The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-07-28
GUNBOAT IS Scene
OF SAD DISASTER
BOILER ON THE BENNINGTON,
LYING IN HARB0R AT SAN
DIEGO, CAL, ExPLoDEs.
Loss Of Life Is Appalling-A Total Of
Fifty-Nine Known to Be Dead,
While Scores of Others Are Badly
Injured.

San Diego, CAL, July 22.-Broken
and blackened, with her flag flying at
half mast, her hold filled with Is feet
of water, the United States warship
Bennington lies beached on the shores
of San Diego harbor. Fifty-nine OF
her crew lie dead at city morgues, the
fate of dozen more is as yet undeter-
mined and three-sco are stretched
upon beds of pain in various hospitals.
This is the result of the explosion
which wrecked the trim little naval
craft and wrought such terrible havoc
among her crew at half-past ten
o'clock Friday morning.
The Casualty List.
San Diego, CAL, July PA careful
compilation of casualties was made at
nine o'clock Sunday night, and is as fol-
lows:
Buried in military cemetery at Fort
At; dead now in morgue, ~,
awaiting shipment to relatives; dead In
fireroom of Bennington still unrecov-
cred, 2; total dead, SO. Injured at vari-
GUS hospitals, so; missing, 16. Grand
total, dead, missing, and injured, 10.
OF the injured at hospitals, seven or
eight are expected to die. Forty-nine
bodies were taken to the cemetery Sum
day, but two were brought back upon
Geographic orders for shipment, which
reached here after they had been started
for the cemetery. Ensign Perry's body
has been embalmed, and will be shipped
to the naval cemetery at Annapolis.
Boiler Explodes.
The Bennington at the time of the
accident was lying in the stream just
off the commercial wharf at the foot Of
H street. The warship had received
orders from the navy department at
Washington to sail for Port Hartford,
where she was to meet the Monitor
Wyoming and convoy that vessel to
Mare Island navy yard. Steam was up
and everything was in readiness for
sailing when suddenly, and without any
warning whatever, the starboard for
ward boiler exploded with a deafening
roar. The explosion was terrific. Peo-
pie standing on the shore saw huge
cloud of white steam rise above the Ben
nington. Columns of water were hurled
into. the air, and for distance of near
~ twice the height of the spars Of the
vessel.
Boats Go to Rescue.
It was Immediately apparent that an
awful disaster of some kind had hap
pened on board the warship. The fer
ry boat Ramona was coming across the
bay at the time of the accident. Capt.
Bertelsen, of the Ramona, Immediately
gave orders to change the course Of the
boat and. instead of continuing his trip
to the San Diego side of the bay, hurried
to the aid of the stricken warship. The
tug Santa Fee, which was tied up at the
commercial wharf, the launch McKin-
ley, the government launch General De
Russey and large number of other
launches and water craft which were
near the scene at the time, also rushed
to the assistance of the Bennington and
endeavored to lend every assistance pos
sible. BY the time the Ramona had ar
rived many of the sailors of the Benning
ton who had jumped into the bay to es-
cape the scalding steam had been res
cued, and the removal of the wounded,
which already had been commenced,
was being conducted in perfect order.
A Terrible Scene.
On board the Bennington were pre-
scented terrible scenes. The force of
the explosion had torn great hole in
the starboard side of the ship, and the
vessel was already commencing to list.
A section Of the upper deck was car
ried away from stem to stern. Blood
and wreckage was distributed over the
entire ship, the after cabin and the
vicinity of the ship adjacent to the ex-
ploded boiler resembling charnel
house. Over 1t all hung the great cloud
of white smoke, which drifted slowly
toward the Coronado shore.
Many Blown Overheard.
A dozen or fifteen were blown over
board by the force of the terrific ex-
plosion. Capt. wentworth, who was
looking at the Bennington when the
disaster occurred, says he saw human
bodies hurled over hundred feet up
warn. lu0 dkI was UldCh Will S1uOACs
which enveloped the ship. When 1t
cleared away only few men could be
seen on the decks, while a number
were Aoundering in the water. A boat
was lowered from the vessels side
and most of them were picked up and
taken on board. The shock of the ex-
plosion penetrated every section Of
the ship, blood and ashes being found
as far as the stern of the captains
cabin. Portions of the upper deck were
carried away and great damage was
done in all sections. For long time the
hot steam prevented access to the space
between decks, where most of the dead
bodies lay, and it was not until late in
the afternoon that the last were re-
moved from the boiler rooms. Several
bodies were tightly wedged in by
bulkhead that the woodwork had to be
hewn away to free, them. Most of the
bodies had been mangled most beyond