Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-02-18
THE MAINE BLOWN UP
CALAMITY oVERTAKEs A WARsHlP IN
HAVANA HARBOR.


without Warming 26O of Our seamen Meet
Death-Cause of Explosion Profound
1Iystery-DIay Have Been a Spanish Tor
podo Fired by a Spanish Fanatic.
\ The most appalling disaster that has
ever oYertaken our government in time
of peace befell the noble battleship Maine
riding at anchor In the harbor of Havana.
On Tuesday evening at about 8 :45 o'clock
terrific explosion occurred either under
or in her hold, and of crew of 354 only
96 remain to tell what little they can of
the horror. The captain and all but two
of the ships officers escaped.
What caused the explosion is a mys-
terry. There are theories of spontaneous
combustion among the coal bunkers,
which exploded the magazine; a theory
that new and very dangerous kind of
guncotton aboard became ignited, and
hints rather than theories that the disas
ter was the work of Spanish torpedo.
Whether the vessel was destroyed by an
explosion within or without cannot be
determined until q diver has examined
its hull, which will be as soon as possi
BILE. The fact that the Maine carried hard
coal seems to dispose OF the spontaneous
combustion theory.
One of the officers of the Maine stated
that at o'clock Tuesday night all the
magazines on board the battleship were
closed and the keys turned over to Cap
tain Sigsbee, her commander. The eX-
plosion occurred at 8 As p. m. The Off
Ger then rushed on deck and assisted in
lowering a boat and in trying to rescue
the men in the water.
The Spanish cruiser AlphonsO XIII,
which was anchored close to the Maine,
also lowered her boats and saved 81 of
the crew of the American warship.
Another officer said: 81 was sitting
, with two more officers In the mess room
, when a heavy explosion occurred. 1t
, was so heavy that we understood the
, ship would be lost, and we went on the
, upper deck and found she had been badly
{ wrecked by an explosion; that she was
} on fire and sinking. All efforts were then
directed towards lowering the boats and
e saving lives but the Maine settled quick
{ ly on the bottom of the harbor, only her
{ upper works remaining above water.
"A number of boats from the Spanish
e warship Alphonso XIII and boats from
:. the Ward line steamer City of Washing
t ton came alongside and rendered assist
e ance. Twenty-four men slightly wound
ed were CARED on board the City OF
S Washington and the rest of the wounded
n on board the Alphonso XIII. After re-
i ceiving assistance from the naval doctors
i they were sent to the military hospitals
: This officer said the explosion occurred
4 somewhere in the forward part of the
midships section of the battleship
; Many of the crew who were below at the
r time of the explosion were unable t.
q escape and those who succeeded in reach
ing the upper decks saved their live!
n with great difficulty with the assistant
= of the officers and men on duty.
: The secretary of the navy received thu
. following telegram from Capt. Sigsbee =
o o ''Maine blown up in Havana harbor a
4 20 minutes of 10 and destroyed. Many
wounded and doubtless more killed anC
e drowned. Wounded and others OF
s board Spanish man-of-war and Ware
IS line steamer. Send lighthouse tender
u from Key West for crew and few piece
: of equipment still above water. No on
had other clothes than those upon him