The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-12-17
CAPT. SIGSBEES STORY.
His Own Account of the Blowing Up
Of the Maine.

zine his personal Narrative OF tn
Maine." He will write for no otbe
periodical. In the December Cen
fury his second story describes th'
blowing up of the Maine and tn.
scenes that followed. Captain Sigs
bee says:
About an hour before the explo
sion had completed a report called
for by Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt, as,
sistant secretary of the navy, on
the advisability of continuing te
place torpedo tubes on board cruis.
ers and battleships. I then wrote
letter home in which l strup.
gled to apologize for having car.
ried in my pocket for 10 months
letter to my wife from one of her
friends of long standing. The
cabin mess-attendant, James Pinck-
ney, had brought me, about an
hour before, civilians thin coat
for the prevailing heat; had taken
off my blouse and was wearing this
coat for the only time during this
cruise. In the pocket l had found
the unopened and undelivered let
ter. Pinckney, light-hearted COL
ored man, who spent much of his
spare time in singing, playing the
banjo. and dancing jigs, was for
some reason in an especially happy
frame of mind that night. Poor
fellowl he was killed, as was also
good old John r.. Bell, the colored
cabin steward, who had been in the
navy 81 years.
Attaps c"turn in and keep quiet"),
10 minutes after 8 o'clock, I laid
down my pen to listen to the notes
of the bugle, which were singularly
beautiful in the oppressive stiffness
OF the night. The marine bugler,
Newton, who was given to fanciful
effects, was evidently doing his best.
During his pauses the echoes Aoated |
back to the ship with singular dis
tlnetness, repeating the strains of
the bugle fully and exactly. A
half-hour later Newton was dead.
| was enclosing my letter in its
envelope when the explosion came.
The impression made on different
people on board the Maine varied
somewhat. To me, in my position,
well aft, and within the superstruc-
tie it was a bursting, rending, and
& ing sound or roar of immense
vol -, largely metallic in charac-
teit was followed by succession
of - IVY, ominous, metallic sounds,
pro ply caused by the overturning
Of central superstructure and
by Hing dabris. There was a
rel Wing ands lurching motion of
.he>Fe 81, a list to port, and a
no. an INT of subsistence. The cleo
.fic Zig :, of which there were eight ,
n thee cabin where I was sitting, j
vent T. Then there was intense
'lackn1Ss and smoke. II
The situation could not be mis- !
AIKEN the Maine was blown UP and !
For moment the instinct I
II selt-preservation took charge of 6
ne, put this was Immediately dom t
'ataf by the habit of command. I $
Venfup the inclined deck into the e
tars oard cabin, toward the star t
oari alr-ports, which were relieved r
omewhat against the background a
the sky. The sashes were out and r
he openings were large. My first il
itention was an escape through an
lr-port. but this was abandoned in T
'Vor OF the more dignifed way of
laklng an exit through the pass
geway leading forward through the s,
I CROPPED my way a
trough the cabin into The passage, B
ad along the passage to the outer d
DOR. The passage turned to the s.
ght, or starboard, near the forward CT
art of the supers.ructure. Of
When the turn was reached some tt
lie ran into me violently. 1t was pi
rIvate William Anthony, the or h'
'rly at the cabin door. He said w
mething apologize, and reported W
at the ship had been blown up M
I'd was sinking. He was directed in
go out on the quarter deck, and ell
followed him. Anthony has been al
ctured as making an exceedingly
rmal salute on that occasion. The ri
amatic effect Of salute can not oy
d to his heroism. If he had made so