The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-02-23
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-
tlon of the Appearance of
the Warship After
tho 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 SO 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
lust seen 30 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 we'll 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 poyt 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 o.
her superstructure and the sterr
searchlight and the rapid-fire gun lool
over the water just below them.
'Most, if not all the bodies will be
recovered. Two bodies were recovered
yesterday forenoon. They were thos'
! of Lieut.. Jenkins and Assistant Engi
. neer Merritt. A vigilant lookout il
being kept for bodies. Out of SO in
: jured not over four are likely to die
All but five officers will go to Key
. West. All the slightly wounded ant
q all the able-bodied men will go also
with the exception of few who will
o be kept here to identify bodies whel
they are secured by divers"
Out of 1854, the total number of tn
n crew of the Maine, 96 were saved.
= A special copyright cable to tn
q Evening World from Havana says tn
officers of the Maine state the explo
sion was in the central magazine an
y that the Maine was raised out of tn
water and then went partially to pieces
y The dispatch continues: "All but tn
surgeon were in the ward room at tn
moment of the explosion. Then cam
!, the stupendous shock. All the officer
below rushed on deck, but could ge
no further forward than the middl
, superstructure on deck. Only yer
!, few of the $50 jackies ever got frol
" below. The water rushed over thel
4 and many were stunned and drowned
= but not mangled.
"The officers on deck narrowly e
capped. In the junior officers mess a
:. had to Chamber out through water an
- wreckage waist deep. One ladder fro
the after torpedo compartment w;
iammed with men struggling up fl
~ life. All agree that double explosic
> D. occurred from the natural result of q
" underwater explosion of the mag
- zines"
~ On board the Spanish cruiser Alfon'
~ XIII. 26 of the wounded were treate
y and S6 were succored on board the Ci
- - of Washington. The crew of Il
~ steamer Colon saved two wounded me
Nc The Maine, at the time of the expl
10 sion, was anchored about 500 yards fro
the arsenal and 200 yards from t.
% floating dock. The explosion put o
&c the street lights near the wharf al
Ute U blew down telephone and telegral
W wires in that vicinity. Admiral Ma
ls terola and Gen. Soldno put off to t
ne Maine soon after the explosion al
q" offered their services to Capt. Sigsbt
Lieut.. Commander Wainwright /
lieves the explosion was due to t
M short circuit dynamo.
n The passengers on the City of Was
n ington gave up their state rooms to t
az injured men. An iron truss from t
a na Maine fell on the pantry of the City
Gu Washington, breaking the table wa
" of the steamer. Lieutenant Commf
en der Wainwright, of the Maine, W
~ ~ smoking in his cabin next to Ca
e Sigsbee, when the explosion occurl
" and put out the electric lights. Wa
wright then lit match and went
oe Sigsbee's cabin. The captain had be
no thrown from his bed, but was un
iured. They went on deck and gt
orders to food $500 pounds of gun C
ate ton which was on board. The orr
las was carried out, but the men who
oill filed it never returned. Havana, he
un- ever, was saved from still more tel
en- BILE explosion. Four boats were Il
the cred, all manned by officers, and {
of them was lost.
Steamer and 81 Lives Lost.