Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-21
Bursting Shell Kills
TUO Red Cross Nurses
Continued from PAGE One

Continued from Page One
NATHAN. thirty-four. Of Columbus Neb was
seriously but not dangerously injured,
mo other member Of the unit was in
jured The morale OF the personnel was
splendid The nurses were sitting on the
upper deck aft on the port side, 200 feet
from the stern gun during target practice.
only one shot was fired from the stern gun.
At this time judgment must be suspended,
there is no accurate evidence TO warrant
making "A positive statement as 20 the
exact cause OF the accident The first officer
OF the ship was standing within ten feet OF
the nurses when they were killed"
Major Besey was standing within three
feet Of the nurses who died. and, relating his
personal story Of the accident, said;
In the target practice. which occurred
at D. m. Sunday. when we were twenty
four hours out. the two forward guns were
fired hrst Then the stern gun. The nurses
were sitting in deck chairs watching the
target. which was long distance away.
We saw the shell strike the water at a
great distance from the ship. Immediately
afterward, Miss NATHAN, who was injured,
touched me on the shoulder and said ::
These girls are hurt looked around and
saw one OF the dead girls sliding from her
chair to the deck We do not know how
the accident occurred
II sat up until ! O'Clock in the morning
hearing evidence, hut we could get nothing
definite. We found bits Of the detonating
cap which is placed in the shell behind the
powder. scattered around the deck, There
was a line OF lifeboats hanging between us
and the gun. We had to stoop to look under
the lifeboats to see the firing The gun was
shattered It's breach remained intact and
none OF the gun crew knew what had hap
pened until we had conveyed word TO the
officer in charge"
The gun crew OF the Mongolia several
weeks ago reported firing at submarine
in English waters, the same stern gun
having been used In that incident
Major Besley expects to sail again imme-
diately There will be no official investi-
gaticn he believes, other than the inquiry
which was conducted aboard ship last night
He telephoned Washington this afternoon
for instructions
According &c. members OF the crew the
American gunners were engaged Ia target
practice at barrels thrown from the stern
Of the ship A shell fired from one OF the
A. guns on the starboard quarter exploded
as 1t struck the water about l75 yards dis
tant sending a shower OF fragments back
upon the deck Of the vessel These frag-
ments caused the deaths Of the nurses, the
crew said.
BODIES BROUGHT ASHORE
A wireless report to naval headquarters
here resulted in a revenue cutter being
dispatched TO meet the returning Mongolia
some distance of port. The bodies Of the
nurses were transferred to It and brought
ashore
II was the desire Of the commander OF
the Mongolia to return the bodies to shore
rather than bury them at sea that caused
him TO turn back
The medical unit on the Mong Ola in
cluded siKty-hve nurses. twenty-five physi-
clans and surgeons and 1873 privates
WASHINGTON. May q.
Inquiries today concerning the condition
OF the ammunition aboard the Mongolia,
where two nurses we're killed by an explod-
ing cartridge case, developed the fact that
the navy has been investigating the faulti-
ness Of shells aboard the st. louis-under
suspicion that German agents might have
tAmpered with them.
The shells on deck for immediate use On
the St Louis were found 10 be imperative.
Apparently the fuses had been tampered
with
Shells in the hold, to be used as reserve,
were later tested at the Indian Head (Md.)
proving grounds and POUNDS to be salts
factory. This led to the suspicion that the
shells on deck, which would have been the
first 10 be used against a German submR-
rine might have been rendered useless by
spies. The navy thus far has been unable
to ascertain just what caused the fault.
As for the Mongolia shell, the navy was
without any official advices, though gun
merry experts inclined to think that the
breech block had not been completely closed,