The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-18
story of Passenger Who Witnessed
the Explosion from the steamer
City of WashingtOn's Deck.
GOODNESS in FACE OF DEATH
PRAISE FOR CAPTAIN SIGSBEE AND
ONE OF HIS MARINES.
Scenes at The Funeral of Twenty-Five
Victims of the CatastrOphe-COn-
ditiOn of the Wounded.

KEY WEST, FIa.,. Feb. 17.-Lieut. John
j. Blandin, of Baltimore. one of the
Names survivors, who is at the Key West
Hotel, gave the correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press this evening a succinct ac-
count of the disaster, saying that not until
now has he been able to recollect the Sc
quence of events in the awful ten minutes
following the explosion Tuesday evening.
Lieutenant Blandin was on the Trenton at
the time of the disaster off Samoa in
March, 1883, 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 1 looked down the main
matches and over the side of the ship.
Everything was absolutely normal L
walked aft to the quarter deck behind the
rear turret, as is allowed after O'clock in
the evening, and sat down on the port side,
where 1 remained for few minutes. Then,
for some reason cannot explain to myself
now, L moved to the starbsrd side and sat
down there. was feeling a bit glum, and,
in fact, was so quiet that Lieut.. j. Hood
came up and asked. laughingly, if 1 was
asleep. I said, No, am on watch
Scarcely had 1 spoken when there came
dull, sullen roar. Would to God that
could blot out the sound and the scenes
that followed. Then came a sharp explo-
sion, some say numerous detonations. re-
member only one. 1t seemed to me that the
sound came from the port side forward.
Then came a perfect rain of missiles of all
kinds, from huge pieces of cement to blocks
of wood, steel ratings fragments of graf
ings and all the debris that would be de-
tachable in an explosion.
sfr fIa
cement and knocked down, but 1 was not
hurt and got to my feet in moment
Lieutenant Hood had run to the poop and
l supposed, as ], followed, he was dazed by
the shock and about to jump overheard. 1
hailed him and he answered that he had
run to the poop to help lower the boats.
When l got there, though scarcely a min
ute could have elapsed, L had to wade in
water to my knees, and almost instantly
the quarter deck was awash. On the poop
1 found Captain Sigsbee, as cool as if at
ball, and soon all the officers, except Jen-
kins and Merritt joined us. The poop was
above water after the Maine settled to the
bottom. Captain Sigsbee ordered the launch
and barge lowered, and the officers and
men who by this time had assembled got
the boats out and rescued number in the
water.
Capt. Sgsbee ordered Lieutenant Com
mander Wainwright forward to see the ex-
tent of the damage and if anything could
be done to rescue those forward or to ex-
tinguish the flames which followed close
upon the explosion and burned fiercely as
long as there were any combustibles above
water to feed them. Lieutenant Com
mander Wainwright, on his return, reported
the total and awful character of the calam-
ity, and Captain Sigsbee gave the last sad
order, Abandon ship? to men overwhelmed
with grief, indeed but calm and appar-
emily unexcited.
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
lowered from the City of Washington were
found to be riddled with flying debris from
the Maine and unfit for use. Captain Sgs-
bee was the last man to leave his vessel
and left in his own gig.
ct have no theories as to the cause of
the explosion 1 cannot form any. An ex-
animation by divers may tell something to
a court of inquiry. 1, with others, had
heard that the Havana harbor was full of
torpedoes, but the officers whose duty it
was to examine into that reported that
they found signs of any. Personally /
do not believe the Spanish had anything
to do with the disaster. Time may tell.
hope so.
I'VE were in a delicate position on the
Maine so far as taking any precautions
was concerned. We were friends in a
friendly, or alleged friendly port, and could
not fire on or challenge the approach of
any boat boarding us unless convinced that
her intention was hostile
II wish to heaven 1 could forget it. I
have beer in two wrecks now and have
had my share. But the reverberations Of
that sullen, yet resonant roar, as if the
bottom Of the sea were groaning in tor
ture, will haunt me for many a day and
the reflection of that pillar of flame comes
to me even when L close my eyes"
-A-