The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1905-08-03
GUHDOAT BENNINGTON
BLOWN UP.
Old and Defective Boiler Elk.
pIodss, killing and Main.
Ing Many.
% KILLED; IS WOUNDED.

tne RunO0at bennington was gettlni
up steam to go north to Fort Hart
ford to tow the Monitor Wyoming tt
Mare Island, terrific explosion oc
CURED In the starboard main boiler
blowing out the deck. Twenty.eight
seamen were killed, fifteen are miss
ing and sixty-five were wounded
some fatally. But few escaped In
Jury. The only officer mortally
hurt was Ensign Newman K. Perry
Lieut.. Yates, who was In charge o.
the gunboat, was badly scalded.
Commander Lusien Young and
Lieut.. Victor Blue, both famous al
naval heroes, were not on the vesse
when the explosion occurred. Com
mander Young went ashore on bust
ness, and Lieut.. Blue was taken to a
hospital here to be treated for ap.
pendicitis.
Hundreds Of eyes were on the Ben.
nington at the moment OF the horror,
for the bay was dotted with pleasure
craft and ferry boats, whose passen.
gers watched the trim gunboat with
passing interest. These watchers
saw a cloud Of steam burst from a
point iustiorward Of the smokestack.
Through the steam came flying bodies
and fragments OF men to be scatter
ed upon the waters. Confidently q
roar like thunder told the cause OF
the tragedy. The Bennington rocked
and sunk.
The scene on the deck OF the Ben.
nington was horriiying. A score Of
dead sailors were scattered about,
several with their limbs blown of
Others were scalded 80 ieariully that
death was only a matter OF a few
hours. The bloating Of the features
and limbs by steam gave the victims
such a repulsive appearance that
commander Young, who has seen ser.
vice In Hawaiian waters, declared
that not even the leper settlement at
Molokai could show anything
80 fearful Most of the wounded
we're conscious and uttering cries OF
agony.
Most OF the officers were scattered
about the shop, and thus escaped the
full force of the explosion, but nearly
all the sailors were grouped between
decks, just above the boilers. The
result was that not q single sailor
escaped uniniured. Most Of the dead
were taken out OF this place. where
the walls were covered with blood.
The explosion blew q great hole in
the side OF the gunboat and an unin-
jured officer, seeing that she was In
danger Of sinking, had her run into
shallow water. The ssamen who
were not badly hurt manned the
small boats and began the work OF
picking up their comrades who were
struggling In the water. The explo-
sion had shaken the city and people
hurried to the water front, ready to
do everything possible.
The boiler which exploded, it ia
said, was regarded as unsafe. Com,
mander Young stated that during a
recent return from Honolulu the
steam pressure was kept reduced In
that particular one. When the ex.
plosion occurred, Engineer Nelson
was inspecting the bodies as a
preliminary to the vessels leaving
port.
BELIEVES MUCH OF ASSETS Is UNCOL.
LECTABLE.
In explaining to the dspositors the
report and inventory Of the assets
and liabilities Of the dsfupct institu'
tion, as fled yesterday by Receiver
Egger, Attorney George Mann. coun.
sci for the receiver, stated that oil
s5S7,671 in paper held by other
banks ss collateral for loans, Cashier
Casey had admitted to Examiner
Cook that 100000 was straw.
Of$123.751 48 In paper now 10 the
Salmon bank vaults, be said that
about 100000 was considered I'M.
collectable.
The Salmon books, he said, show
50, 100 due from the Bank oiHoldsn,
while the latter institution claims
that the Salmon Bank owes II 81.
1921.
OF overdraits amounting to $685..
AS, he said that at least $40, 900 ID
deemed uncollectable.
sAYs BANK MAY PAY 35 CENTS on THE