Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-02-19

battlcship to shreds. There is no reason for
hoping that this pitifully small list of sur
viyorS will be swelled by the names Of any
others saved. Wild excitement and still
wilder rumors followed the conclusion of
tho terrific blast. The explosion shattered
windows and electric lights. and flung the
city into Il tnmult Of excitement such as
1t rarely witnessed before. Crowds that
had gathered in public places dispersed
in quick order, and other knots gathered, to
follow moment later Mt the heels OF some
leader who knew no more where he was GO
ing than they. Fire engines came bounding
down the narrow streets from no one knows
where, and going no one knows where. All
the populace turned out. and the throngs
gradually trendcd toward the water front.
bat for half an hour or more no one In the
midst of that iostlng. pushing, half crazed
crowd knew aught OF the awful tragedy
that lay just beyond. The streets became
cOnyestcd and one had II tootn-and-toe
nail task to force his way through
The report was, first, that the arsenal
had blown up, and then it was said that
tho Spanish man-of-war had torpedCed
the Maine. And this was while the men of
tho Alfonso MI were struggling to the work
of rescue. The Ward line steamer City Of
Washington was the first to reach the scene,
AMI the crew did all that could Ls done to
rescue tn. drowning. Three boats from the
Maine We're there, TOO: in fact, there were
more boats to pick up swimmers than there
were swimmers to be picked up.
Some of the survivors were brought
to the landing place and turned over to
the ire,men. who carried the wounded
OIL stretches 10 Hospitals. Others were
brought alongside the City Of Washington
and still others were carried to the Alfonso
XII. The wreck took fire and sank, and
soon the harbor was lighted by the lurid
glare of flames, fed chiefly by the in
ilammable cellulose contained in the forward
and after ends. The wreck burned the long
night through, and when broke the solemn,
plying dawn dark wreaths of smoke were
still curling upward from the shapeless mass
At sunrise all flags in the harbor were at
half mast. Your correspondent spent
the early morning hours ON board the
City OF Washington. and could not help
but admire the generous spirit OF all con-
nected with that vessel, and the forlitude of
the sufferers thickly strewn on mattresses
about the deck and in the staterooms. Once
in while some poor sufferer would groan,
but as n rule they lay as quiet as the dead
whose bodies lay with the wreck. A
score Of different causes have been as
signed to account for the explosion and
the cataclysm that followed, all Of them
more or less reasonable, according to
the light in which they are viewed.
referring 10 many explanations that nave
been advanced. the officers OF the stricken
ship are consistently silent, and will say
nothing beyond pointing out Of the way
that. with the many precautions that are taken
with explosives and the care that is taken
with magazines. it is inconceivable how any
internal explosion could have occurred with
out the exertion of some outside force. They
point out also, that all magazines in ships Of
the United States navy are lined with lead
inside. that the magazines are kept
locked, that the keys are in the
captains cabin. that no one can gain
access TO the magazines unobserved,
and that all who are authorized to go in
them must wear the regulation magazine
dress. with rubber-soled slippers. Further
more, no open lights are ever allowed in mag
magazines, which are regularly inspected
Rt 8 o clock every night. The officers. the; 9
fore, fail utterly to account for this disaster
on tho theory Of any internal explosion.