| Show THE MAINE BLOWN UP havana feb 15 16 at a quarter of 10 this evening a terrible explosion ow ld sion took place on board the T united states cruiser maine in havana harbor many were killed or woun dett all the boats of the spanish cruiser alfonzo XIII are assisting As yet the cause of the explosion to Is not apparent the wounded sailors of the maine are unable to explain it the explosion shook the whole city the windows were broken in all th the houses the correspondent of the associated socia ted press says he has conversed with several of the wounded sailors and understands from them that the took place while they were weep 0 a o that they can give no vw to the cause consternation prevails in Bl el WEtta the wharves harves are crowded with th of pepie people I 1 it to is believed the explosion occur occurred Ted in an ft a small powder magaz magazine at a quarter to 11 what remaina of at the maine to is still burning capt and the other officers have been saved tt it is estimated that over of the crew were killed but it Is impossible yet bet to give exact details admiral manterola has ordered that boats of all kinds should go to the assistance of the maine and her wounded the havana firemen ate are giving aid tending carefully to the wounded as aa they are brought on shore it is a terrible sight gen bolano and the other generals have been ordered by capt gen blanco bianco to take steps to help the maines crew in every way mo possible sible the correspondent of the associated press has been near the maine in a boat of the cruiser alfonzo XIII and seen een others of the wounded who corroborate the statement of those first asleep when the explosion occurred capt sigsbee says the explosion occurred in the bow of the vessel he received a wound in the head orders were given to the other officers to save themselves as best beat they could the latter who were literally thrown from their bunks in their night clothing gave the necessary orders with great self possession and bravery at the maine continues burning the first theory was that there thre had been a preliminary explosion in the santa barbara magazine of powder or dynamite below the water admiral manterola believes that the first explosion was of a grenade that was hurled over the navy yard washington feb 15 the secretary of the navy received the following telegram from capt sigsbee maine blown up in havana harbor at and destroyed many wounded and doubtless many killed and drowned the wounded and others are on board the spanish man of war and ward line steamer send lighthouse tender from key west for crew and few pieces of equipment still above water no one had other clothes than those unon pon him apu opinion should be suspended tin till further reports all officers believed to be saved jenkins anamer and merritt not yet accounted for many 0 spanish officers including representatives of gen blanco now with me and express sympathy SIGSBEE 11 the officers refried to in the above dispatch are freind W jenkins and assistant engineer darwin R merritt prom from the wording of the dispatch the navy department thinks it Is possible that they were on shore at the time of the accident washington feb 16 while wre acre tary long was with the president the following detailed dispatch from captain sigsbee commander of the maine was brought to him advise sending wrecking vessel at once maine submerged except debris mostly work for divers now jenkins and merritt still missing little hope for their safety those known to be saved are officers 24 uninjured crew 18 wounded now on board ward line steamer in city hospital and at hotel 59 so tar far as aa known all others went down on board or near the maine the total list hat of missing is with several exceptions no officer or man has more than part of a suit of clothing and that to is wet with harbor water ward steamer leaves for mexico at 2 this atter afternoon noon officers saved are uninjured damage was in compartments of crew am preparing to telegraph list of wounded and olivette vette leaves tor for key west at 1 p m will send by her to key west the officers saved except myself and wainwright holman henneger ray and holden will turn over three uninjured boats to captain of port with a request for safe keeping will havana SIGSBEE new york feb ig 16 A special to the evening telegram from havana con coming the maine disoteo says james jamee raw bowe ships ship cook was the least injured of any that were brought off while I 1 was wa there I 1 asked him how it happened 1 I dont know he replied 8 cinc ng with difficulty 1 I turned in nay my hammock m at 8 and heard three bells strike I 1 dont remember member anything more until I 1 felt myself turning over and over and falling heavily upon the deck through a mass of smoke I 1 got on my feet and worked my way on deck when I 1 got there the superstructure deck was dipping under water and I 1 jumped overboard to keep from being drawn in the suction on 1 I was picked up by a boat from the spanish man of war four men were picked up by the same boat they wre were daniel cronin a landsman charles berry boatswain albert john seaman and blomer a landsman man one poor fellow whose race face was injured past all recognition was waa lying in a cot in the hospital I 1 asked him hla his name and he mumbled back