The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-17
AN ABSOLUTE MYSTERY.
The Magazine Had I;een Inspected "a
short Time Before the ExpIe sion.


Key West, Fla, Feb 17-3 a. m =
The steamer oiiyette, with So survivors
of the Maine on board, arrived mere at
ii 30 last night, seven and one half
hcurs from Havana. or the number.
70 are wounded. 10 seriously and one
fatally. The associated press corr e
spondent saw Purser benson of The
0livette. who gave the following brief
account of the disaster.
The explosion Is an absolute mystery
10 everyone. 1t occurred in the for
ward magazine which Is just forward
Of amidships and below the water-Iine.
The coal bunkers are outside, but sep
arated by two feet of space. According
io custom the magazine was inspected
at o'clock in the evening and the
temperature found to be 50 degrees
The magazine was locked and the keys
given 10 Captain sigsbee The men
went TO their hammocks in the forward
part of the shin after o'clock. The
explosion occurred at 9:40. About 10
men who We're In the forward part of
the ship We're saved. and of these sey-
eral had their hammocks swung on the
lower deck. The explosion split the
big ship in two and threw these and
one marine, who was sleeping on the
superstrueture. 40 feet in the air and
into the water.
I'm the magazine were . tons Of
guns. there being no dynamite detona-
ton powder nor torpedo heads and MOTH
ing, in fact. that could be exploded by
c3ncussion, In the main magazine aft.
the high explosives were stored and
this magazine did NOT explode II IS not
believed that the Maine was destroyed
by torpedo underneath. for Il that
were the case, the hold would have been
torn in the bottom and the ship would
not have been TiYen to atoms, as was
the case. The aft part Of the ship sank
in three minutes.
Following is a list of officers and men
who arrived on the 0livette. furnished
the associated press BY Joseph NJ. Mann
Of Providence. r.. |. Mr.. Mann was as
sisted in the list by the lieutenants on
beard. principally BY Jungen, and the
list may be depended on as Official: Offi-
GERS: Lieutenant John Hook. Lienlen-
ant c. w Jungen. Lieutenant Blan-
den; Naval Cadets Abrosen
Boyd. Washington and CrenshaS.
Passed Assistant Engineer + G. Bow
ers, Assistant Engineer Morris. Pay
Clerk MeCarthy. Carpenter Helms
Gunner j. III. Hit. Boatswain Larkin.
Lieutenant of Marines Cattling. Ser
Feant Mehan. Mess Attendants John
Tnrpin. Harris. Kushida Awo. Ward
room Cook Topping. Gunner.s Mate
Williams. Apprentice Willis. Marines
Mckay, Peter Larsen. L. Moriserie, ~
Hallberg G. David. William Gartreli.
Peggy, the captains pug dog. Lieut.. u.
T. Blow. Lieut. 2. ". Melville. Keden.
Dan Durkin. MeCann.
The wounded. A. ]. Dressler. Charles
Bergman. William Fl. Thompson. George
schWarts. Fl. Tackle. Marine F. Thomp-
son. r.. Hutchins. Marine McDermott,
]. Herbert. 5. Lightly, A. Hamm. r. ].
Foley. George Fox. NJ. f. Lynn. Will
lam McNair Charles Galpin. Joseph
Lutz. II. Lanahan. Joseph Kane. Carl
Christensen. A. johnson, John p. Load.
J. Panek. O. Anderson. C. Lohman.
Calvin Cook. Henry Williams. W. E.
Richards. --- Mickelson.
The authentic figures as given of the
casualties are 104 saved and z51 dead.
II was a sad scene at the dock To- night
a. the wounded sailors were carried 10
tde waiting aubulances by artillerymsn
and officers and tenderly placed on
seats for conveyance 10 the marine
hospital