Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1905-07-23
BOILER BLOWS Up
ON A GUNBOAT.
Frightful Loss Of Life Is the
Dreadful Result.
THIRTY-NINE
KILLED AT ONCE.
Lieutenant Perry Is Among Those
Who Are Dead.
SOME OF THE BODIES
BLOWN LONG WAYS.
Remington Had Steam Up In San
Diego Barbor Preparatory to
Departing when the TX
plosion Occurred.
Lieutenant Perry Is Among Those
Who Are Dead.

San Diego. Cal. July 22.-Broken and
blackened. with her flag flying at half
mast. her hold filed with hfteen feet
Of water. the United States steamer
Bennington. lies beaehed on the shores
OF San Diego harbor. Thirty-nine Of
her crew lies dead at city morgue. the
fate Of a dozen or more Is as yet un-
determined and three-score are stretch
ed upon beds OF pain In various hospi-
tails This Is the result o. the explosion
which wrecked the trim little naval
craft and wrought such terrible havoc
among her crew az 10 30 o'clock Friday
morning.
The Bennington. at tae time of the
accident. was lying IN the stream on
the commercial wharf at the foot Of
II. street. The warshlp had received
orders from the navy department ai
Washington 20 sail for Port Hartfora
where she was 60 meet the monitor
Wyoming and conway the vessel a.
Mare Island navy yard. Steam was up
and everything was In readiness Tor
sailing. when suddenly. and without
any warning whatever. the starboard
forward boiler exploded with a deafen-
ing roar.
Il was Immediately apparent that
an awful disaster Of some kind had
happened on board the warship. The
ferrybOat Ramona was coming acros.
the bay az the time Of the accident
Captain Berteisen of the ROmona i'm
mediately gave orders TO change ths
course of the boat and instead OF con.
tlnuing his trip 20 the san Diego side
of the bay. hurried 10 the aid of ths
stricken warship. The tug Santa Fe
the launch Mckinley the government
launch General Russey. and a large
number Of other launches and water
craft which were near the scene az ID.
time also rushed 20 the assistance OF
the Bennington and endeavOred 90 lenl
every assistance possible.
Every phislcian who could be reachel
by telephone was called 20 the water
front. within comparatively shor
time nearly dozen physicians were of
the scene and attending to the wound
a dozen or nfecn were blown by
the force ~ the explosion overheard
Captain wentworth who was lookIng
at the Bennington WHOM the disaster
occurred. says be saw human bodlc.
hurled over 100 feet upward
A boat was lowered from the VESSEL
side and most 81 those thrown into th,
water We're picked up and taken OF
board.
The shock 81 the explosion penetrat'
ed every section 81 the ship. Portion.
OF the upper deck were carried ava,
and great damage was done In all Sec
tions. Most OF the dead and injure,
we're taken ashore. The bodies of
many Of the men taken from the wreck
ed interior OF the ship were mutilate,
almost beyond recognition.
Commander Young. as soon as h
reached the vessel. gave orders that th'
air tight compartments be closed q
prevent the listing ship sinking am
that the magazine be flooded 10 avoi.
| further explosions.
For long tine the hot steam pre-
vented access TO the space betweel
decks where most % the dead bodie
lay. and u was not until late In IN
afternoon that the last were remove
from the boiler room.