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Show SURVIVORS DESCRIBE SII1GJF VESSEL ! Florence H. Sank in Fifteen Fif-teen Minutes Following Internal Explosion. NKW YORK, May 1. The American1 steamship Florence 11.. carrying a cargo Of smokeleaa powder, which was destroyed de-stroyed by an internal explosion April 17, near a French port, with tho death or injury of all hut thirty-two of her complement com-plement of seventy-nine men, went down in less than fifteen minutes, according to fourteen survivors of the vessel, who arrived here today. The explosion tore out almost the entire starboard side- of the ship, the survivors said, and flames from the burning powder Instantly enveloped en-veloped tho entire vessel. Captain F. J, BOtterfield and alt his deck officers were lost, and only two of the engine room officers escaped uninjured. unin-jured. Those who did escape death had to batter bat-ter down the wrecked doors of their state rooms, fight their way to the deck and then to the rail, through walls of flame before they could leap Into the sea. Even In the wuter they were subjected to a bombardment of burning boxes ana a shower of burning powder. The life saving sav-ing equipment was destroyed by the explosion. ex-plosion. All but six of a navy gun crew of twenty-five men were trapped in their quarters by tho deck buckling and closing their exits. Tbjjy either were burned to death before the ship stink, or were drowned when she went down. Captain Butter-field and his deck officers were quartered In wooden deckhouses near where the explosion explo-sion occurred and the structures which sheltered them were instantly enveloped in flames, cutting off all chance of escape. |