The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1905-07-22
UNITED STATES GUNBOAT BENNINGTON
vRtKtD by EXPLOSION or
HtR BOllrRS.
SEAnERS TRAGIC END
Thir1y-Siae are Known to BE Dead
and Many More Seriously In
jured---Sailors jumped into
Sea to Escape Steam.

San Diego, Cal, July 22.-TWenty-
eight dead bodies are lying at NOR
CUES, on pier and on deck of a
ruined vessel of the United States
navy; scores of men are lying griev-
ously or painfully injured in sani
tariums and hospitals, and fifteen
sailors are missing and probably
have found death in the waters of
the harbor as the result of an explo-
sion of boiler on board the Unit
ed States gunboat Bennington at
1910 o'clock yesterday morning.
The total number known to be
dead so far is thirty-nine
The Bennington at the time of the
accident was lying i'm the stream just
off the commercial wharf at the foot
OF p street, The warship had re-
ceived orders from the navy depart
ment at Washington TO sail yester-
day morning for Port Hartford.
whore she was 10 meet the monitor
Wyoming and tow that vessel to Mare
island navy yard
Steam was up and everything was
in readiness for sailing when sud
denly and without any warning the
rear starboard boiler exploded with
a deafening roar
| Il was Immediately apparent that
great disaster Of some kind
had happened on board the warship
The ferry boat Ramona was coming
/ across The bay at the time Of the ac-
/ Iedeut Captain Bertelhen Of the
Ramona Immediately gave orders to
! |chauge the course OF the boat and in
stead of continuing his trip to the
Sau Diego side of the bay hurried to
'be AID OF the stricken warshlp. The
IW2 Santa Pc. the launch Mckinley.
( fbe government launch General De
| Rusaeg and large number Of other
iiauacbes and water craft which were
Euear ghe scene an the time also hur-
IFi~d to the assistance OF the Beunlng-
! rom ana rndeatored 20 Tend every as
-.-faacs possible
Rs the time the Ramona had ar
ls.yrd many sailors of tR- Bennington
who bad jumped into tbe bay 90 es-
IsaHa fhe ~eeidin@ steam had been res
IrGti and the removal of the wound
Iv8 ahieh had already commeuc-
ed MAS being conducted in perfect
Iorder Az ,be time of the accident
( Commander Luelen Young and sur
geou F r Pick. were ON shore. The
totiicers. as soon as they heard OF the
disaster, hurried 20 the water front.
! where Commander Young immediate
~ took charge
On board the Bennington were pre-
seuted terrible scenes. The force of
the explosion had torn great hole
in the starboard side of the ship and
the vessel was already commencing
20 list 4 section OF the upper deck
~as carried away from stem TO stern
Blood and wreckage were distribut-
ed over the entire ship.
\ dozen or fifteen were blown
overboard by the force Of the terrific
explosion. Captain Wentworth. who
was looking al the bennington when
the disaster occurred. says he saw
human bodies hurried over a hundred
fs~t upward
The boiler which exploded. Il vas
said. vas REGARDED as unsafe Con-
mandsf Young stated thar during a
recent run from Honolulu the steam
lpr~ssare ~AA kept reduced In that
particular aas When the exploAaou
toecarr~t me engineer was inspect.
ing the boilers "a a preliminary "a
tine vessels leaving the port and hs
~as NOT seriously injured Officer
aud men aho acre able IA assist IL
rw~su. Nors acted in q brave aud coi
lsessd manner
rh~ Ahfps inner wprks arr a tan
xi~ss mass ot machinery ana shs was
pruoahly have IN BE- 4lssmansi~a Il
order - examine hes lalaws@n
asAasM~haw E@@y aa n~maamws@m-