The herald., 1898-02-17
AT KEY WEST
The Wounded Men Brought From
Havana

KEY WEST, Fla, Feb. 15.-The steamer
Olivette, with GO survivors of the Maine on
board, arrived here at 10:30 tonight, seven
and a half hours from Havana. OF the
number. twenty are wounded. ten seriously
and one fatally. Captain Merrill, with
Company A, of the First artillery took
possession of the dock before the vessels
arrival, and kept back the excited crowd.
which included half the population of Key
West. The majority were Cpbans and
mulattoes. No one not in uniform was al
lowed to go on board. The Associated
Press correspondent saw Purser Benson
of the Olivette, who gave the following
brief account of the disaster:
1.-The explosion is an absolute mystery to
every one. 1t occurred In the forward
magazine, which is just forward of amid
ships, and below the water line. The coal
bunkers are outside, but separated by two
feet of space. According to custom the
magazine was inspected at o'clock in the
evening, and the temperature found to be
So The magazine was locked, and the
keys given to Captain Sigsbee. The men
went to their hammocks in the forward
part of the ship soon after 3 o'clock.
"The explosion occurred at 9:40, and
hence the awful and overwhelming loss of
life. No one can yet give connected ac-
count. About ten men who were In the
| forward part of the ship were saved, and
of these several had their hammocks slung
| on the lower deck. The explosion split the
| big ship in two and threw these and one
marine who was sleeping on the superstruc-
ture forty feet in the air, and into the
water.
"In the magazine were twenty-five tons
| of coarse powder used for charging the
| big guns. There was no dynamite, deto-
nation powder nor torpedo heads. and
nothing, in fact, that could be exploded
| by conclusion. In the main magazine aft
| the high explosives were stored. and this
| magazine did not explode. There are no
electric wires connected in or near the
magazine. 1t is not believed that the
| Maine was destroyed by torpedo under
| meath, as, If this were the case, the hold
would have been torn in the bottom, and
| the ship would not have been riven 10
| atoms, as was the case. The aft part OF
the ship sank in three minutes, and the Of
| ficers and survivors of the crew escaped
| half clothed.
pieces of the wreckage few a distance
of 500 yards. One large piece of cement
| struck the quarter deck of the City OF
Washington of the Ward line, which an,
chored ahead of the Maine twenty minutes
before the explosion"
Following Is list of officers and men who
have arrived on the Olivette, furnished the
Associated Press by Joseph M. Mann oi
Providence, r. I. Mr.. Mann was assisted
IN the isl ny tlle iicutcudHtS ou DOdA u,
cipally by Jungen, and the list may be de
pended on as official:
Officers--Lieut. John Hook, Lieut. c. w
Jungen, Lieut.. ]. Blanden, Naval Cadets
A. Bronson, Boyd, Washington and Cren
shaw, Past Assistant Engineer F. c. Bow.
ers, Assistant Engineer Morris, Pay Clerl
Mccarthy, Carpenter Helms, Gunner ]
H. Hill, Boatswain Larkin. Lieutenant o.
Marines Cattling, Sergeant Mehan, Mes.
Attendants John Turpein, Harris, Kushi
da, Awo, Ward Room Cook Topping, Gun
ner's Mate Williams. Apprentice Wills
Marines Mckay, Peter Larsen, L. Morris
erie, A. Hallberg, G. David, VIM. Gartrell
peggy" the captains pug dog; Lieut.
, Geo. p. Blow, Lieut. c. w. Melville, -
Redon, Dan Durkin, McCann.
The wounded: A. ]. Dressler, Charlie,
, Bergman, VIM. H. Thompson, Georg,
Schwartz. H. Tackle. Marine F. Thomp
!. son, r. Hutchins. Marine McDermott, j
: Herbert, A. Ham, p. J. Foley George Fox
. M. Flynn, VIM. McNair, Charles Galpin
. Joseph Lutz, M. Lanahan, Joseph Kane
a Carl Christensen, A. Johnson, John D
Load, j. Panck, o. Anderson, G. Lohman
Calvin Cook, Henry Williams, w. E. Rich
) ards. Nicholson.
: The authentic figures of the casualtie
Y are 104 saved and 251 dead.
J. It was q sad scene at the dock tonigh
n as the wounded sailors were( carried {
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