Three Officers and 43 Men Killed by Back Flash of a Big Gun San Pedro, June 13.
Three officers and 43 men were swept to death by the premature explosion of a shell in the battleship Mississippi's No. 2 turret and 'a score of others injured by the flare-back, carrying a terrific charge through the breech instead of the muzzle.
The gun-crow was preparing to fire a broadside when a sailor called for the turning on of the electricity to fire the charge.before. the breech was-locked. A flash follow-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.