Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-02-19
Explosion in Havana Harbor
Wrecks an American
Warship.
Scores of the Crew Killed and
Wounded--Exact Cause of the
Disaster Not Yet Fully
Determined.
Span sh Naval and Military Authors
ties Assist in Caring for the In
jured--One of the Worst
Catastrophes in the An
nails of Our Navy.

Havana, Feb. 16.-At 9:45 last even
ing terrible explosion took place on
board the United States warship
Maine in Havana. Many were killed
or wounded. AS yet the cause of the
explosion is not apparent. The wound
ed sailors of the Maine are unable to
explain it.
The explosion shook the whole city.
The windows were broken in all the
houses. Several of the wounded sail
ors say that the explosion took place
while they were asleep, so that they
can give no particulars as to the cause.
The widest CONSERVATION prevails
in Havana. The wharves are crowded
with thousands of people. 1t is be-
lieved the explosion occurred in a
small powder magazine. At 10:45 p.
m. what remained of the Maine was
still burning. Capt. Sigsbee and the
other officers were saved. 1t is esti-
mated that over 100 of the crew were
| killed, but it is impossible as yet to
give exact details. Admiral Manterola
| has ordered that boats of all kinds
shall go to the assistance of the Maine
and her wounded.
Gen. Solano and the other generals
have been ordered by Gen. Blanco to
take steps to help the Names crew in
every way possible. The correspondent
of the Associated Press has been near
the Maine in one of the boats of the
cruiser Alfonso MI. and seen others of
the wounded who corroborate the state
ment of those first interviewed that
| they were asleep when the explosion
occurred.
Capt. Sigsbee says the explosion oc-
Cured in the bow of the vessel. He
received wound in the head. Orders
were given to the other officers to save
| themselves as best they could. The
| latter who were thrown from their
hunks in their night clothing, gave the
necessary orders with great self-pos-
session and bravery. AT l1:30 the Maine
continues burning.
Many officers of the Maine were
ashore at the time of the explosion.
| Admiral Manterola believes the disas-
ter was caused by the throwing of a
grenade from the navy yard, near
which the Maine was anchored, onto
the deck of the American warship.
Washington, Feb. 16.-The secretary
of the navy received the following tele-
gram from Capt. Sigsbee: Maine
blown up in Havana harbor at 9:4O and
destroyed. Many wounded and doubt
less more killed and drowned. Wound
ed and others are on board Spanish
man-of-war and Ward line steamer.
Send lighthouse tenders from Key
West for crew and few pieces of equip
| ment still above water. No one has
other clothes than those upon him
Public opinion should be suspended
until further report. All officers be-
lieved to be saved. Jenkins and Mer-
ritt not yet accounted for. Many Span
ish officers, including representatives
of Gen. Blanco, now with me and ex-
press sympathy"
The officers referred to in the above
dispatch are Lieut.. Friend w. Jenkins
and Assistant Engineer Darwin r.
Merritt. From the wording of the dis
patch the navy department thinks it
possible that they were on shore at the
time of the accident. The secretary
of the navy received another dispatch
from Key West at the same time, but
its contents were not made public. The
orders for the lighthouse tenders were
at once sent to Key West.
Secretary Long received Capt. Sigs-
bees dispatch but few seconds before
the press dispatches from Havana were
handed to him. His first act was to
comply with Sigsbee's request that as
sistance be sent from Key West. He
Immediately wired Capt. Forsythe at
Key West to proceed with the naval
tender Fern to Havana.
The Maine was battleship of the
second class and was regarded as one
of the best ships in the new navy. She
was built at the Brooklyn navy yard
and is 31s feet long, 81 feet broad and
6,6s2 tons displacement. She carried
four 1O-inch and six 6-inch breech-load
ing guns in her main battery and seven
6-pounder and eight l-pounder rapid
fire guns and four Gatlings in her sec
ondary battery, and four Whitehead
} torpedoes.
, The Maine was built in 1890 at cost
of So, 5sS, 900. She had steel hull anC
!, complement of S74 men.