Show DIE AT THEIR POSTS explosion kills ond o nd wounds gunners on united states battleship massachusetts Ma issach vi f V 0 J 4 41 1 41 aw the battleship massachusetts five men were killed and tour four in aured jan 17 in an explosion on the battleship massachusetts off culebra island the navy department at washing ton received the news in a dispatch from san juan an eight inch charge exploded in a gun in one of the for aard mard turrets of the massachusetts the men on the massachusetts were engaged in target practice at the time the names of the dead and injured as given out by the department are as follows dead FELIX HERBERT LOESSER new york STEPHEN FRANK malinowski chicago ANDPEW hendrickson christ land norway KENNETH JOSFPH PLATT troy N Y ROBERT RULE mount washing ten hamilton county ohio ired alexander newton dossett durham N C james garfield patterson pittsburg pa albert stephen taeke st louis mo walter william august cleveland 0 details of the explosion were ob talked when the massachusetts arrived at san juan porto rico the elpio slon occurred in the starboard after eight inch turret and was due to the shown by the officers and cre of the battle ship capt learry lee commanding the marine guard of the vessel and ensign clarence abele im mediately flooded the turret with water and charles F hughe and gunner kuhlwein went below to the magazine picking up powder charges and prevented further explosions while william C cole and gun captain boneman entered the turret and withdrew the charge from the other gun whose breech was open the survivors of the guns crew crew when rescued were burned mutilated and nearly dead one man whose clothing was on fire jumped over board in less than a minute after the ex three streams of water were pouring into the turret preventing the charge in the other eight inch gun from exploding J the men met their death heroically and the wounded men who were hor bibly burned about the body walked I 1 without assistance to the hospital I 1 la the clothes they more a at the time ot 0 the accident they were cheered by their companions A funeral service for the men who met their death in the explosion waa was held next day on board the massachi Mass achu chaplain wright officiating afterward a procession was formed on shore and proceeded to the tha military cemetery of porto rico where the in berment took tool place the regimental band of the garrison of porto hico rico took part in the cere cero 0 11 CV ili 1 HM D agram showing effect of explosion accidental discharge of a percussion primer while the breech of the gun was open the full charge exploded in the turret and killed or injured all the crew of the gun numbering nine men ensign ward K who was in charge of the turret escaped injury though he was standing near the scene of the explosion magnificent discipline was imme mony admiral higginson Hig ginion and the ol 01 fibers of the massachusetts were at i the graveside where military n honors and also masonic honors for one ol 01 tho the dead was rendered A board of inquiry cori consisting kofl of capt converse of the illinois bom mander smith and pratt haa has been appointed to investigate and report on the matter |