Evening journal., 1898-12-12
CAPTAIN SIGSBBE STORY

CAME.
About an hour before the explosion Il
had completed a report called for by.
Theodore Roosevelt, assistant score
tary of the navy, ON the adyisabilfty OF
continuing TO place torpedo tubes on
board cruisers and battleshlps. then
wrote a lstler home, in which l strug-
gied to apologize for having carried IN
my pocket for ten months letter 10
my wife from one Of her friends OF
long standlng. The cabin mess attend-
ant. james Pinckney, had brought me.
about an hour before, a civilians thin
coat, because Of the prevailing heat
had taken off my blouse, and was
wearing this coat for the only time
during the cruise. In the pocket
had found the unopened and undeliv-
erred letter. Pinckney, a light hearted
colored man, who spent much spare
time in singing. playing the banjo ana
dancing jigs, WAS for some reason in
an especially happy frame Of mind that
night Poor felow he was killed. as
was also good old John r. Bell, the
colored cabin steward. who nad been
in the navy twenty-seven years.
AT taps C'turn in and keep quiet")
$40 o'clock, l laid down my pen 10
listen to the notes of the bugle which
were singulary beautiful in the OPP
pressive stiffness of the night. The
marine bugler, Newton who was rather
given to fanciful effects, was evidently
doing his best. During HIS pauses the
echoes hoated back to the ship with
singular distincness, repeating the
strains or the bugle fully and exactly
A half hour later Newton was dead
l was enclosing my letter in It's en-
yelope when the explosion came. The
impression Nude on different people on
board the Maine varied somewhat To
me, in my position, we'll aft, and within
in the superstructure, it was a burst
ing, rending and crashing sound or
roar of immense volume, largely me-
talgfc in character 1t was followed
by a succession of heavy, ominOus, me
tallic sounds, probably caused by the
overturning OF The central super
structure and by falling debris. There
was a trembling and lurchlng motion
Of the vessel, llst to port and a
movement Of subsistence. The electric
lights, Of which there were eight IN
the cabin where I was sitting, went out
Then there was intense bLackness and
smoke
The situation could not be mistaken;
the Maine was blown up and sinking
For a moment the instinct Of self pres
ervation took charge Of me, but thi.
was Immediately dominated by TIT
habit Of command. l went UP the IN
c.fned deck into the sthrBoard cabin
toward the ssarboard air ports, which
were relieved somewhat against th'
background or the sky The sashes
were out and the openings were large
My first intention was an escape
through an anr port, but this wa
abandoned In favor Of the more digni
fed way OF making an exit through
the passageway leading forwart
through the superstructure. / gropeJ
my way through the cabin into thu
passage, and along the passage to th'
cutter door. The passage turned to tht
right, or starbOard, near the forward
part CT the superstructure.
When the turn was reached someon'
ran into me violently. 1t was Private
William Anthony. The orderly at thl
cabin door He said something apollo
getic, and reported that the ship hai
been blown up and was sinking. HI
was directed to go out on the quarter
deck and I followed him. Anthony ha
been pictured as making an exceeding
~ formal salute on that occasion
5 The dramatic effect Of a salute canno
add to his heroism. If he had made
salute It could not have been seen 4
the b.ackness Of that compartment
Anthony did hts whole duty, at gree
) personal risk, at time when he Nigh
have evaded the danger without ques
tion, and deserved adj the commenda
ton that he received for his act. II
hung near me with unfiagglng zeal an
watchfulness that night until the shi
was abandoned
, l stood for a moment on the star
q board side Of the main deck. forwar
2 of the superstructure, looking towar
J. the immense dark mass that doomed Il
! amidshfps.. but could see nothing die
tdncgly. There ] remained for a fer
q seconds in, an effort to grasp the siu
e alton, and then asked Anthony for th
exact time. He replied, The explcsio
, took place at nine-forty, SIR" Il We
S soon necessary TO retire from the mai
p deck, for that part Of the Ship We
= sinking rapidly. then Went up on Il
!, poop deck. BY this time Lieut.. Con