The Somerset reporter., 1905-07-27


Oue officer and 80 m1mb,rs of the
crew OF the Uni ed States gunboat
Bennington were killed and four score
sailors were injured, a seriously, at
San Diego Calf Friday morning last,
by boiler explosion that disabled the
warshtp IN san Diego harbor Fifteen
sailors are missing.
There were more than go men aboard
when the accident occurred and many
were hulled or forced to Jump into the
sea by the terrific explosion, which
lifted part of the deck and compelled
the Bleaching OF tue ship. The Ben
nington at the time of the accident was
lying in the stream, just off the Com
meTcial wharf at Ii. street The ship
had received orders from the navy de-
partment at Washington to sail Friday
morning last for Port Hartford to meet
the monitor Wyoming and convey her TO
Mare Island navy yard at San Francisco
Steam was up and everything was in
readiness for the Bennington when the
starboard forward boiler exploded with
deafenlng roar. The explosion was
terrific People standing on the shore
saw huge cloud of steam rise alb )Ye
the Bennington. Columns OF water
were forced high into the air. A dozen
or more men were blown overheard by
the force of the blast Captain Went
! worth, who was looking at the Benning-
ton when the disaster occurred. says he
saw human bodies hurled over 100 feet
upward The air was clouded with
vapor, which enyeloped the ship When
the haze cleared away only a few men
could be seen on the decks, while a
number were laundering in the water
A boat was lowered from the vesse's a
side and most of the men in the wafer
were picked up and taken on board.
! On board the Bennington were pre-
sented terrible scenes The force of
the explosion had torn great hole in
the starboard side of the ship and
the vessel WAS already commenc ng to
lit A section of the upper deck was
carried away from stem to stern. Blood
and wreckage were strewn over the
entiIe ship. the after cabin and that
part of the ship adjacent to the exploded
boiler resembling a charnel house
Great damage was done in all parts of
the vessel The boiler which exploded
it is said, was regarded as partially
unsafe. Commander Young stated
that during a recent return fIom
Honolulu the steam pressure vas kept
reduced in that particular one. AT
the time OF the accident Commander
Lucien Young and Surgeon F. E Peck
were on shore The two officers, as
soon as they learned of fhe disaster,
hurried to the water front. Command
er Young, as soon as he reached the
ship gave orders that the air tight
compartments be- closed to prevent the
listing ship from sinking and that the
magazines be flooded TO avert further
explosions. He then beached the ship
at high tide.
When the explosion occurred, the
chief engineer WAS inspecting the boilers
He was not seriously injured officers
and men who were able to assist in
rescue acted in brave and collected
manner. Pumps were manned compart
ments, closed the magazine was flooded
and men fought their way through the
steam into the darkened hold Many
slightly injured sailors remained in the
ship and assisted ia rescuing the more
severely injured.
The ships inner works are tangled
mass of machinery and the vessel prob
ably will have to be dismantled to
repair the injuries, if indeed the war
ship is not total loss. Lieutenant
Yates, executive Office in charge of the
bennington, is a Waterville, Me. 10y.
The revised list as given out, makes
total of 40 dead identified and officially
reported to the department as one
unlden titled body.