Salt Lake Telegram | 1912-12-10 | Page 5 | Terrific Explosion of Fourteen-Inch Gun at Sandy Hook

TERRifiC EXPLOSION oi Of INCH fOURTEEN GUN AT AI SANDY HOOK V NE YORK TOnIC Dec Ucc 10 A A pun gun un of or fourte four four- our our- te Inch teen caliber of ot tift fifty tons weight time the largest and newest ost typo built by the United States government o at a co cost t toC of oC exploded d at the thc Sand Sandy Hook proving plo grounds yesterday While While- the ex explosion ex cx of oC smaller guns has taken scores of or live tho the big r blew to pieces without causing a a. scratch to the men around it H. Tho The ton two breech block was wu blown a. a 1 of oC a mile tho the mu muzzle mu was Wal as buried still further awa away and Cra were spread in every direction but nanco Officer who was stand stand- fn ins Irig on the thc temporary car- car was war not struck although the tho structure Itself wa wn wrecked Drennan Brennan was thrown man many yards tint but sustained hardly a bruise Thc fhe other officers and men In charge of or thin the tiring were wern behind a r proof bombproof wall which protected them Time Tho big Rim gnu which buried a projectile weighing 16 0 pounds at a range of 0 12 yards lards was lucce MII ly tired fIred tte several cral times In lii tests mado made last lat month and watt was b believed to he be in perfect t condition A charge chan e of ot pounds 1 of ot smokeless powder powder pow pow- der Is used hen When the wa was isas pulled jester jester- e day a l tremendous explosion lon followed and amid broken pieces of oC tho thc gun sun were sent in all nil directions direction The rhe muzzle 8 was hurled toward a a. railroad l where It ripped up Upa J a large section of oC track SpeculatIon aa mu 8 to 10 the thc cau cause c of ot tho time ac- ac brought blOught out OUA the belief that I UK tiia sudden In drop the tile temperature had some flame effect on the thc gun Another re re- re I port ort th l was wan yes yes- yesterday 3 to lu how Ui laJ lam lam-ge c o a L charge charl l' l thin the iun gun trun would carr carry Lieutenant Colonel Babbitt who commanded th time tOj tiring said the cause nf or the thc explosion hurt hod not nt be been n determined r Ilk that bitt which exploded yesterday ste t I hR have o e been proposed for rUt the fortification I of or the Panama canal The Thc t type pe Is S slid said to ho he much longer lived hived than all any ammy others being Rood good for ur DO shots while tho the twelve inch typo ucro good gool for about sc ent sc