Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-02-21

was destroyed by Harvey torpedo
In an interview he said that with the
vessel pointing against the tide, with
the night dark and the Maine not pro-
tected by netting, a man could row a
skif across the bows of the Maine at
distance of from 500 to 1000 feet,
towing a Harvey or floating torpedo.
Allowing the tide to drift the torpedo
against the forward end of the Maine,
he could explode it by means of cleo
, trio wires attached to a Illuminating
cap.
Key West, Fla, Feb. 1S.-Lieuten-
of the Names survivors, who is at
the Key West hotel, gave the CORES
pondent OF the Associated Press sue
cinct account of the disaster, saying
that not until now has he. been able
to recollect the sequence of the events
in the awful ten minutes following the
explosion of Tuesday evening. Lieu
tenant Blandin was ON the Trenton at
the time of the disaster off Samoa in
March, 1889, when the American and
German vessels lost PA men all told.
Lieutenant Blandin says: 81 was on
watch, and when the men had been
piped below I looked down the main
matches and over the side of the
ship. Every thing was absolutely nor
nal. l walked aft to the quarter
deck, behind the rear turret, and sat
down on the port side, where [ re-
manned for a few minutes. Then, for
some reason l cannot explain to my
self now, moved to the starboard side
and sat down there. I was feeling q
bit glum, and, in fact, was so quiet
that Lieutenant J. Hood came up and
asked laughingly if | was asleep.
said: NO, am on watch. Scarcely
had [ spoken when there was a dull.
sullen roar. Would to God that
could blot out the sound and scenes
that followed. Then came sharp eX-
plosion; some say numerous detona-
tions I remember only one. Il
seemed to me the sound came from the
port side forward. Then came a per-
feet rain of missiles of all descrip
tions-frOn huge pieces OF cement to
blocks of wood, steel ratings, frag-
mants Of gratings and all the debris
that would be detachable at first IN
case of an explosion. | was struck
on the head by a piece of cement and
kI ocked down, but [ was not hurt, and
got ON my feet in a moment. Lieu.
tenant Hood had run to the poop AND
I followed him When | got there
though scarce a minute could have
elapsed I had to wade in the water up
to my knees, and almost instantly
the quarter deck was aWash. On the
poop I found Captain Sigsbee, as cool
as if at a ball, and soon all the officers
except Jenkins and Merritt Joined us.
The poop was above water after the
Maine settled to the bottom. Captain
Sigsbee ordered the launch and gig
lowered, and the officers and men, who
| by this time had assembled, got the
| boats out and rescued number in the
water. Captain Sigsbee ordered Lieu
tenant Commander Wainwright for
ward to see the extent of the damage
and if anything could be done to res
cue those forward, or extinguish the
| f1smes which followed close upon the
explosion and burned fiercely as long
as there were any combustibles above
water to feed upon. Wainwright on
his return reported the awful charac-
] ter of the calamity and Sigsbee gave
the last sad order Abandon the ship.
! The men were overwhelmed with grief
| but calm and apparently unexcited.
In the meantime four boats from the
| Spanish cruiser Alfonzo XII arrived,
being followed soon by two from the
/ Ward line steamer City of Washing
! ton. Two boats were lowered from
| the City of Washington and were
| found to be riddled with flying debris
from the Maine and unfit for use. |
have no theories as to the cause of the
explosion. I cannot form any
Examinatin by divers may tell some
thing to court of inquiry. | with
others had heard that the Havana
harbor was full of torpedoes but officers
whose duty it was to examine into that
| reported that they found no signs of
any. Personally I do not believe the
| Spanish had anything to do with the
disaster. We were in a delicate posi-
! tion on the Maine so far as taking any
precautions was concerned. We
were friends in a friendly, or alleged
| friendly, port and could not fire upon
or challenge the approach of any boat
| boarding us unless convinced that her
intention was hostile. have been in
| two wrecks now and have had my
share But the reverberations of that
sullen, yet resonant roar, as if the bot
j tom of the sea was grooming in tor
! ture, will haunt me for many day,
and the reflection of that pillar O
flame comes to me even when I close
my eyes.
! WANT WOMEN'S RIGHTS.