Young Marine Trumpeter Dies in Shocking Munitions Explosion
Mason DeWilton Eidson: 1904-1926
One of the best parts of genealogical research is learning
about some forgotten but fascinating historical event—the sort of thing you
never learned about in History Class in school because it was embarrassing or
ugly and didn’t fit the history class narrative of American exceptionalism. The
fate of Bruce’s third cousin once removed Mason DeWilton Eidson led to one of
those discoveries. Mason died at the shockingly young age of twenty-two in
something called the Lake Denmark Explosion.
Mason Eidson was born on July 22, 1904 in Kentucky to
parents Charles Eidson and Cora Belle Phillips. He was the grandson of Bruce’s
first cousin thrice removed Matilda Houston, a Leachman grandchild. Mason was
the third of the six Eidson children, and was only thirteen when his mother
Cora died after a long illness. After her death, the family moved to
Vanderburgh County, Indiana.
Mason joined the Marine Corps, and became a corps trumpeter.
In 1926, he was stationed in New Jersey at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Lake
Denmark. A severe thunderstorm moved through the area on the evening of July 10.
A bolt of lightning struck a tree overhanging a Depot storehouse which held a
large amount of munitions. The building caught on fire, and the Marines,
including Mason, were sent to fight the fire.
Within a short amount of time, a huge explosion rocked the
area, followed within thirty minutes by two more explosions. The first
storehouse alone housed 300,000 kg of explosives, while other buildings were
filled with yet more munitions. The devastation was immense and widespread.
Rachel Wilson, who wrote an article for the journal NJS
(citation below) about the 1926 Lake Denmark disaster, described the explosion
as follows:
“The direct effect of the blasts caused the complete and total annihilation of structures within a radius of 2,700 feet and damaged buildings up to 8,700 feet away. Nineteen people died, mostly Marines, while fighting the various fires. Over 50 more were injured from the blasts. The damage to munitions and other stores exceeded $40,000,000. These intense explosions and fires also devastated the adjoining Picatinny Arsenal and caused major damage to most of the buildings.”
Mason died in the explosions. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery. The citation read,
“The
President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy
Cross (Posthumously) to Trumpeter Mason D. Eidson (MCSN: 170349), United States
Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and fearless devotion to duty on the
occasion of the explosions from lightning at the Naval Ammunition Depot, Lake
Denmark, New Jersey, on 10 July 1926. Although he fully realized the imminence
of great peril, Trumpeter Eidson continued at his post of duty in an endeavor
to check the spread of the disaster, thereby losing his life.”
Explosion aftermath at Lake Denmark Ammo Depot
The Lake
Denmark explosion was a huge news event. Every major newspaper of the era
covered the disaster, providing photos of the wreckage and lists of the dead. The
event prompted investigations and criticism, resulting in changes in how and
where the military stockpiled and stored munitions.
Despite the loss of so many servicemen and some civilians, this event has been forgotten by modern Americans. Until I read a small news item about Mason’s grandmother attending his funeral, I had never heard about the Lake Denmark explosions and deaths. I am glad I rediscovered this piece of our American history and learned how an electrical shock on a stormy evening led to the deaths of nineteen people.
Mason was
buried at Alexander Memorial Park Cemetery in Evansville, Indiana.
Sources:
Aftermath of the 10 July 1926 explosion at the U.S. Naval
Ammunition Depot at Lake Denmark. Courtesy of the National Archives, photo no.
71-LD-121.
NJS Presents Museums, Archives, Artifacts, and Documents.
NJS: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Winter 2021. Pg. 345. “The 1926 Lake Denmark
Explosion: An Extraordinary Mishap That Changed Military Safety Standards” By
Rachael Winston. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14713/njs.v7i1.230
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