New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-26
HE WITNESSED THE DISASiE"'
PROVIDENCE MERCHANT TELLS o'
SCENES ON THE NIGHT OF THE DE-
srRIrcTION OF THE MAINE.

Joseph NJ Mann a merchant OF PROVIDENCE W. -
arrived in this city yesterday from havana ~ Wy
OF Key West He Is brother|n-a" VI
NJ Eckstein Senator Platts private sec'.'''''
Mann was an eyewitness OF the eHpios'o" " -"
IrnI,ea States cruiser Maine. He was passenger
., TIC Novyork end Cuba Mail steamer CITY OF
Washington which left this city on FEBRUARY "a
and arrived In Havana H1rbor less IMAM an "o "
fore the explosion and cast anchor less imam '''
hundred feet from the Maine 49,,
II was down in the saloon AFT saio MI '" ,,..
"wben suddenly heard a dull. muiiied sound Ike
49, o,,,o.,or ~ n giant cracker under water Al
most Immediately after came roar 'n.' ,' ,nn
shook our ship and we could hear the souhn Vi ian
ing Of missiles on the deck above My hfs'
was that war had been declared between ''o
States and Spain and that hostihtles hso pesu So,
Looking out Of the saloon portho'e to""." ~
Maine saw her midsh.p section some my "a
the air ALI around mass OF name an.
smoke Something struck the sue "a 0''
then. and again our boat shivered'
"Above the roar Of the flames and the tcfrlo'e
excitement that followed we heard the CRIES % ',e
dying and wounded. They shouted. heip' 10y
u.s." Those were the only cries the poor iello"S
made Two boats were Immediately io"e'e' ''o'''
our ship, but they had been rendered useless ~
fragments OF flying iron and steel from the Maine
two otber hoa,s were soon made ready and In them
the crew of the City OF Washington. assisted oy
CAPTAIN Stevens and the officers, picked up over
score Of the and several officers
Captain Sigsbee was the last man to leave MS
ship We could see his figure clearly outlined
against the flames OF the superstructure' ana ms
voice rang ont clear as trumpet. soon We nau
twenty-elght officers and about thirty OF the ere"
on board the City OF Washington. which had oeen
Transformed into a temporary hospital Bed sheets
and linen OF all kinds torn into STRIPS anu uSe"
as bandages. All the passengers tent manu- -
succorlng the wounded. who bore their hurts WIN
wonderful solcsm. Many Of them were teirioi'
mangled, and or two died as they were oo'"s
carried on board the City Of Washington.
None OF the passengers on the City OF Washne-
ron would have dared to leave the ship that night
even had they been permitted to do So Inc sie"'-
est disorder seemed to prevail on shore anu ''o'
the ship we could hear and see that everything was
In a chaotic state on land. The next morning. "heh
we landed. things seemed to have qiieted some
what. and Spanish officers were running AROUND
ovsrvvbere They were In the cafes and similar
nlaccs ard few of them seemed 20 feel any sorro"
for the awful event OF the previous night IL was
, common thing to hear the rabble say as they
looked at the bulk of the Maine. served theil
right or Wen serve them the same way again Il
they dare send another vessel down here TO
the credit OF the Spanish officers be 1t sald that
rhey afterward made every effor TO stop all anti
American sentiments. The gravest danger 20
Americans In Cuba comes from this raoDle' II war
IS declared they will loot and ravago ana P,.'as
from end of the lsland 10 tnc OlltI iI'~' o.
only waiting for the opportunity, and when IL come
ali the Spanish soldiers won't be able TO Keep them
back -, l.. 1I,ro,a
sailing for Key West board the Ohvette on ths
afternoon following the explosion lie Was auHlsep
by Or. Drummer, the American Health oiIlccI Std-
TONED at Havana. not to remain there any lonseI
Than necessary Mr.. Mann says that many otleI
Americans who have lived on the Island Tor Ions
time have been unoficiaily Informed by the AMER
can Consuls to leave soon as possible MI
Mann got his passport vised in less than tour nou
which il said TO be record time The oHlclal VINO
gave him his passport refused douceur ana "ouu
take only the regular fee TWO pesetas n
NV theory regarding the cause OF the disaster
said Mr. Mann rs the theory advanced by nine out
~ every ten Americans In Cuba to-day-tnat ths
Maine was blown up by some outside agency a
niece NJ cement some two feet in circumference and
almost an inch thick landed on the deck OF the Sty
of Washington from the Maine less man nan d
minute after the explosion. This cement is pc
linved 10 have been part OF the double bottom OF
the ship. Evidently this piece OF cement was Vas
blown high into the air by the force oil ule ek-
piosOn which, had II been Internal, wouid nave
forced the cement into the water. This piece Oh
cement was taken away by officers OF the Maine
who seemed 10 think 1t an important feature OF the
disaster. ., e,... ,ou all
that heard that night on board the city OF WASH.
ington but | will say that not few oincess OF
the Maine were then OF the unalerabIe opinion that
the wreckng OF their ship was the hendish work OF
an outsider"