The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-18

Washington. Feb. lit was said at
the navy department that no news was
expected before Saturday when some
results might begin to appear as a re-
suit of the court of inquiry at Havana,
and meanwhile the officials seemed
we'll content to wait and get a few
hours of sleep which has been luxury
for many of them since the first bull
letin announcing the disaster Tuesday
night.
STORY OF THE DISASTER
Told by Lieut.. Blandin, Who was on Watch
When Explosion Occurred.
Key West, Fla, Feb. 17.-Lieutenant
John j. Blandin of Baltimore, one of
the Names survivors, who is at the
Key West hotel, gave the correspond
ent of the Associated Press this even
ing succinct account of the disaster,
saying that not until now has he been
able to recollect the sequence of events
in the awful ten minutes following the
explosion Tuesday evening. Lieuten-
ant Blandin was ON the Trenton at the
time of the terrible disaster off Samoa
in March, 1889, when American and
German vessels lost 244 men, all told.
Lieutenant Blandin says:
Il was on watch. and when the men
had been piped below I looked down
the main matches and over the side of
the ship. Everything was absolutely
normal I walked aft to- the quarter
deck behind the rear turret, as Is al
lowed after o'clock in the evening,
and sat down on the port side. where
remained for a few minutes. Then,
for some reason 1 cannot explain to
myself now, 1 moved to the starboard
side and sat down there. l was feeling
bit glum, and, in fact, was so quiet
that Lieutenant J. Hood came up and
asked laughingly if I We're asleep.
said, No, l am on watch
Scarcely had 1 spoken when there
came dull, sullen roar. Would to
God that I could blot out the sound
and the scenes that followed. Then
came a sharp explosion; some say nu-
merous detonations. al remember only
one. 1t seemed to me that the sound
came from the port side forward Then
came a perfect rain of missiles of all
descriptions, from huge pieces of ce-
ment to blocks of wood, steel ratings,
fragments of gratings and all the de-
bris that would be detachable in an
explosion.
II was struck on the head by a piece
of cement and knocked down, but I
was not hurt and got to my feet in g.
moment Lieutenant Hood had run to
the poop, and supposed, as followed
that he was dazed by the shock and
about to jump overheard. l hailed him
and he answered that he had run to
the poop to help lower the boats. When
I got there, though scarcely minute
could have elapsed, 1 had to wade in
water to my knees and almost instant
ly the quarterback was awash. On
the poop 1 found Captain Sigsbee as
cool as if at 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 has assembled
got the boats out and rescued num-
ber in the water. Captain Sigsbee or
dered Lieutenant Commander Vain
wright forward to see the extent of the
damage and if anything could be done
to rescue those forward or to extin-
guish the flames, which followed close
upon the explosion and burned fiercely
as long as there were any combustibles
above water to feed them.
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
on his return reported the total and
awful character of the calamity, and
1os
der, Abandon Ship to men over
whelmed with grief, indeed, but calm
and apparently unexcited. In the
meantime four boats from the Spanish
cruiser Alfonso XII. arrived, to be fol-
lowed soon by two from the Ward line
steamer City of Washington. The two
boats first lowered from the City of
Washington were found to be riddled
with flying debris from the Maine and
unfit for use. Captain Sigsbee was the
last man to leave his vessel and left in
his own gig.
IT have no theories as to the cause
of the explosion. I cannot form any.
An examination by divers may tell
something to a court of inquiry l.,
with others, had heard that the Ha-
vana harbor was full of torpedoes; but
the officers whose duty it was to ex-
anime into that reported that they
found no signs of any Personally,
do not believe the Spanish had any
thing to do with the disaster. Time
may tell. 1 hope so. We were in a.
delicate position on the Maine SO far
as taking any precautions was con-
cerned. We were friends in a friend
ly, or alleged friendly, port and could
not fire upon or challenge the ap-
proach of any boat boarding us unless
convinced that her intention was hos
tile. I wish to heaven 1 could forget it..
I have been in two wrecks and have
had my share. But the reverbrations
of that sullen yet resonant roar, as if
the bottom of the sea was groaning in
torture, will haunt me for many a day;
and the reflection of that pillar of
flame comes to me even when I close
| my eyes,"
CONTRACTS FOE FIRE HOSE
Let by Board of Fire Commissioners Last