the sack!ng-
Rush Through Fire Zone.
/ Private Faulkner and Private Wigley
/ belonged to the detachment serving No
y gun. They ran ae~0ss from their
/ platform to lend such aid as they could
and snatched a sack Of powder each
from the floor and rushed through the
+ fire zone to safety
/ Lieut. George P HAYES, jr-, and
Lieut. George L Van DUsen were the
/ officers stationed with No ] gun
/ Lieutenant Van Dusen was severely
I injured and Lieutenant HAYES had a re-
marka5ie escape. being the only man
| directly beside the gun when the &C
Cident occurred who was not injured
/ Both officers were commended for
/ their services 81 directing the care for
I the wounded. Lieutenant Van Duseu
5 having declined assistance himself IN
| al the men were given attention. Lieu
Z tenant Halves was knocked down. DuJ
Z was on his feet in a moment and eX-
/ tlnguiShed much Of the burning pow
der with his bare hands.
/ Corporal John d HUMPHREYS was
I sighting the sun. He was thrcFn
\ against the platform railing and slight
liz injured. but insisted IN helping 10
] care for the wounded Sergeant Kin
caid and Corporal Bryan. Of the detaCh-
ment with No 2 gun rendered assist
anCe in caring for the wounded and ok
/ tinguishinS burning powder
Realized Awful Peril
The distinctive feature Of the fats Of
these men. as explained by Captain
! Prentice, Is that each Of them knew the
! terrible consequences TO himself and
( his comrades II the loose powder should
have iEnited- While the explosion
might not have been serious. the fumes
1 of the smOkeIess powder are deadly and
one inhalation would have been fatal
4 This fact has been impressed upon all
men who handle the powder and they
I have beeen warned 20 get out Of the
/ way whenever they see any OF It burn
( ing
/ Captain Prentice says there was alb
/ solutely No reason why these men
should have rushed under the amuuni-
ton canopy and carried away the DOW
/ der. except pure self-saCrifce and de-
Z EGIIOn TO what they believed to he q
l duty imposed on them by the peril Of
| their comrades This makes their con
/ duct al the more pTaisewOrthy, he de-
clares-
Prentice a Hero, Too.
heroic part in the disaster BY witnesses
He was on the observation platform
when the crash came, and an officer
watching him says that he literally
spranS 10 the gun platform, a drop of
ten Feet dlsregarding the fumes Of the
was he who first thought Of the loose
sacks OF explosive under the amnuni-|
/ lion canopy. and rushed 10 get them
He staggered I'd with two fftv-poylnd
sacks IN his possession. when two en-
listed men rushed I'D and took them
from him lie then went TO work beat
. N on me sparks with his bare bands
ne fumes OF the powder affected his
{ eyes 10 such an extent that Re was
almost blinded, and was forced 10 seek
medical attention himself after the 9th
er injured had been cared for
Captain Prentice is highly commended
oy al. the ofncerS Of the post. He IS
regarded as one Of the most thorough
aT1lleryr1en in the service, and is said
10 be particularly careful IN handling
( bigS guns and high explosives on bofR
I q which he is regarded as a high au-
thority-
Funerals Are Held.
The funerals Of Sergt Harry C. Hess
/ Corpl- Charles O. Adkins. and Private
Alfred w Smith were held this morning
/ at PheObUs- The surviving members
/ OF the Sixty-ninth Company, Of Coast
Artillery served as escort Of honor and
marched IN advance Of the body.
The entire garrison was turned out to
/ attend the funeral, the troops. other
/ than the SiXty-ninth Company march
/ ing without arms Chaplain Scott con-
( Quoted brief services for the dead. &C
1 cording 70 the Episcopal ritual, and the
/ post choir. with the band, SANG Abide
1 With Me- Nearer. Ny God. To Thee -
! and Lead Kindly Light The bodies
were inferred in PhOebus Cemetery.
The body of Corporal Albert Brad-
ford was sent to Dorothy. W Va, early
I this morning The hour was so early
that funeral services could not be held
The board appointed TO investigate
l the accident met last night at post
] headquarters and prepared ttS report
/ which viii be submitted TO Colonel
/ TOwnsley late today
Injured Men Improving.
I Major John Hayden. president Of the
( board, declined to make any statement
/ concerning the finding on the probable
| cause Of the accident II can be stated
L authorlIatlNely- however, that the board
I VIII find the disaster 20 have been due
| 10 a broken safety slide, so far as they
/ are able TO assign any cause whatsoever.
/ The report Of the board will bring out
| the fact that the gun had not been fred
and that the matter Of speed did not
/ enter into the probable causes 1t viii
be further pointed out that the exact
/ nature OF the accident Will never be
/ definitely determined
/ The injured men were all reported TO
/ be doing well today Lieutenant Van
I DUsen has been made as comfortable as
possible, and is the recipient OF much
I attention from the officers and women
J OF the post All the injured men. with
/ two exceptions, have returned to duty
These two sre being watched for evi-
/ 1ence Of blood poisoning
( Brig Gen Arthur Murray, chief Of
Coast Artillery, who remained at toe
{ post yesterday 10 make a personal in
/ vestigation Of the accident. returned 70
1 Washington today.
J General CrOZfer, chief ordnance Of