The times., 1898-11-28
CAPT. s1asBEE's STORY.
His Own account of the Destruction
of the Maine

of the Maine.
Capt. Charles ID. Sigsbee describes the
blowing up of the Maine in the December
Century follows:
about an hour before the explosion !
had completed a report called for by Mr..
Theodore Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary
of the Navy, on the adyisability of con-
tinuing to place torpedo-tubes on board
cruisers and battieships / then wrote a
letter home in which / struggled 10 apoI-
ogize for having carried in my pocket for
ten months letter to my wife from one
of her friends of long standing. The cabin
mess-attendant, James Pinckney, had
brought me. about an hour before, civ
Hans thin coat. because of the prevailing
heat; | had taken off my blouse. and
was wearing that coat for the only time
during the cruise. In the pocket / had
found the unopened and undeliyered let
ter. Pinckney. light-hearted coiored
man, who spent much of his spare time
in singing. playing the banjo and dane
ing jigs. was for some reason in an es-
pecialiy happy frame of mind that night.
Poor fellowl ne was killed. as was also
good old John X. Bell, the colored cabin
steward, who had been in the navy
twenty-seyen years,
At taps Turn III ana httD quiet ,, Ten
minutes after O'Clock. 1 laid down my
pen to listen to the notes of the bugie.
which were sinSuarly beautiful in the Op-
pressive stiffness OF the night The marine
buSier. Newton, who was rather given TO
fanciful effects. evidently doing his
best. During his pauses the echoes float
ed back 10 the ship with singular dis
tinctness, repeating the strains of the
bugie fully ana exactly. half-hour later
Newton was dead.
was irciosiHga nay letter in its en-
Velope when the explosion came. The i'm
preston made on different peopIe on
board the Maine varied somewhat To
me. in my position. well aft, and within
the superslructure,--it was u bursting
rending, and crashing sound or roar of
immense volume, largely metallic in char
acter. II was followed by succession
OF heavy, ominous, metallic sounds, prob
ably caused by the overturning Of the
central superstructure and by falling de-
bIis. There was a trembling and lurch-
ing motion of the vessel. list to port.
and a movement Of subsistence. The eIec-
tric lights, of which there were eight in
the cabin where | was sitting went out
Then there was intense blackness and
smoke.
The situation could not be mistaken:
the Maine was blown up and sinking
For moment the instinct of self-pre-
servation took charge of me. but this
was Immediately dominated by the habit
of command. 1 went up the inclined deck
into the starboard cabin, toward the
starboard air-ports. which were relieved
somewhat against the background of the
sky. The sashes were out. and the OPEN
inss Were large My first intention was
an escape through an airport, but this
was abandoned in favor of the more dig
nified way of making an exit through the
passageway leading forward through the
superstructure. | Groped my way through
the cabin into the passage. and along the
passage to the outer door The passage
turned to the right. or starboard. near
the forward part Of he superstructure.
When the turn was reached. some one
ran into me violently. 1t was Private
William Anthony, the orderly at the
cabin door. He said something apollo
getic. and reported that the ship had
been blown up and was sinking. He Has
directed to go cut on the quarterback
and | followed him. Anthony has been
pictured as making an exceedingly formal
salute on tnat occasion. The dramatic
effect of salute cannot add TO his hero
ism. II he had made a salute il could
not have been seen in the biaCkness of
that compartment. Anthony did his whole
duty. at great personal risk. at a time
when he might have eyaded the danger
without question, and deserved all the
commendation that he received for his
act. He hung near me with unhagging
zeal and watchfulness that night until
the ship was abandoned.
Il stood for Il moment on the starbsard
side of the main-deck forward Of the
superstructure, looking toward the in
mense dark mass that ioomed up amid
ships, but could see nothing distinctly
There l remained for few seconds in an
effort 10 grasp the situation. and then
asked Anthony for the exact time. He
replied: The explosion took place at go
sir 1t was soon necessary to retire from
the main-deck, for that part of the ship
was sinking rapidly / then went uD On
the poop-deck. BY this time Lieutenant
Commander Wainwright and others Were
near me. Everybody was impressed by
the solennity of the disaster. but there
was no excitement apparent; perfect dis
cipline prevailed.
The question has been asked many
times If l believed then that the Maine
was blown up from the outside My an
swer to this has been that my first order
on reaching the deck was 10 post sentries
about the ship. | knew that the Maine
had been blown up. and believed that she
had been blown Up from the outside.
Therefore. | ordered a measure which was
to guard against attack. There
was no need for the order. but l am
writing my first impressions There was
the sound of many voices from the shore.
suggestive of cheers