New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-22
WEBER
PIANOS.
Fifth Avenue and Sixteenth St.
SAW A BOAT NEAR THE MAINE
STORY TOLD BY PASSENGER oN ifih
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES SAYS HE WAS
STONED IN HAVANA.

r,. Ns,,york and Cuba Mail Steamship Company's
steamer seguranca. which arrived mere yeS'e'ua
from Havana brought the first direct news Oh ING
blowing ND, Of the Maine. The steamer arrived AZ
Havana twelve hours after the disaster occurred
hut q number of the passengers who reacheo mere
were In Hava Ia at the time OF the eNpiosioh
Among them were Charles H. Pearson plohei
of this city; Michael J. Naughten OF chicago VIM
lam L. Carbn. of Brooklyn and {. r. hoicoho' VI
Newcastle. Del
Mr. Carbn started in to tell most eehsauona'
story NJ the affair to the reporters who hi.d gone
to meet the boat. He declared that he was on ,he
waterfront at the time OF the explosion ana just
before Il occurred he saw small boat uaruhs
about on the port side OF the Maine he wouo
make no further statements OF what occurred ana
acted in a very mysterious manner. Some OF the
passengers said that he had talked with them as
10 what he had seen. and told them that ne wouid
place the complete details before the authorities
at Washington
Captain Hansen Of the Seguranca stated thar
the city of Havana in mourning over the loss Of
the Maine.
Mr. Naughten gave the following description Of
the explosion:
Il was on the Prsso. the principal promenade OF
the city when the disaster occurred. toward 10
o'clock on Tuesday night Mrs. Naughten and l
were with several other tourists. We had reached
the water front and were looking at the Maine
Suddenly we heard a rending noise, like the rip
ping of plates that could be heard all over the city
Then came a great light that made the sky lurld
and almost blinded Immediately after tha'
came the deafening of the second explosion.
The forward part Of the Maine heaved upward,
and It seemed as II the debris hurled three
hundred or four hundred feet IN the air. The air
was filed with fragments of iron and steel, and
then all was confusion.
Instantly there was a panic. was told that m
the city cries that the Maine was bomoardns the
city or that the insurgents had entered the capla
were heard but at the same time there were many
who shouted. The Yankee warship has been oio"h
Carriages ratified about like mad. and the first
flush OF terror over, everybody made for the water
front There they the Maine in flames and
the rescung boats darting back and forth IN
swarms; 1t was impossible OF course, 70 tel any aSd
thing about the cause from what we saw anu
Mr. Hoicomb and Mr.. Pearson were on the Prado
when the explosion occurred. and the former made
II looked particularly at the Maine while her
nniH q an" few moments after the explosion. some
thing struck me TO look about her very carefully
But / saw no signs of a craft OF any sort anywhere
near her Such intense excitement prevailed and
everybody was in such state OF shock. however
that It would have been easy for boat to have
aCaptain Sigsbee behaved with the utmost cool
ness and resolution, although the signs OF MS
grief strongly marked upon his race: on
Thursday last while we We're drv,ns Uu, i iowa" snd
! were jeered at and some stones came through
the air toward us We We're nov n,t, ss the
spaniards would mutter. Americanoe
While there were the usual expressions OF 0us
that the thing would be done nc 70 5acs e
ship he sent 5 to af o the
and was shocked at the absence OF the American
nag gr,.r. w.. or,v on. sns,sn shown and that was
scarcely than foot long. There were nags
worked in the design Of noral wreaths put tney
they would. the spaniards themselves plainly
that they OF the ,T opnon about tSs1 f hs
some agency outside Of the ship"