The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-17
DISPATCHES FROM HAVANA
Giving Interesting miscellaneous
"Details 0f the VEHeeL


Two officers and more than 200 Of the
crew are missing. Some of the crew whC
were able to support themselves by swim
ming were saved by the boats.
Six of the wounded crew and one of the
officers have been taken 70 the military
hospital by General Blancos orders.
Soon after the explosion Chief of Police
! Plagliery went on board the Maine with
| an American correspondent TO act as in
terpreter Captain Sigsbee expressed to-
| tai ignorance of the cause of the explo-
| sion. Shortly afterwards Captain Sigsbee
left the Maine, after doing everything
possible under the circumstances, and
went on board the City of Washington.
He refused to grant interviews on the
| subject of the disaster.
On board the Ward line steamer City
| of Washington at midnight one of the Of
fcers of the Maine said that at 8 O'Clock
last night all the magazines on board the
! battleship Maine were losed an dthe keys
| had been turned over TO Captain Sigsbee,
I her commander. The explosion occurred
/ at 9;45 p. m. The officer then rushed on
/ deck and assisted in lowering a boat and
| in trying to rescue the men in the water.
The Spanish cruiser Alphonso XII,
which was anchored close to the Maine,
/ also lowered her boats and saved thirty
! seven of the crew of the American war
| ship.
| Another officer said: ST was sitting with
| two more officers in the mess room when
heavy explosion occurred. II was so
| heavy that we understood the ship would
= he
and found she had been badly wrecked by
an explosion, that she was on fire and
sinking. All efforts were directed toward
lowering the boats and saving lives The
Maine settled quickly on the bottom of
the harbor. only her upper works re-
naming above the water. A number of
| boats from the Spanish warship Alfonso
XII. and boats from the Ward line City
of Washington came alongside and rem
dered assistance. Twenty-four men who
were slightly wounded We're carried on
board the City of Washington and the
rest of the wounded were carried on
board the Alfonso XII, from which place
they were taken to other quarters and
after receiving valuable assistance from
the naval doctors sent to the military
| hospitals
This officer said the explosion occurred
somewhere in the forward part of the
amidship section of the battleship. Many
of the crew who were below at the time
of the explosion were unable to escape
and those wso succeeded in reaching the
upper decks saved their lives with great
difficulty with the assistance Of the oftic-
ers and men on watch.
At O'Clock in the morning, while the
correspondent of the Associated Press was
going ashore there was another terrible
explosion. At the same time boats from
the Spanish steamers Colon and Mexico
were taking eight wounded men ashore,
after having saved them from the water.
Up to a. m. fifty-seven men and TWEEN
| ty-four officers had been accounted for.
Paymaster Ray said that last Sunday
there were 354 men on his list all told.
Lieutenant Jenkins and Assistant En-
gineer Merritt are among those not ac-
counted for.
Lieutenant Blandin was on watch at
the time of the explosion.
Some of the wreckage of the Maine fell
on board the City of Washington and
knocked two holes in her deck.
The chaplain of the Maine, Rev. NJ.
Chadwick, went on board the Alfonso XII
in order TO administer to the wounded.
Captain Sigsbee informed the CORES
pondent of the Associated Press that he
could not make any statement regarding
the disaster until after investigation.
A Spanish naval officer said that Cap
tain Sigsbee was the last man to aban-
don the sinking ship, and that he remain
ed alongside the wreck as long as it was
possible to do anything in the work of
rescue.
There is no truth in the report that Gen
! eral Fitzhugh Lee and Vice Consul Sprin-
ger have called at the palace TO thank
! Captain General Blanco for his offer of
| assistance.
The large number of deaths reported
! among the crew of the Maine is said to
! be due to the fact that most of them
were asleep below at the time OF the ex-
plosion. Most of the officers saved We're
dining on board the City of Washington.
| It is reported that the disaster was due
| to the explosion of the boiler of the dy-
namo machine.
| The Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII was
| for some time after the explosion in great
/ peril and her mooring tackles were stack
/ ed away and she was anchored a a great
er distance from the burning ship. She
then lowered her boats and took part in
| the work of rescue.
Consul General Lees cable dispatch to
/ the United States government. which was
| filed at 1880 p. m. was carried to the pal
| ace by Vice Consul Springer as an act of
! courtesy.
! The first Of the American sailors to
reach the Machina wharf swan there.
All the navy fire brigade and the navy
| positions were Immediately ordered on
duty.
The following Is a list of those who
were temporarily cared for at the Ma
/ china wharf;
Thomas Androscky. burned about the
arms.
| Gatren. slightly wounded on one foot.
J John Nair seriously burned about the
arms and face.
/ A Rau. wounded on the head.
John Laundry. burned
/ Four more. names unknown.
! Stretchers for the use of the wounded
were sent to the scene by the fire brigade
and the headquarters of the Red Cross
society was called upon 10 send four
stretchers. and men were sent 10 patrol
the scene OF the disaster and pick up the
dead and wounded.
The smokestack of the Maine fell al
1870 p m.
Three sailors who escaped fell senseless
just as they reached a place of safety.