The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-06-13

VI SCIlI dllOCIlCI CAplOolOll lInu
; 1t was "flare black" from one of
the guns that shot death in flames
and poisonous gases back into the
turret through it's open breech. A
second explosion, the breech locked,
let loose in the harbor here as the
Mississippi steamed home with it's
dead and injured from the drill
grounds, hurled steel particle dan
gerously near to an outbound pas
senger liner. Should the third gun
charge explode before it can be re-
moved, however, it is believed that
precautions already taken will rend-
er the firing harmless.
Few Are Injured
Of the injured there were strange
ly few. With a death list close to
the half hundred mark, only eight
men were numbered among the hurt,
and the injuries of these were COM
paratively slight, consisting mainly
of minor burns and decorations.
Just how the fatal explosion oc-
Cured was still undetermined,
though from witnesses aboard the
Mississippi and board other vessels
near here when disaster broke up
their scheduled target practice,
fairly comprehensive picture of the
accident was obtained.
The battleships Mississippi, Ten
nessee, Idaho and California, the lat
ter towing the target, were off San
Clemente island, AS miles from here,
and were engaging in secret gun
merry practice, feature of which
was mass firing by 36 14-inch rifles
trained on a single target
Firing Under Way
The firing was under way. 1t was
1 o'clock.
In the plotting room of the Mis-
sissippi, electric bulbs flashed one
by one their signals as each gun
was fired and reloaded. Eight of
the IL scheduled salvos had been
fired, each rocking the great ship
as the guns belched their steel at
the target. After the eight salvos
other guns in other turrets reported
ready for the next volley, but no
flash came from turret No. 2, near
the bow of the ship.
In the plotting room, anxiety
grew. Attempts to communicate with
the turret failed. Then came a
terse command Flood the maga-
zines"
On deck men and officers hasten
ed to the rescue, but it was more
than half an hour before any at
tempt could be made to enter the
doomed turrct. There were 80 odd
men there, AZ of them perished.
When the flare back from the first
14-inch gun came officers say it may
have been caused by a premature
signal to throw the electric switch
setting off the charge, or by still
glowing fragment left in the breech
after the previous firing-the only
avenues of escape were cut off by
flames.
Four men leaped through matches
to safety. All others in that part of
the turret containing the guns suf-
focated in the atmosphere of flame,
gas and poisonous fumes.
For half an hour every flame-ex-
agency on board was di-.
rected toward quelling the burning
gases and the flaming oil drip of
the gun operating machinery.
The matches were choked with
dead and only water holes at first
could be forced through the entran-
ces.
Then came Ensign H. d. Smith of
Spokane, today acknowledged out
standing hero of the disaster.
Smith answered the call for vol
unteers willing to enter the death
turret. He was chosen because of
his small stature. Equipped with a
gas mask and an air-hose, he forced
his way through the piled up bodies
of victims and, Drawing an inferno
of heat, gas and flames, made a
inspection of the turret
and reported no survivors.
BY this time, other vessels in the
division knew what had happened.
The Tennessee and Idaho stood by
and lowered small boats. Ship sur
geons were sent to the stricken ves-
sci. Communication Officer Nor
gan, attached to the battleship New
Mexico, announced early today that
the bodies of the victims would be
kept aboard the hospital ship Re-
lief, pending word from their next
of kin. kilograms were sent to
these relatives last night. He said
that the bodies would be transport
ed to their respective homes or bur-
led in the national cemetery, .at Ar
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