through horribly swollen lips my folks would feel uneasy if I 1 told you so tar far as I 1 can learn now the explosion took place in the magazine used tor for the storage of gun cotton for the torpedoes the vessel lies with her bows wholly submerged and only a part of her stern showing the explosion which shook the city from one end to another created the wildest excitement all the electric lights were put out by the shock fire engines rushed madly from one quarter to another and no one knew for certain from which direction the explosion came consul general lee who was at the hotel inglaterra ingleterra Ing laterra received a telephone message from gen blanco telling him that the maine had been blown up gen lee hastened to the place where the cabinet is now assembling sem bling vie vice consul springer has just assured me that all the officers were saved except jenkins jenkens and merritt mhd are missing mr springer says at least lives were lost capt sigsbee was on deck when the explosion came it was in the bow of the vessel A sentry stationed at the bow was unhurt he had seen nothing suspicious I 1 have talked with some of the rescued officers and seamen one officer whose name I 1 could not learn said of the explosion 1 I was in my bunk I 1 got on deck fire had started forward there was a good strong breeze the call for all hands on deck was promptly obeyed and the men and officers were perfectly cool all possible efforts were made to check the fire but without avail the flames spread rapidly and several explosions occurred magazines were burst open and explosives were thrown overboard in half an hour it was apparent nothing could save the ship key west fla feb 16 last night was the most eventful ever witnessed at key west the excitement commenced shortly before 10 when the report was made that the famous tug dauntless had arrived at a point on the east coast and was taking on arms and ammunition tor for cuba the celebrated little filibuster wa for ported to have arrived at palm V simultaneously with a train lo 10 men who would sall sail before any aay it tempt could be made to detain bin the information was I 1 conveyed to commanders com mandera oma of f vessels in the harbor who commena m ann bep n to make preparations to th w filibusters the came the report that the battleship I 1 maine had been blown up in Is harbor of havana this news wl wat first received by the commandant of the station who in turn communicated the information to the several cers in command A telephone was waa sent commanding 0 officer o at the barreon ba meanwhile the news rapidly over the entire efty and the office became the center of atti the tact fact that the two torpedo were getting up steam ana ama 4 ready to sail added to tho the excite eit it A hurried conference was hel tween the several naval av otteen ro ent and a line of action brom aided upon the torpedo boat son was the first to get under und she steamed out with open t and headed for the westward 0 fc not positively known where she hs gone the Imi impression is that she hm been dispatched to arv tortugas Tor afta VW W notify admiral sicard of the e disa to the maine the cuing Is puffing at her ready to steam out and apparently only awaiting orders to proceed f cavan every government vessel tel the harbor Is getting ready to sail ban tor the havana as soon as orders are te re calved the lighthouse tender mas grove under commander belder has h just left for havana the att c manders son and daughter who have hav been guests aboard the steamer vage hurriedly sent ashore As the minutes pass the excitement becomes intensified from the fact tw nothing further has been added to tt first meagre report regarding the dw A aster to the maine it is not here what damage has been done doneit bt the worst Is feared from the arrange ments being made to relieve those who axe are supposed to have been injured the cable office is being besieged besle ired by naval officers some of whom axe are awaiting dispatches while others othera adf a seeking further news regarding evento eventa in havana washington feb 16 the news at t the disaster at havana spread over the city and the hotel lobbies and all public places were crowded with people eager to hear and descum every particle of information as faa as it was received the wildest roi reports were in circulation both as aa t ft the number of fatalities and cause bt at explosion nearly every one seef seemed fled to suspect treachery on the part of CC spain or its overenthusiastic over enthusiastic friends friend in havana few would believe tb the explosion was the result of an aad accident f cooler heads expressed a willin gneW to wait for later news before forn liftS conclusions president mckinley was greatly agitated when he heard the news and te he expressed great sorrow for the ballf who lost their lives at the army and navy club ther them were groups of greatly interested av t fibers some of them showing their deep sorrow in every word and look for their acquaintances aboard tha maine there to is much conjecture as to chajt course is being or will be pursued wp the government the telegraph offices are besle besieged gd ut tor friends of those known to be on booro the maine many of the off lefts land and men have friends some famille fam lUe lk in this city and some of