The Washington herald., 1917-05-22
inferior SHELLS SOLD
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ing for more than twenty-four hours of
| the first American armed passenger
| liner to leave for Europe. After the ship
| had reached open water barrels were
dropped overheard and target practice
begun. In the midst Of the practice a
/ defective shell exploded in the gun.
damaging it and seriously straining the
ship. 1t was forced to put back and re-
main in an infrequented part of ar
! Eastern harbor for more than a day
while repairs were made.
DaneIs Gives Account
Secretary Daniels said last night:
This morning I gave out the distress
| ing statement that two nurses. who were
I going to Europe. had accidentally been
/ killed on the steamship Mongolia Sunday
Afternoon. That was all the information
that had been received at that time.
! To-day the Mongolia returned TO New
! York to bring the bodies Of Mrs. Edith
Ayres and Miss Helen Burnett Wood, the
| two nurses who were killed. and the
/ fuller particulars were learned from the
officers at the New York Navy Yard,
who boarded the ship in the upper bay.
| The particulars of the fatal accident,
which is deeply deplored. is thus fur
nished by the ordnance officers from New
York.
7 when at about 100 miles to sea. in
| accordance with the regular procedure.
guns were fired to test mounts and am
munition and to practice the navy crew
! in their use. The guns were OF the six
inch caliber, for which the shell and
powder are loaded separately into the
gun. The powder charge is contained in
! a brass case and there held in place by
a pasteboard wad, distance pieces, and a
] ole
making mOisture-tight joint in order
that the powder may always give the
velocity and pressure intended.
Propelled Some Distance,
! When the gun is fired. this brass cup
| is propelled some distance, sometimes
whole, sometimes in pieces. but always in
| front of the guns.
! several nurses who were watching the
| firing were sitting on the promenade deck
| some l75 feet abaft and ten feet above
| the gun. On the third shot the brass
| mouth cup struck the water peculiarly,
! boomeranged directly back to the ship,
| struck a stanChion near where the nurses
| were sitting, and broke. Its pieces in
! stantly killed Mrs. Ayres and Miss Wood.
| both of Chicago. The firing was stopped
| at once and the vessel returned to port
| to land the bodies.
| This method of sealing the cartridge
| cases has been used in the navy for many
| years. certainly for fifteen years or more,
| and that such an accident this sad one
| could occur had not been even considered
| by ordnance experts.
| An investigation has been ordered. and
| its findings will enable the department to
| ascertain fully the cause and provide the
| remedies to prevent possible recurrence
of the accident
| Charges that American munitions
makers were turning out defective ana
| ineffective shells have been heard for
some months. The charge has been flatly
! made from Europe that for the sake Of
profits American sheIl-makers were send
| ing 'empties" and carelessly-made shells
to the allies, and that not only were
something like Is per cent of the total
supply ineffective against the enemy, but
that many imperiled the lives of the
gunners themselves.
Inquiry Expected.
| That the same kind of shells has been
| supplied to the American navy by Ameri-
| can manufacturers is expected TO be the
subject of the deepest inquiry. One large
plant has supplied most of the munitions
| to the navy.
This plant protested vigorously when
Secretary Daniels proposed that the gov
| ernment should build an armOr and pro-
Jectile plant of its own. Great pressure
| was brought to bear on Congress and
publicity campaign carried on. Despite
| these efforts, however. the navy pushed
| through its reCommendatio tions. and the
plant is now being erected at Charleston,
w. Va.
At the time OF the Mongolia accident
| there were about 260 members of the
hospital unit aboard. Sixty of these were
| woman nurses
| An official report the shell explosion
! accident, received yesterday afternoon by
Surgeon General Gorgas from Command
| er Collins, says:
| Reserve nurses Edith Ayers and
| Helen B. Wood, army nurse corps, base
| hospital No. 12 were killed at > p. IN.
| Sunday, May 20, while sitting on deck 200
feet from the gun by parts of brass cap
| in the open end of a six-inCh cartridge
breaking into fragments. Gun was being
fired in target practice. Mongolia has
| returned to (name of port deleted) to
change ammunition and guns. Relatives
have been notified. Nurse Emma MatZen
was wounded in arm and thigh. Not be-
heved serious Have placed her in naval
hospital at (deleted)"