Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-07-27
THIRTY-NINE BODIES FOUND
A DOZEN MISSING AND THREE
SCORE INJURED, MANY OF
WHOM WILL DIE.
TRIM LITTLE CRAFT A WRECK
BOILER BLOWS UP, TURNING
WARSHIP INTO VERlTABLE
CHARMED HOUSE.

San Diego, CAL, July 20. - Broken
and bIackened, with her flag flying at
haff-mast, her hold filled with fifteen
Bennington lies beached on the shores
of San Diego harbor. Thrty-nine Of
her crew lie dead at city morgues, the
fate of a dozen more is as yet undeter-
mined, and three-score are stretched
upon beds of pain in various hospitals.
which wrecked the trim little naval
craft and wrought such terrible havoc
among her crew at 1880 yesterday
morning.
The placid waters of San Diego bay
have never before been the scene of
such a disaster, and San Diego city has
never before been stirred by such
scenes of
DEATH AND SUFFERING
as those witnessed last night. The
face of every victim of the disaster is
SCARED and scalded, in many cases al
most beyond recognition
At Agnew hospital are many in
jured, suffering in almost every in
stance from scalded bodies. Several
are expected to die inside of few
hours.
On board the Bennington the un-
harmed members of the crew are
working under terrible difficulties to
reach the boiler room and coal bunk
ers, where it is believed a dozen
bodies are lying wedged in the wreck
age, or submerged in the water which
fills that part of the vessel.
Was Ready to Sail.
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 yesterday morning
for Port Hartford, where she was to
voy the vessel to the Mare Island
navy yard. Steam was up and every
thing was in readiness for sailing
when suddenly and without any warn
ing whatever, the starboard forward
boiler exploded with deafcning roar
The explosion was terrific. People
standing on the shore saw a huge
cloud OF white steam above the Ben
nington. Columns of water were
hurled distance of nearly twice the
height Of the spars of the vessel.
Terrible Disaster.
1T was Immediately apparent that a
terrible disaster had happened oh the
Bennington. The ferry boat Romona
| was coming across the bay at the time
and hurried to the assistance of the
stricken warship. The tug Santa Fe
Which was tied up at the commercial
wharf, the launch Mckinley, the gov
eminent launch Delnssey, and large
number of launches and water craft
which We're near the scene at the time
also rushed to the assistance of the
Bennington. BY the time the Ramona
had arrived. many of the sailors of the
bennington, who had jumped into the
bay to
Escape the scalding Steam,
had been rescued. and the removal of
the wounded, which had already been
commenced, was being conducted in
perfect order. Crews of the Santa Fe
Derussey, Mckinley and the other
boats lent woman aid in picking up
the wounded sailors and transferring
them to the shore. At the time of the
accident Commander Lucicn Young
and Surgeon F. E. Peck We're on shore
the two officers as soon as thew
learned of the disaster. hurried to the
water front, where Commander Young
Immediately took charge. On board
the Bennington We're presented terri
BILE things. The force of the explosion
Mad blown a great hole in the star
board 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. Debris.
and wreekage We're distributed over
the entire ship, the forward cabin and
deck in the vicinity Of the boiler re-
semlbbled a charnel house. The news
OF the explosion spread rapidly. Every
physician who could be reached was
carried to the water front. and within
comparatively short time nearly a
dozen doctors We're on the scene att
tending to the wounded. A dozen or
fifteen persons were blown overheard
By the force Of the explosion Capt.