the UM W I 1 mom in a s state of excitement better I 1 11 0 0 tart a ku aboa tola to ift they ey gm an begged phi marty tor aa aadi et the th t lost loaf were no crun crumbs of comfort for as a each bulletin pictured the as more inore terrible than the one 41 Una paster ater ng it bew york peb feb 16 advices advises to the branine telegram from havana say that of the officers and men on the maine us only 30 30 axe are known to have been saved wahington hington nS feb navy de was the scene of intense ex before 9 this morning but the officials had no newsy news to add to that riven given in the latest associated dispatches the first news received arm this morning came from key blest estt and added little to the sum of Anto information mation commandant forsythe t key west wired the navy department he had bad been notified by ut that captain cS sigbee of the maine to inform admiral sic sicard d in command of ibbe se north atlantic squadron that the waive maine had bad been blown up and was am destroyed ed he requested that a light tender be sent over to havana dmd added that many were killed and commandant For message said aid the lighthouse tender had left for key west at 3 welock this morning for havana and tilie the tugboat fern would promptly fol IAU low itaf her A leq ond dispatch from commandant forsythe said he had sent the torpedo boat Er ericason iceson which was at key sicard who is at jsn west to admiral dry tortugas Tor fugas with a message concerning to tu 41 disaster to the maine cantalia Cant alii n dickens chief of the navi gabon bureau expressed the opinion today lofty that the explosion took place toft magazine on the maine he said this was evident for the reason that afloat an hour atter after the I 1 the ship was explosion if a torpedo had been fired i under the battleship she would have I 1 sunk almost immediately and the fact that she bad not done so was con evidence that the firing of a torpedo was not the cause of the disaster new york feb 16 senor de lome award the news of the disaster to the maine at the hotel st mare marc this morning at first de lome refused to credit the he news but when the truth dawned upon him he said it is terrible I 1 pray god the new has been exaggerated you may be sure of one thing no spaniard did this like myself all spaniards of importance entertain friendly feelings towards this country there will be no wair wa there can be no war between As america and spain into ap palling appalling disaster forces me to 41 declaration that I 1 love america as T do no other country than my own washington feb 16 two members of the cabinet who spent some with the president today state that thal everything so ao far received indicates that the low lo 10 of the maine was due to accident captain sigsbee in his telegrams from havana states that he is not prepared to express an opinion on this point hington feb 16 the following dispatch was received at 11 1140 40 a m havana Ha Tana feb 16 assistant secretary of state washington all quiet areat reat sorrow express expressed pd bv blebee has telegraphed details to navy department not prepared yet to report cause cauce of explosion L aliee E E itaw york feb 16 A special copyright cable to the evening world from havana says the officers of the maine tate the explosion was in the central magazine and that the maine was waa out of the water and then went partially to pieces the dispatch con att AM the officers but the surgeon were in the am ward room at the moment of the explosion then came the stupendous shock all the mr on an deek tout but could set n aft further than the middle superstructure on deck only a a very PlU pitiable kible few of the of the jack tarts tar got from below the water rushed over them and many were stunned and drowned but not mangled it is not jaely that more mor than forty sailors were saved the officers on deck narrowly escaped in the junior officers mess mean hall all had to clamber out in wreckage waist deep one ladder from the after torpedo compartment was jammed with men struggling up for life all agree that a double explosion occurred from the natural result of an underwater explosion of the magazines the dispatch says that the account of the passengers on the ward line steamer city of washington which was lying yards from the maine bears out the foregoing statement continuing the cable says brass pipe angle iron etc fell in a shower on the decks of the city of washington so injuring two boats that when lowered they were useless out of the dense smoke came anguished cries for help simultaneously with the cessation of falling fragments searchlights were thrown on the wreck and its load of agony spanish boats from the shore joined those of the washington alongside at once but the regular terry ferry boats passing soon atter after th the explosion did not stop to offer aid washington feb 16 the following is a list of officers of the maine with their addresses as far as obtainable at the navy department captain charles D sigsbee washington commander richard wainwright washington G P F holman california john hood florence alabama carl W jungen new york city Lieu liedts ts junior grade G P blow lasalle la salle ill III john J Blan blandin dip greenwood md P F W jenkins allegheny city pa naval cadets cabets W T cluverius jr louisiana |
