ically the entire guns' crew. The explosion ignited three
cartridges, flames from which reached the working chamber, where
eight more cartridges were set on fire, and passed down to the
magazine, igniting still more cartridges. They burned fiercely,
the flames roaring high above the turret--but they burned only,
they did not explode--as our enemy's cartridges had done--and that
saved the ship! Still, the effect of the burning cartridges was
catastrophic; the flames killed everything within their reach.
Of the 78 men of the turret crew only five escaped, some badly
wounded, by crawling out through the holes for expelling empty
cartridge cases. The remaining 73 men died instantly. A few seconds
after this catastrophe another disaster befell us. A 15 in. shell
pierced the shield of No. 4 turret and burst inside, causing frightful
destruction. With the exception of one man, who was blown out of
the turret hatch by the blast of air, the entire crew, including
all the men in the magazines and shell-rooms, 80 souls in all,
were instantly killed. All the cartridges which had been taken out
of their metal cases were ignited, so that flames were now shooting
sky-high from both the after turrets....

"The enemy's shooting was splendid. Shell after shell crashed into
us, and my heart stood still as I thought of what must be happening
inside the ship. My thoughts were rudely disturbed. Suddenly it
was to us as if the world had come to an end. A terrific roar, a
mighty explosion, and then darkness fell upon us. We shook under
a tremendous blow, which lifted the conning-tower bodily off its
base, to which it sank back vibrating. A heavy shell had struck
the gunnery control station about 20 inches from me. The shell
burst, but did not penetrate because it had hit the thick armor at
an angle, but huge pieces of plating were torn away.... We found,
however, that all the artillery connections were undamaged. Splinters
had penetrated the lookout slits of the conning-tower, wounding
several people inside. The explosion had forced open the door,
which jammed, and two men were unable to move it. But help from an
unexpected quarter was at hand. Again we heard a terrific roar and
crash, and with the noise of a thunderbolt a 15 in. shell exploded
beneath the bridge. The blast of air swept away everything that was
not firmly riveted down, and the chart-house disappeared bodily.
But the astounding thing was that this same air pressure closed
the