Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-19
CAPTAIN siGsBEE TALKS.
Relates His Experience at the Time Of the
Explosion -oli,ette at Havana.

Relates His Experience Mt the Time of the
Explosion cite at Havana.
Havana. Feb. 19.-Captaln c. ID.
| Sigsbee of the battleshlp Maine in an
Interview today with the correspond
ent of the Associated Press, describes
IN detail the explosion which destroyed
the great ship.
"On the night of the explosion" said
| Captain Sigsbee, Il had not retired. l
| was writing letters. | find II impoesi-
| BILE to describe the sound or shock, but
the impression remains of something
awe-inspiring, terrifying, Of noise
tending, vibrating, all peryading
There is nothing in the former expert
once Of anyone on board to measure
| the explosion by.
after the first great shock--I can
not myself recall how many sharp de-
| donations / heard, not more than two
or three-f knew my ship was gone.
In such a structure as the Maine, the
effect Of such an explosion are not
for the moment in doubt.
81 made my way through the long
passageway In the dark, cropping from
side to side in the hatchway and then
into the poop, being among the earliest
| to reach that spot. AS soon as / rec
| ognized the officers / ordered the big
explosives to be flooded and / then
directed that the boats available be
| lowered to rescue the wounded or
| drowning.
| Discipline in perfect measure pre-
vailed. There WAS no more confusion
/ than cali to general quarters would
produce, nor as much
II soon saw by the light of the flames
that all my officers and crew left alive
| and on board surrounded me. | cannot
form any idea of the tire, but II
seemed 1--WE minutes from the time |
reached the poop until l left. the last
1 IL to,
been saved. II must have been three
quarters of an hour or more. however,
| from the an cunt of work done.
~ remember the officers and men
worked together lowering the boats and
that the gig took some time to lower.
| ! did not notice the rain Of debris de-
| scribed by Lieut.. Blandin or others
who were on deck at the time OF the
first explosion, but l did observe the
| explosion of the fixed ammunition and
wondered that more were not hurt
thereby.
without going beyond the limits OF
what was proper in the harbor OF
friendly power, l always maintain pre-
| cautions against attack and the quar-
ter watch was ordered to have ammu-
| milton for the smaller guns ready to
hand so that In the improbable event
| of an attack on the ship 1t would be
found ready. II was this ammunition
| which exploded as the heat reached
it."
Captain sigsbee and all officers here
are very anxious for news from the
United States as to the public opinion
there. The captain has done all he can
| 20 calm the excitement In the United
States. and to induce the public to walt
for the results OF the investigation be-
| fore forming Judgment as to the cause
of the explosion.
| As the Olivette entered the harbor
| early this morning the passengers
crowded to her upper decks to see the
yellow forts and long lines of walls
| manned by soldiers, the beauties Of
palm crowned hills or the thousand
sights new TO many eyes. All interest
ed conferred in the first view of the
wreck OF the Inflated buttleship, and
| the sight was CHASTITY enough when
reached to satisfy all who We're de-
sirous of witnessing horrors.
The wreck is the central figure of an
otherwise bright picture, and 1t is as
| sad as II is terrible. The huge mass
| of flame charred debris forward, looks
| as though II had been thrown up from
| q subterranean store-house OF fused
| cement, steel, wood and iron. Further
aft. one military mas protrudes at
| n slight angle from the perpendicular.
while the poop, on which gathered the
| band, offers resting place for the
| woodmen or divers. or the predomin-
| ant white which marks our war ves-
| sells, not n vestige remains. In Its
place is the blaokness OF desolatlon
! and death.
II is known that Lieut.. jenkins. who
is among those missing, was alive after
| the explosion. A colored mess attend
| ant, now at Key West, met jenkins
running forward. He evidently thought
| In the confusion that the Maine had
been fred on, and he was rushing TO
| 81. ct located
| slx-inch gun, OF which he was in
| charge.
The United States flag is floating at
| half mast from the poop OF the Maine
| today and two divers with six assist-
| ants are at work about the wreck under
the direction OF Captain Sigsbee.
! 1t appears that the preliminary work
| OF the divers will he directed towards
salvage only. when the investigation
| into the cause of the disaster COM
mences, the Spanish government, 1t is
said here, will cooperate.