Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-02-24
THE DEAD NUMBER 250.
Pen Picture of the Tragedy in Ha-
vana Harbor.
Explosion on the Maine Was Followed by
Wild Rush of Sailors to Reach the
Deck-Few Succeeded-Descrip-
tion of the Appearance of
the Warship After
the Disaster.

Key West, Fla, Feb. 17.-Capt. Sigs-
bees message to Commandant For
sythe, of the naval station here, re-
ceived yesterday, reads:
advise sending American vessel at
once. The Maine is submerged except
the debris. Mostly work for divers.
Jenkins and Merritt are still missing
and there is but little hope for their
safety. Those known to have been
saved are the officers and "a uninjured
of the crew. Eighteen wounded men
are now on board the Ward line steam
er; in the city hospital and at the ho-
tells 50 SO far as known. All the others
went down on board or near the Maine.
The total lost or missing is 25S With
several exceptions no officer or man
has more than part of a suit of cloth
ing and that is wet. The officers saved
are uninjured. The damage was in
the compartments of the crew."
New York, Feb. IA cable to the
World from Havana says: II have
just seen 20 sailors of the Maine silent
ly enduring the torture caused by pow
der-Skinned faces and bodies, broken
bones and mangled flesh. They were
being well cared for in the San Am
brosio military hospital here. The less
severely injured men are on the steam
ship City of Washington. The severely
wounded men will have the best of at
tention from the men and women of
the American colony. All the injured
men show great grit.
''Out in the bay lies the wreck of the
Maine. Her steel upper deck forward
has been completely lifted and turned
over on her starboard side. None of
the big guns in the turrets are visible.
The Maine is slightly listed to port and
all forward of the massive cranes for
unloading ships boats has disappeared.
The big tunnels lie fat upon the
twisted iron braces and pieces of steel
deck. From the tunnels aft the ship
seems to be intact. She has settled
until the water has covered the top of
her superstructure and the stern
searchlight and the rapid-fre gun look
over the water just below them.
Most, if not all the bodies will be
recovered. Two bodies were recovered
yesterday forenoon. They were those
of Lieut.. Jenkins and Assistant Engi-
neer Merritt. A vigilant lookout is
being kept for bodies. Out of 50 in
iured not over four are likely to die.
All but five officers will go to Key
West. All the slightly wounded and
all the able-bodied men will 90 ALSO
with the exception of few who will
be kept here to identify bodies when
they are secured by divers"
Out of 354, the total number of the
crew of the Maine. 90 We're saved.
A special copyright cable to the
Evening World from Havana says the
officers of the Maine state the explo-
sion was in the central magazine and
that the Maine was raised out of the
water and then went partially to pieces.
The dispatch continues: "All but the
surgeon were in the ward room at the
moment of the explosion. Then came
the stupendous shock. All the officers
below rushed on deck, but could get
no further forward than the middle
superstructure on deck. Only a very
few of the $50 jackies ever got from
below. The water rushed over them
and many were stunned and drowned,
but not mangled.
THE officers on deck narrowly es-
capped. In the junior officers mess all
had to Chamber out through water and
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 maga-
zines"
On board the Spanish cruiser Alfonso
XIII. 20 of the wounded were treated,
and SO were succorcd on board the City
of Washington. The crew of the
steamer Colon saved two wounded men.
The Maine, at the time of the eXplo-
sion, was anchored about 500 yards from
the arsenal and 200 yards from the
floating dock. The explosion put out
the street lights near the wharf and
blew down telephone and telegraph
wires in that vicinity. Admiral Man
terola and Gen. Solano put off to the
Maine soon after the explosion and
offered their services to Capt. Sigsbee.
Lieut.. Commander Wainwright be-
leves the explosion was due to the
short circuit dynamo.
The passengers on the City of Wash
ington gave up their state rooms to the
in iured men. An iron truss from the
Maine fell on the pantry of the City of
Washington. breaking the table ware
of the steamer. Lieutenant Comman-
der Wainwright, of the Maine, was
smoking in his cabin next to Capt.
Sigsbee, when the explosion occurred
and put out the electric lights. Vain
wright then lit a match and went to
Sigsbee's cabin. The captain had been
thrown from his bed, but was unin-
iured. They went on deck and gave
orders to flood $500 pounds of gun cot
ton which was on board. The order
vas carried out, but the men who full
filled it never returned. Havana, how
, St III