Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-07-28
CANNON EXPL0OES |
IN BATTLE TEST
Eleven Men of the Coast Artillery
Meet Their Death at Fort
ress Monroe.
FINEST HER0ISM DISPLAYED
Fire Was Beaten Out with Bare
Hands and Bag Of Powder
Carried from the Scene
by Captain
FINEST HEROISN DISPLAYED

Fortress Monroe, Va. Jul, a. Eleven
men Of the coast artiler:' are dead to-
night as the result of the breecn block In
ore o. the big guns being blown oat while
%he Cor. wa, engaged In target practice
this Inornin. \ half dozen Others arc
IN die hospital. one OF whom may die.
The exact cause of tie explosion is not
yet DEFINITELY detcririned although n board
OF inquiry vas appointed Immediately
pftcr or orders received from the war
depa "trlent Mt Washington.
genera, list Of TIE dead follows:
Serrean: fiar-J G. Hes7. Phocbus Va,
gun co,nn1andc:: Corporal Charles o.
Adkins. address unknown; Corporal Albert
1srodfc-l, Dorothy. W. Va; Private A. J.
Eullivan Perkins. Ky: Roy Duffy,
Kenovs. w. Va; II. Adcy. Brnndonville.
W. Va. t. W King, Dayton, Ohio; John
". Chadwick Ta2ewcll, Tenn; Alfred w.
Smith. New YORK; Judd T.. Hogan. Geyer,
Ohio: James ~ Turner, Ripley, Tenn
The toll: death roll, 1t Is believed. would
have been larger had it not been for the
heroism displayed by both officers and
men in the battery, The wounded forgot
their hurts and aided the uninjured in
stamping out the burning powder which
threatened the sacks In which the charge
BODIES HURLED ALL AROUND.
The explosion took place in Battery De
Russy, No / gun being the one damaged.
The gun was in charge Of Capt. James
Prentice, who had with him Lieuts Goo.
P. Halves, Jr., and George l.. Van Deu
sen. Lieutenant 1iawes had gone forward
from the breach to examine the range
wheel when the charge was exploded. He
was thrown down and momentarily
stunned, but otherwise uninjured.
In the thick. heavy smoke the scene
was almost indescribable Eight men
were killed outright their bodies being
hurled around the emplacement. Under
the smoke the wounded writhed and
moancd. Captain Prentice and Lieutenant
Halves foresaw a further sacrifice of life
If the other charges caught from the
snuuldering sparks. and the two sent out
call for surgeons while they attack ed
the flames with their bare hands.
Captain Prentice reached the emplace-
mont first, CROPPED his way through the
smoke and sparks and carried out a bag
of powder. He was Joined by Halves and
the two completed the task of averting
further explosion.
Meanwhile Lieut.. Van Deusen lay be-
nca1h the gun one leg broken In two
places. He was suffering asonies. but
when his brother officers sought to re-
move him he would not permit them to
touch him
SEE TO THE MEN FIRST"
See to the men first" he ordered and
propped against the gun carriage he aid
ed In directing the work of the rescue
party and the surgeons
Corporal Humphreys and Sergeant
Prinkley, a gun pointer also distin-
guished themselves The formers head.
body and arms were filled with pieces Of
flying concrete blown from the emplace-
ment when the explosion came, but de-
spite his painful wounds he rushed to his
dead and wounded comrades extinguished
their burning clothing and then hurried
to the nearby encampment for water.
BriEkley, although severely bruised and
suffering from shock declined to permit
the surgeons to examine him until he had
assisted In the work of rescue.
Col. c. p Townsley, commandant of
the fort, promptly ordered an investi-
cation. Assisting in this are some OF
the leading officers of tho army, who
were here at the time of the explosion.
Among them are General Crozier. chief
Of ordnance, General Carter, assistant
chief Of staff, General Murray, chief
Of the coas. artillery, and General Blk
by. chief OF engineers.
The accident occurred during target
practice at floating targets. which
were built to the proportions of bat
tleshipN The firing was prosecuted as
nearly us possible under battle condi-
tions and the shooting was on a more
pretentious scale than ever attempted
before