Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-02-23

ing back to fill the great chasm torn by
the explosion, came the screams of wound
ed men and long red jets of flame.
Ten minutes later and the Maine, all
afire from stem to stern, began to settle
in the water. Over the side went the sail
ors, half clad or clad not at all, fiinging
themselves into the bay, still dazed, bruis-
ed and bleeding. Out of the red murk and
the horrible uproar could be heard the
loud voices of officers, ordering and di-
recting, cool and plucky in the face of
death, showing even in that hour of horror
the grand courage and the steady disci-
pline that won at New Orleans and Mo-
bile-the grandeur of Farragut, the iron
nerve of the Kearsarge's crew upon the
rock of Roncador. There were no weak
souls nor towards there; the officers held
place and power even as at dress review,
and to their GOODNESS and their courage
is due the fact that the panic did not re-
suit in even heavier loss of life than the
explosion and the water caused combined
The nation mourns for those wto per-
ished with the MaiLc. Such ta.tIing
vision of sudden L ath has not for years
been presented to the public mind The
tragedy appeals to all American hearts.
For all must feel that the lost stood ready
at an instant call to make of their bodies
a rampant between THEN country and their
country's foes. There have been few such
disasters in modern times. The catastro-
phes to the Royal George, TO the Victoria,
and in Apia harbor, to the Nipsic, the
Vandalia and the Trenton are among the
few comparable to it.
a dispatch from Havana said that the
widest excitement prevailed in the city.
The wharves were crowded with thou
sands of people. There was rush and
hurry and it is claimed that the Spaniards
bent every energy to the saving of the
doomed Americans. Out from the great
black sides of the Spanish wnrships, says
the dispatch, flew boat after boat and the
Spanish sailors never pulled faster oars.
o rer the bay they skinned, seizing here
an arm extended from the water in the
last struggle of the drowning man, grasp
ing there drenched blue jacket, until the
boats were full of rescued men and no
more living bodies could be found upon the
surface of the water
The shock of the explosion wrecked ev-
cry window in Havana. Capt. Gen. Blan-
co was among the first TO realize what
had happened, and he spared no exertion
to aid Capt. Sigsbee's men. Admiral
Manterola and Gen. Solano proved wor-
thy coadjutors, and the Spanish sailors
and soldiers alike did all that was in their
powel. Capt. Sigsbee was not hurt, al
though the earlier dispatches represented
him as severely wounded. The explosion
took place directly under the quarters of
the common sailors, missing the officers
cabin by many yards.
The wounded sailors in hospital declar-
ed that they were utterly at q loss as TO
the cause of the explosion-that they were
all asleep when the crash came, and that
all they could do was to pick themselves
up from the floor, grope their way amid
falling timbers, smoke and flame and tGse
to the water and the Spanish boats.
Capt. Sigsbee says the explosion oc-
Cured IN the bow of the vessel. He re-
eeived wound in the head. Orders were
given TO the other officers to save them
selves as best they could. The latter,
who were literally thrown from their
hunks in their night clothing, gave the
necessary orders with great self-posses-
sion and bravery. The first theory was
that there had been a preliminary explo-
sion in the Santa Barbara Magazine, with
powder or dynamite, below the water. Ad-
miral Manterola believes that the first
explosion was of a grenade shell that Tas
hurled over the navy yard. When the ex-
plosion occurred Captain Sigshee was pc
low, but he rushed un Oh deck IN MS snirt