New Britain herald., 1924-06-13
l4 Inch Gun Flares Back, Belching Death And Destruction, But
 Cause Is Yet To Be Determined.
Ensign Smith of Spokane Outstanding Hero as He Dashes Into Death Cham Der tO Seek Survivors.
tke Associated Press.

'N'c tAssotidtt1 lIeSS,
 san Pedro. Cal. June fS.--Tho lives
 Of three officers and A enlisted men
 nave been snutfed out aboard the dreadnaught Mississippi in the Pacific fleets greatest peace time djsa ster which brought 10 a tragic climax a week of sham battles and target prac- tice
 Aboard the hospital ship Relief to- day lay the dead, killed by 8 prema- tuns explosion in the Missiu uippi's number turret, and the injured Aboard the U. S. S. New Mexico. flag ship Of division four Of the battle meet members Of naval board of in- quiry prepared to open their investi- gation of the disaster.
 Aboard the Mississippi, anchored outside the breakwatcr, officers and men watched the me-shattered tur- ret where a li-inch gun, with an un- exploded charge damned in its breech meant that the danger of still another explosion had not passed.
 Bareback the Cause
 It was "ilare-back" from one Of the guns that shot death in flames and poisonous gases back into the turret through it's open brooch A second. the breech locked, let loose in the harbor here as the Mississippi steam. cd home with it's dead and injured from the drill grounds and hurled steel proicctile dangerously near to an outbound passenger liner Should the third guns charge explode before jt can be removed, however, it is be- lieNed, that precautions already taken ! will render the firing harmless.
 Only s Injured
 or the injured there were strangely i few. With a death list close to the . half hundred mark, only eight men were numbered among the hurt. and | their injuries were comparatively slight consisting mainly Of minor burns and decorations.
 Just how the fatal explosion occur rcd still was undetermined early today though from witnesses aboard the and other vessels near her 1 1hen disaster broke up their sched- uled target practice a fairly compre- hensiye picture of the accident was obtained.
 lit Gunncry Practice
 Tho battleships Mississippi. Tennes- see. Idaho and California, the latter towing the target, were off San Clem- ante Island, i5 miles from here, and rcre engaging in secret gunnery prac- ice, leature Of which was mass fir- rg by thirty-six 1i-inch rifles trained ,n single target.
 li was about 1 o'clock. Tn the plot | ips room of the Mississippi electric [ lulbs flashed one by one their signals [ IS each gun was fired and reloaded. } Eight Of the twelve scheduled sal ( os had been fired, each rocking the | .reat ship as the guns belched their c teel at the target. After the eighth T alvo other guns in other turrets re- [ ,orted ready for the next volley, but i 10 flash came from Turret No. 2, nsar he bow of the ship. [
 Hood the Magazines O Tn the plotting room, anxiety grew. C Ittempts 10 communicate with the | urret failed. Then came a terse com s 1and Hood the magazines!" I On deck, men and officers hastened n the rescue. but it was more than alf an hour before any attempt could e made to enter the doomed turret. here were eighty-odd men there-4s I them perished. , When the fare-back from the first 4-inch gun came-Officers say it may ave been caused by a premature sig al to throw the electric switch set- ng off the charge. or by a still glow iz fragment left in the breech after le previous firinE-the only avenues ' [ escape were cut off by flame. Four 2. ien ieaped through matches to safe 2, '. All others in that part of the tur- q 4 containing the guns, suffocated in VI ie atmosphere of flame, gas and pois- nous fumes. p
 Jump To safety TT IT Joe Catiesel, seaman from the New iI txico. and another biuejacket at- .'. ched to the Mississippi lnirled them V, Ives through an open hatch, with TT obert Macavin. New Mexico, boat ~ tain. cafapulting after them. Ensign ., J. Leveasseur, another observer Y. om thn New Mexico. dfved from the " .eil deck down the shaft of the pow .r hoist leading away from the fur- For haIf s1 hour every fame ez- lEUighing agency on board was rectsd toward ouei1ing the burning ses and the flaming oil drip of the ". n operating machinery. nc The matches were choked with dead re' I only water hose at first could be TT reed through the entrances. th'
 smith \ Hero h' Then came Ensign IT. D. Smith of da okane. Wash, today acknowledged fel tstanding nero Of the disaster. 1e iith answered the call for toun- ITS willing 10 enter the death tur- ]. He wsa chosen because Of his all stature. ind Equipped Hith gas mask and an qts h0se he forced his way through mi piled up bodies ef victims and. ho wing an inferno of heat. gas and os mes made a complete inspection Sp
 The Continued ou Tvsnty-Fifth raFsD dr.