San Pedro, Calif., June 16.—Evidence given the naval court today pointed at lack of air pressure in the gun mechanism as the cause, or at least one of the causes, explosion aboard the U. S. S. Mississippi, Thursday, when 48 men were killed.
Walter C. Ebell, turret captain of Turret No. 3 of the Mississippi, corroborated the evidence Saturday of Francis Majewski, plug-man in Turret No. 2, when the blast occurred, that the air pressure to clean out the gun barrels between shots and to close the gun breeches was weak.
The result of this, according to gunnery experts, might have been to leave flaming or smouldering particles In the gun barrel, which would ignite the new charges of T. N. T. as they were rammed home.
Ebel said:
“Just before commencement of firing I noticed 120 pounds of pressure on our indicator, which should have registered 150 pounds. I called the air compressor room and asked for 150 pounds, but after the second salvo it continued to decrease until at the end of the twelfth salvo it showed only 110 pounds.”
Passing for a moment from the investigation of the cause of the fatal flare-back, the court next heard George C. Ogletree, police petty officer, who helped to carry the dead from No. 2 turret. He cleared up all question of what caused the second gun in the turret to let go four hours after the first blast, when the ship had reached this port. A dead man’s hand, as the body was carried from the turret swung against the switch and fired the shot, nearly hit the passenger steamer Yale as she was putting out of port, Ogletree said.
Charles E. Brown, electrical officer, was unable to say how many air compressors were working but he declared that in his booth all switches were turned on, indicating that all the compressors were functioning.
Lieutenant Commander Carter, senior engineering officer of the Mississippi, told the board that his records showed four air compressors were working full force.
Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME, June 17, 1924