Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-01

One of the main boilers in the Uni
ted States gunboat Bennington, lying
in San Diego harbor, Cal, exploded
shortly before noon Friday, killing OF
manning 134 among the 1S1 on board.
Thirty-six men and Ensign Newman
X. Perry are known to be dead, seven
ty-siX wounded, and twenty-one miss
ing. The total deaths as the result of
the accident eventually viii not be less
than sixty.
The gunbost was badly shattered, a
great hole being torn in the stern. 1t
was beached to prevent sinking. The
explosion was due to a weak boiler,
the precarious condition of which has
been well known for months, although
an inspection year ago resulted In
favorable report.
The disaster came without a sec
ond's warning The Bennington was
lying in midstream off the commercial
wharf at the foot of II street. Com
mander Lucien Young had received or
ders from Washington to sail for Port
Hartford that morning. He was on
shore making final preparations for de-
parture.
Disaster Comes without Warming.
Steam was up, most of the men were
OH deck, and everything was in readi-
ness for immediate sailing, when a
deafening roar shook the earth for
miles around.
The outburst was accompanied by
roar as OF thunder and shock that
rocked vessels nearby. In an instant
the air was filled with shrieks and bel
lows of pain from the wounded which
could be heard ashore, and with flying
fragments of human beings and pieces
o. the ships superstructure
The next moment bleeding sailors
were fighting, crippled, in the water
against death in only a less sudden
form than that from which they mad
escaped, while rowboats, sailboats,
launches and tugs were being driven
to the rescue as fast as arms, wind
and steam could carry them.
Most of the men on board were as
sembled between decks, above the boil
ers, when the explosion occurred. Here
is where the most frightful slaughter
took place. No one living has been
able to describe what happened there,
but vivid witnesses exist in the blood
smeared walls. 1t is from between
decks that most of the dead bodies
have been taken
Human Fragments Blown in Air.
dozen or fifteen were blown over
board by the force of terrific explosion.
Captain Wentworth, who was looking
at the Bennington when the disaster
occurred, says he saw human bodies
hurled over hundred feet upward
The air was black with the smoke
which enveloped the ship. When it
cleared away only a few men could De
seen on the decks while number
were fioundering in the water. A boat
was lowered from the vessels side and
most of them were picked up and
| taken on board.
On board was presented a terrible
scene. 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 carried 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 exploded boiler resembling 4
charnel house. Over it all hung the
great cloud of white smoke, which
drifted slowly toward the Coronado
shore
Both officers and men who were not
seriously injured acted heroically and
promptly. Pumps were manned to keep
the water from the upper compart-
ments, the magazine flooded, and men
fought their way through the steam
into the darkened hold to search for
their comrades. In the worst danger,
and when it was feared the ship
would sink before it could be beached
the young officers and men stuck man
fully to their posts.
Hundreds Rush to Rescue.
Hundreds of small craft which dot
ted the bay hurried to the rescue. The
ferryboat Ramona was coming across
to San Diego Capt. Bertelsen imme-
diately gave orders to change the
course of the boat, and instead of con-
tinuing his trip hurried to the aid of
the stricken warship. The tug Santa
Fe, which was tied up at the CONNER
cial wharf, the launch Mckinley, the
government launch General De Rus
sey, and a large number of other
launches and water craft which were
near the scene at the time. also rushed
to the vessel.