Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-06
ARM0RY ECHOES.
The War Talk in the Militia
Dying Out.
TALE OF THE MAINE WRECK.
Newly Elected Field Officers of
the Sixth Regiment.
WeIIingtons Showing Renewed Interest
Under Their New captain-Capt.
- 6arretts New Alarm Gard.
TALE OF THE MAINE WRECK.


ana harbor, seems to have entirely blown
over, and the men, with the possible eX-
ception of one or two Of one company,
do not anticipate any call for troops.
The majority of the members of the mi
litia have probably been as little con-
cerned as any body of men in the city
in relation to the rumors of war. They
are, at least, level-headed and their
training has taught them not to antici
pate orders but to await their issuance.
Some of the relatives of the men, how
ever, have feared the Worcester boys
would be called to go into danger, and
especially among young wives and a
few parents there has been some con-
Germ. These people, in some instances,
have called upon the officers of the COM
pany to which their loved ones belonged,
but the officers quiated their fears and
dismissed them with a feeling that after
all the talk of Worcester meE being
called upon was nothing but rumor. The
scare, at least, has had a beneficial eff
feet upon the militia. Applications to
enlist in the companies have never been
so numerous, and the commanders find
there are more applications than there
are places. With this existing state of
affairs the commanders can pick the
best of the lot and thus get desirable
men into the ranks.
In speaking Of the destruction of the
Maine at Havana, Worcester people, to
whom Capt. Charles w. Newton of the
Hartford City Guards is known, will be
interested to know that he was one of
the Americans in Havana at the time of
the explosion. Capt. Newton with Gen.
A. l.. Goodell, also of Hartford hurried
to the shore soon after the explosion,
Captain Newton said he and Gen.
Goodrich, with two other Americans,
were sitting in the square of the Prada
discussing the situation on the island,
when they were suddenly startled by a
mass of flame which illumined the sky
in the direction of the harbor, about a
half mile away The flame was quickly
followed by the noise Of an explosion
which shook the island, and Immediate
ly a number Of shells budst in the air.
lighting up the sky again. The first
though was that the American consul
ate, which lay in the direction Of the
harbori had been blown up. Soon one
OF Capt. Newton's companions caught
the word Maine" Just then Consul
Gen. Lee and his assistant hurriedly
entered carriage and were driven in
the direction Of the wharf Capt. New
ton and his companion followed in an
other carriage
Arriving at the wharf the Maine could
be seen some two or three hundred
yards out in the stream, a tangled mass
OF iron work, with one end Of her burn
ing. The boats from the ether ships
could be seen in the vicinity in
their work of rescuing the survivors of
the explosion who were struggling in the
water. The only light was from the
burning ship, and not once while Capt
Newton stood on shore did the Alphonse
Kill turn a searchlight on the scene,
The cries of the wounded as they were
carried on stretchers from the scene OF
the accident to the hospital were awful.
Many of the victims were horribly
burned and mangled almost beyond rec
ognltlon The Spaniards who carried the
stretchers did not seem much Mortified
by the accident, but laughed and joked
as they went along.
capt. Newton said he never witnessed
such a sight as the Maine presented
after the explosion. What was once a
handsome and powerful warship. which
could have levelled the city of Havana,
forts and all, to the dust in a few hours,
was nothing but a mass of tangled iron
and burning wreckage. In regard to the
cause, Capt Newton said it would be b.
surd for him to advance a theory, and
only repeated the sentiments Of the Off
GERS and men, that it was impossible to
understand, knowing the precautions
that had been taken. Capt Newton in
returning from Havana came as far as
Key West with a number of the sur
vivors and talked with many of them.
The general belief was the explosion
was caused by some outside agency
From the time the Maine appeared in
Havana harbor she was an eye-sore to
the Spaniards. The ignorant class enter
tanned the idea that the United States
has no navy and the appearance of the
Maine tended to give an upward rise to
American stock. The lower class of
Spaniards have the utmost contempt for
Americans, and believe the whole race
is one of towards In regard to the stu
alton in Cuba, Capt. Newton said the
condition Of the inhabitants is terrible.
About 100000 have left the island and
found homes in the United States, Lon
don and Paris, but there are still thous-
andS who are starving ON the island.
When Capt. Newton comes to this city,
as he frequently does, his friends will
demand recital of his story from his
own lips.
The election in the 9Th regiment. Fri
day, resulted in the promotion of two
Worcester county men-Major Chaffin
of FitchburgETAOINU NU saocate--ha
of Southbridge to be lieutenant colonel,
and Capt Priest of F'itchburg to be
IlSul. 1Ol. CHdIleS r. WOOQWdTu
of Wakefield was elected colonel Col
Woodward is well known in Massachu-
SettS, where he has accomplished con-
siderable in the development of street
railroads. He was born in South Read
ing, Mass, Nov. 10, 1852. At the organiz-
sation of the Wakefield and Stoneham
street railway he was elected president
He represented Wakefield in the general
court in 'S7, '8S and 'S9, and is now serv-
tho III fc far.r, oc fOr 40
Middlesex- Essex district He entered the
Massachusetts militia in the sixth in
fantry in 1869. He was corporal, SER
geant, second and first lieutenant and
captain of Co. A, taking that commission
Feb. q, 1879, when the command was at
a very low ebb, and by his own personal
incentive bringing it up to rank as one
of the strongest companies in the state.
He was commissioned major Feb. T.
1882, and lieutenant colonel March a.
1890.
Lieut.. Col. George H. Chaffin of South
bridge was born in Grafton, and was
educated at the Highland Military Acad-
emy and at the Pennsylvania Military
Academy He entered the Massachu-
setts militia as private in Co. G, 10th
regiment, July a. 1857; was commits
stoned second lieutenant Aug. 4, 1875;
first lieutenant March II, 1876; and cap
tain Of Co. H, 9Th infantry, April 20,
1881. Promoted major, May 16, 1884, he
has held that position continuously un-
til his present promotion.
Capt George H. Priest of Co. B Of
Fitchburg, Who was elected major, is
a native of Hillsboro, N. H. After his
graduation from the Fitchburg high
school, in 1888. he became interested in
the lumber business with his father, and
since the death of the latter. has car
ried on the business of the firm. He
| enlisted in Co. B as a private in 1885,
q "A has risen succassiyelv from office ~