The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-20
CITY NEWS.
THE MAINE TRAGEDY
Capt. sigsbee's Graphic Account Of
the Blowing Up Of the
Battleship.
A Warm Welcome Ready for Him
When He Lectures Here
\, This Week. -.

Tn his book entitled THE Maine: an Ac- |
count of Her Destruction in Havana Har-
bor," the personal narrative of Captain
Charles B. Sigsbee, U3 S. N, that officer |
says: ,
AT taps (turn in and keep quietly, ten
minutes after o'clock. l laid down my
pen after writing letter home to my |
wife to listen to the note of the bugie, |
which was singuarly beautiful In the op-
pressive stiffness of the night. The ma
rine buglcr. Newton, who was rather given
to fanciful effects, was evidently doing
his best During his pauses the echoes
foated back to the ship with singular dis
tnctness repeating the strains OF the bu-
gle fully and exactly. A half hour later
Newton was dead. I was enclosing my
letter in it's enveop when the explosion
came. The impression made on different
people on board the Maine varied some
what; to me in my position, Well aft, 1t
was bursting. rending and, crashing
sound or roar of immense volume. 1t
was followed by succession OF heavy, |
onlinous sounds, probably caused by the |
overturning of the central superstructure
and by falling debris. The electric lights |
went out. Then there was intense black
ness and smoke,
THE situation could not be mistaken. |
The Maine was blown up and sinking.
My first intention was to escape
thru an airport, but this was abandoned
In favor of an exit thru the passageway
leading forward thru the superstructure.
groped my way thru the cabin, into the
passage, and along the passage thru the
outer door, = I stood for a mo-
ment on the starboard side of the main
deck looking towards the immense dark
mass that loomed up amidships but could
see nothing distinctly. There [ remained
for few seconds in an effort to grasp the
situation, and then asked Private Will
AnthOnV. L stepped
main deck. for the exact time; he replied,
',rne explosion took place at $40, sir
tsIt was soon necessary to retire from
the main deck, for the after part of the ship
was sinking rapidly. y The question
has been asked many times if I believed
then that the Maine was blown up from
the outside. My answer to this has been
that my first order on reaching the deck
was to post sentriss about the ship. I
knew that the Maine had been blown up,
and believed that she had been blown up
from the outside. There was the
sound Of many voices from the shore. sug-
gestve of cheers. Perfect discipline pre-
vailed. Directions were given in low
tone to Executive Officer Wainwright. who
quietly directed operations. Fire broke
out in the mass amidships. Orders were
given to flood the forward magazine but
the forward part of the ship was found to
be under water. Inquiry as to the after
magazines and the gun cotton magazine in
condition. and that precautions
In respect to the magazines were unneces-
sary.
'SThe great loss Of life was not then
fully realized. The flames Increased in
the central superstructure. BY my direc-
tion Captain Wainwright y went
forward. and made gallant inspection
in the region of the fire but soon
obliged to report that nothing could be
done We then began to realize more
clearly the full extent of the damage.
AS my eyes became more ac>
customed to the darkness. l, could see
dimly white forms on the water and hear
faint cries for help. Boats were lowered
at once. Orders We're given but they
were hardly necessary in the emergency.
''The ship was settling rapidly. * =
Other boats than ours were also rescuing
the wounded and drowning men. Chief
! amongst them were the boats from the
Alfonso XII. (Spanish), and from the
steamer City of Washington. The Span
ish officers and crew did all that human
humanity and galalntly could compass
1t was hard blow to be Obliged
to leave the Maine. None of us desired
to leave while any part of her poop re-
manned above water. We waited unit
satisfied that she was resting on the bot
tom Of the harbor. Lieutenant Com
mander Wainwright then whispered tc
me tndC ne CnOuSnC Cne FORWARD ten
inch magazine had been thrown up into
the burning material amidships AND
might explode at any time. He was ther
directed to get everybody into the boats
:" Lieutenant Commander Vain
right stood on one side and Lieutenant
Holden on the other; each offered me q
hand. I suggested the propriety Of my
being the last to leave and requested
them to precede me, which they did
There was favorable comment in the
press because I left last. It is a fact
that I was the last to leave, which was
only proper; that is to say it would have
- been improper otherwise; but virtually al
- left last. The fine conduct of those who
came under my observation that nigh
was conspicuous and touching. The
11erosm of the wounded men 1 did no
see at the time, but afterwards good re
ports Of their behavior were very com
mon. The patient way in which the.
bore themselves left no doubt that the,
added new honors to the service when th
Maine went down." ,.-..
This modest account Of the great dis
aster which led to the almost immediat
declaration of war against Spain, writer
i by the chief figure in that unhappy ex
perience. is characteristic of the man.
was characteristic of him, too, in report
ing that night by cable to the secretar
of the navy at Washington to say Pub
lie opinion should be suspended until fur
ther report Sensible of the immens
sensation which his report would Great
at home. and of the probable explanatio
of the disaster which would arise in tn
minds Of American people, he pru
II dent enough. even under the great strai
which he endured to utter the cautio
contained in this telegram. Surely pee
H pie of Minneapolis will be glad to wel
come such a gallant officer when h
comes to lecture in this city ne1
Wednesday night at the Wesley Methc
dist church. ~
CAPTAIN sIesREE ITS GUEST