Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-07-25
DEATH list OF
WARSH|P SWELLS
LIST OF FATALITIES NOW Elk
CEEDs SIXTY AND IS STILL
GROWING.
NAVY ENGINEER CASTS
ASIDE BOILER THEORY
Rear Admiral Rae Says Explosion on
Bennington Was Due to High Elk
plosives, Not to Defective Appara-
tus-List Of Known Dead.

San Diego, Cal, July 24.-Ths ap-
palling list of victims of Fridays ex-
plosion aboard the United States
steamer Bennington has grown almost
every hour. adding to the long rows of
dead in the overcrowded morgues.
Forty-nine known dead is the latest
summary compiled Saturday. This in
cludes AZ bodies at the various morgues
and seven bodies which are still float
ing about in the flooded boiler rooms
and which cannot yet be reached.
List of the Victims.
Following is revised and corrected
list of the dead: N. K. Perry, lieu
tenant United States navy; F. w.
Brown, Peoria, machinist, first class;
G. Newcombe, boatswain's mate, sec
ond class: B. A, Hughes, ordinary sea-
man; A. Bensel, coal passer; W. Cher
ry, coal passer; G. Rushing, coal pass
er; A. II. Scroggle, San francisco,
er; A. B. Carr, able seaman; e. F.
Saunders, apprentice seaman; w. w.
Wright, oiler; E. Dresch, ordinary sea-
man; ]. L. Burns, seaman; L. g.
Quinn, oiler; g. ]. Kuntz, coal passer;
Joseph Hilscher, Washington, fireman,
first class; G.. Brownlee, seaman; F, j.
Geiss, coal passer; 3. B. Ferguson,
chief machinist's mate; R. A. House,
apprentice fireman; 3. w. Bruison,
Cheney, Neb.; Joe Hunt, oiler; Charles
McKeen; G. j. Essell, Waco, Tex, s.
G. c.; w. G. Wilson; Ed. B. Robinson,
Stockton, ordinary seaman; j. G. Bar
chus, Nebraska. seaman; G. F. Nell
son; L. B.. Archer, ordinary seaman;
M. @. Chambers, seaman; John Mac
kone, Michigan; Peyton Carpenter,
Little Rock, Ark, ordinary seaman;
A. Kamerer, coal passer; eight un-
identified at morgue; seven bodies
recovered from the ships hold.
which are classified as unidentified.
Besides these there are missing about
| 20 or rs men,.
Injured in Hospitals.
About so injured are scattered
among the various city private and
public hospitals, according to the state
| ments compiled Saturday. and about
Is are still missing. OF the injured,
several are expected to die, and it is
| believed the death roll will be swelled
to so, and perhaps will exceed this
figure. OF the missing it Is probable
that number will turn up. and 1t Ia
believed the bay will give up several
dead.
Havoc Worked Below.
An examination Of the Bennington
above deck did not disclose any great
damage. The vessel was covered with
| gray coating, the color Of ashes
The escaping steam carried gray
colored mud which smeared every
thing, even the sides Of the vessel
There were broken gangways and dis
placed machinery Of a minor character
but no serious damage to the main
deck was visible It was explained by
those on board that the wreckage was
all below, but just how serious this Ii
will be fully determined only after 8
thorough examination can be made.
/ This cannot be made until the water
has been pumped out and the vesse
righted. Commander Young declined
to make any official statement for pub
LEGATION. He said, however, to re
porter that he believed the disaster
was caused by the explosion of boilel
|, 3D." on the port side, and that boilel
"B,' while not exploding. had bee,
damaged, allowing the steam to escap,
and added to the horrors of the catas
trophe.
Not Caused By Boiler.
Washington, July 24.-Rear Admira
G. w. Rae, chief engineer officer of to
navy, says he can only account for thu
damage done the Bennington by az
explosion Of high explosives, and re
iterates that there was nothing In thu
. reports to the bureau to show that tn,
boilers were in an unsafe condition
He said Saturday:
after examining the plans Of tn.
Bennington in the light of the dis
patches giving an account Of the dis
aster, I cannot possibly conceive how
the collapsing Of a crown sheet coult
damage the ship to the extent stated
or have blown people overheard from
the deck. II there were high explo
siyes in the shell room just forward O
the pump room and forward fire room
and they were exploded by the concus
sion, that would account for the dam
age done.''
: The detailed plans Of the boiler room
deck Of the Bennington show puml
room, a narrow space, just forwart
. of the fire room, and Immediately for
: ward of the pump room shell room
!. Attention was called Saturday to tn,
regulations governing the inspection
:. of boilers, which show that the boiler
! of all warships id the navy must b.
inspected every three months.
4 Injured in Train Wreck.