The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-08-21
WARSHIP BLOWN UP.
Thrilling Sight Described by Com
mander of American Cruiser.
ship Destroyed Belonged to Chinese
Navy and with Her Crew Of
$50 Men Was Wiped Out
Of Existence.

A letter bearing date of June 20
was lately received from Commander
Royal Ingersoll, of South Bend, Ind,
who Is in command of the United
States boat Helena, in Chinese wa
ters, in which he describes in detail
the accident of that date to the Chi
nese cruiser Kai-Chiti, which resulted
In the destruction of the cruiser and
the killing of about $50 men. Com
mander Ingersoll was one of the
first men to reach the scene. He
says;
1--WE had a most exciting time to-
day, which was sad and startling in
its character. We were witnesses of
most singular catastrophe. The
Chinese cruiser Kai-Chiti, a vessel of
about 1000 tons, and fine looking
vessel, the station ship here, was
wiped out of existence with all of
its crew who were on board, except
one man, within the twinkling of an
eye, by the blowing up of it's maya
zine. About $50 were killed and all
the officers who were ON board at
the time.
1.-The ship was anchored about half
a mile from this vessel below us on
the other side of the river. 1t blew
up Just as ] was sitting down to
lunch. / had been looking at it
moment before, and had just gone
down the cabin ladder when heard
a sharp explosion, like one of our
guns going off. l rushed on deck
and saw an immense column Of
smoke a thousand feet up in the air,
with q heavy mushroom head, and
still ascending, while a heavy cloud
surrounded the spot where the cruis-
er had been. The air was full Of
fragments of the ship, and burning
pieces of canvas or clothing, while
shells were falling about, some burst
ing as they fell. None fell near us.
within two minutes we had six
boats on the way to the scene to try
to save life, if any remained alive.
I went in the first boat. The smoke
had settled down like pail over the
wreckage, but it soon drifted away,
acres in extent with fragments of
wood from the ship. The heavy parts
had sunk. There was no sign of life
when we reached the scene. One man
was picked up by Japanese gun
boat which lay below the cruiser, and
before the explosion. If any re-
manned alive they were quickly
drowned. The bow of the ship stick
ing few feet up in the air and part
Of the foremost were in view for
some time, with the water boiling
furiously near them, caused by es-
Gaping air or steam, but these parts
disappeared during the afternoon.
1.-The exact cause of this calamity
will never be known, as none are
alive who could tell the story, but we
believe that it was due to careless
handling of gunpowder in the maya
zine with naked lights, perhaps, or
with a lantern which might have
been broken accidentally. The cap
tain of the ship left only few min
utes before il blew up and gave or
ders When he left to be ready to re-
turn salute of the japanese gunboat
in case it saluted the port. The Jap
did not salute, being small vessel,
but the magazine was opened prob
ably to get out or return the salut-
ing powder. That is all that ever will
be known, but the audiences with
which that ship and crew were an
initiated was most startling, and
shows the tremendous effect of the
explosion of ships magazine with
it's tons of explosives"