Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-02-17
The Explosion Terrific.
The Cause OF the Disaster Yet
Unknown Over One Hun
dred of Her Crew Killed =
Men Rescued by Boats From
Spanish Warships Intense
Excitement i'm Havana.
HAVANA. Feb Is.

in Havana harbor.
Many We're killed or wounded.
All of the beats of the Spanish
cruiser Alfonzo XIII. are assists
ing.
The cause of the explosion is
not apparent and The wounded
sailors r unable 10 explain it.
The explosion destroyed the
Maine and shook the whole city,
breaking windows in all houses.
The Associated Press corre-
spondent says he has converse6
with several of the wounded sail
ors and understands from them
that the explosion occurred while
they were asleep.
Capt. Sigsoee sent the follows
ing telegram to the Secretary of
the Navy:
sMaine blowed up in Havana
harbor and destroyed. Many
wounded and several killed and
drowned. Wounded and others
on board Spanish man-ofswar
and Ward Line steamer. Send
light house tenders from Key
West for crew and pieces of
equipment still above wafer. No
one had other clothes than those
upon him.
:Public opinion should be sus>
pended until further report, Ali
officers believed to be saved. Jen>
kins and Merritt not yet accounts
ed for. Many Spanish officers,
including representatives of Gen.
Blanco, now with me, express
sympathy.
(Signed) SIGsBEE."
From the wording Of the dis
patch the Navy Department thinks
it possible that they were on shore
at the time of the accident.
The Secretary of the Navy re.
ceived another dispatch from Key
West at the same time with the
above, but its contents we're not
made public.
The orders for the lighthouse
tenders were at once sent to Key
West in plain language, thus avoid
ing the delay that would have
arisen from the use of a cipher.
The Maine was built in 1890 at
a cost of So, 5Ss, 900. She had a
steel hull, and complement of STA
men.
Havana, February 16.-The
widest CONSERVATION prevails IN
Havana. The wharves are crowd
ed with thousands OF people. 1t
is believed the explosion occurred
in a small powder magazine.
At a quarter Of eleven O'Clock
what remains of the Maine is still
burning.
Captain Sigsbee and the other
officers have been saved. It is es.
timated that over one hundred Of
the Jew were killed, but it is i'm
possible as yet to give exact de.
tails.
The Maine is a battleship OF
the second class, and is regarded
, as one of the best ships in tn,
sInavy. She is 318 feet long, s.
feet broad, SIG mean-draugh
and 6,681 tons displacement. Sh'
, has two teD-inch vertical turreti
and two military masts. and he
motive power is furnished by twill
screw triple expansion en-
/. gines having a maximum horse-powe
of 9,293 and capable of making
t speed of 17.45 knots. She carries
ten-inch and 6 six-inch breech-lcac
ing guns in her main battery, an
]. 7 six-pounder and 8 one-pounde
rapid-fring guns and 4 Gatlings i
her second battery, and four Whit.
\ head torpedoes.
Admiral Mantero1a has ordere
that boats of all kinds should go t
the assistance of the Maine and he
% wounded. The Havana fremen al
n giving aid, tending carefully |
the wounded as they are brought c
shore. It is a terrible sight. Gel
ID era1 Solano and the other genera
g have been ordered by Captain Ge.
= eral Blance to take steps to help Il
= Names crew in every way possibl
70 The correspondent of the Associ
ted Press has been near the Mai
in one of the boats of the cruiser A
phonse XIII, and seen others of Il
wounded, who corroborate the stat
ment of those first interviewed, tn
Ii they were already asleep when t
a explosion occurred.
Washington, D. c., Feb. H.,
y Secretary Long received CAPITA
~ Sigsbee's dispatch but a fe
minutes before the Associat