Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-16
THE MAINE is SUNK
Near 800 Souls Hurled Into Eternity
Without Shrift- Monster Battle
ship a Total Wreck and at the
Bottom Of the Sea in
Havana Harbor.
DEATH ON THE OCEAN WAVE
Many Lucky Officers and Many Unlucky
Sailors Conflicting Accounts Of the
Horrible Disaster Details and Par
tioulars, narrowing in the Ex-
treme Still Fearful
Mystery.
DEATH ON THE OCEAN WAVE

treme Still Fearful
Mystery.
Washington, Feb. 16.--Commandan
Forsyth, at Key West, wired the nav,
department this morning that he hat
been notified by Captain Sigsbee, of tht
| warship Maine, to inform Admiral Sic
card. in command of the north Atlantic
squadron, that the Maine had been blowr
up, and was destroyed. requested thai
light house tender be sent to Havana
and added that many were killed ant
wounded. Commandant Forsyth's mes
! sage further said that the light house
tender, Mangrove, left Key West at
o'clock this morning for Havana ant
the tug boat Fern, would shortly follow
A second dispatch from Commandan
Forsyth said he had sent the torpedo
boat Ericsson, which was at Key West
to Admiral Siccard. at Dry Torguas
with message concerning the disaster
to the Maine.
Captain Dickson, chief of the navi
CATION bureau, expressed the opin
ion today that the explosion took
place in the magazine of the Maine. He
said that this was evident for the rea
son that the ship was afloat for an houl
after the explosion and that If a torpedo
had been fired under the battleship, she
would have sunk almost Immediately
Heavy Loss of Seamen.
Secretary Day received the following
dispatch from General Lee, dated Feb
ruary Is:
''The Maine blew up at $40 y. nj.
The explosion occurred well forward,
under the mems quarters, and conse-
quently there was a heavy loss of life.
1t is believed that all the officers were
saved but Jenkins and Merritt, who are
not accounted for. The cause of the
explosion has yet to be investigated.
The captain general, army and navy
officers, rendered every possible assist
ance to the crew and officers. Captain
Sigsbee and most of his officers are on
board the steamer City of Washington.
The remainder Of the Names crew are
on the Spanish gun-boats and in the
CITY, am with Sigsbec. who has tele-
graphed the navy department. Lee.
jenkins and Merritt still Missing.
Secretary Long received the follow
ing cablegram from Captain Sigsbee,
commander of the Maine:
IL advise the sending of a wrecking
vessel at once. The Maine is submerged
except debris and it is mostly work for
divers now. Officers jenkins and Mer-
ritt are still missing. Little hope is en-
tertained for their safety. Those
known to be saved are: Officers "a, un-
injured; crew 18; wounded now on
board Ward line steamer, in the city
hospital and at hotel, SO so far as known.
All others went down on board or near
the Maine. Total lost and missing, 253.
With several exceptions not an officer
nor man has more than part of a suit
of clothing and that is wet
The Ward steamer leaves for Mex
leo at this afternoon. The Off
GERS saved are uninjured. The damage
was in the compartments of the crew.
Am preparing to telegraph list of the
wounded and saved. The Oivette
leaves for Key West at p. m. Will
send by her to Key West the officers
saved, except myself and Wainwright
Officers Holman, HOnneberger, Ray and
Holden will turn over the three unin-
iured boats to the captain of the port,
with request for their safe keeping.
VIII send all the wounded men to the
hospital at Havana
Most Of The Officers Saved.
New York, Feb. 49, "A special to the
Evening Telegram from Havana says:
Vice Consul Springer has just assured
me that all of the officers were saved
except jenkins and Merritt, who are
missing. Mr.. Springer says that at least
300 lives are lost
Captain Sigsbee was on deck when the
explosion took place. 1t was in the bow
of the vessel. A sentry stationed at the
bow was unhurt. He had seen nothing
suspicious. II have talked with some
OF the rescued officers and seamen. One
officer, whose name could not learn,
said of the explosion: 4 was in my bunk.
When got on deck, fire had started in
the forward part of the vessel. There
was q good, strong breeze blowing l
called for all hands on deck, which was
promptly obeyed, and the men and Of
6cers were perfectly cool. All possible
efforts were made to check the fire, but
without avail, The famss spread rapid
ly and several explosions occurred. The
magazines were burst open. and the ex-
plosives thrown overheard by the crew
In half hour it was apparent that moth
ing could save the ship"
spanish Version.
Madrid, Feb. 16.-The captain general
OF Cuba, General Blanco, has cabled the
authorities here and sent a similar mes
sage to Washington, saying that the dis
aster to the battleship Maine, was indis-
putablv due to an accident.
Details Of the Disaster.
New York, Feb. ia copyright
cable to the Evening World from Ha-
vana says, the officers of the Maine
state that the explosion was in the CEN
trail magazine and that the Maine was
raised out Of the water BY the force Of
1t and then went partially to pieces.
The dispatch continues: "All OF the Of
fcers and surgeons were in the ward
room at the moment Of the explosion.
Then came a stupendous shock. All Of
the officers below rushed on deck, but
could get no further forward than the
middle superstructure on the deck.
Only . very pitiable few Of the $50 jack
tars ever got from below. The water
rushed over them 7and many were
stunned and drowned, but not mangled,
before help could get to them. It Is not
likely that more than 40 sailors were
saved. N
The officers on deck narrowly escaped.
In the junior officers mess-hall, all had
70 Chamber Out In wreckage waist deep.
One ladder from the aftsr torpedo COM
partment was jammed with men strug-
Cling up for life All on board agree
that double explosion occurred, from
the natural result Of the underwater ex-
plosiOn magazines