Connecticut western news., 1917-05-24
DEFECTIVE SHELL
 KILLED NURSES
aavy Department Probes ACCl,
 dent on Liner.
SECOND ONE WITHIN MONTH


 Being Supplied by Private Makers Have Been in Circulation For Weeks. Daniels to Order Rigid Investigation Following Deaths of Two Women In Hospital Unit on Mongolia During Target Practice.
 Defective ammunition supplied to she navy by private manufacturers was responsible for the death of two nurses, the wounding of third and She imperiling not only of the gun crew, but the safety of the armed American merchantmen Mongolia.
 The Mongolia, which sailed Saturday with base hospital No 12 of Chicago, enc of the units going to the French front, on board returned to an eastern Mort, her flag half masted and with the bodies of the victims on board. ' - They were Miss Edith Ayers and Miss Helen B. Woods, both of Chicago They were killed by flying fragments when parts of a brass cap in the brcech end of six inch shell broke during target practice on Sunday. They were 200 feet from the gun. The third victim, Miss Emma Matzen, was wounded in the arm and thigh. The Mongolia, formerly a Pacific Mail liner, recently in the European trade under the ownership of the In eernational Mercantile Marine, was well at sea at the time. She has been doing little passenger carrying recent 6,sshaving been transformed into a cargo vessel. She was the first Ameri- can armed ship to leave United States nOrt following President Wilson's proc hmation of armed neutrality" which preceded the declaration of war against Germany.
 Second Accident of Kind.
 The real reason for the Mongolia s neturn to port was not to bring home the bodies of the victims, but to re- place her guns and ammunition.
 It has been the practice among armed smerchantmen to hold target practice most of the way across the ocean so that the naval gunners will Ne in complete readiness to fire on n submarine. The accident is the sec end which has occurred in like circum- stances, although the other was not attended with fatalities. The navy department is still conducting an in vestigation to place the responsibility eor defective ammunition in the naval aores on that occasion. The accident delayed the sailing 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 drop ped overheard and target practice be- gun. In the midst of, the practice g defective shell exploded in the gun, damaging it and seriously straining the ship. It was forced to put back and Eemain in an infrequented part of an eastern harbor for more than a day while repairs were made.
 An immediate investigation of the circumstances attending the accident en the Mongolia is expected to be or aered by Secretary Daniels.
 At the time of the Mongolia accident there were about 260 members of the hospital unit aboard. Sixty of these were women nurses.
 Bad Ammunition Stories. The vessel will not put to sea again until a fresh and thoroughly inspected supply of ammunition has been taken aboard and repairs have been made to the gun.
 Reports are current that for some time the navy departments suspicion has been kept alive by statements from qualified men that the ammunition fur. nished to American armed liners is far below the standard demanded by the government.
 A fragment of the brass shell cas- tng penetrated Miss Ayers brain, and another pierced the heart of Miss Woods. Miss Ayers was a graduate o1 Cook County hospital, Miss Woods oi the Illinois Training School For Nurses Miss Watson was struck by smaller pieces of brass.