The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-07-27
Disaster Wrought by Burst
ing of Boiler on Gunboat.
EIGHTY OTHERS INJURED
The Bennington Was Torn Almost to
Pieces in San Diego Hartor and
Many Sailors Mansled.-Hor.
ribIe Scenes Witnessed.

OF the United States gunboat Ben.
nington were killed and 80 sailors
were injured, "a seriously, at 10
O'Clock Friday morning, by a boiler
explosion that disabled the vessel in
San Diego, CAL, harbor. Fifteen SAIL
ors are missing. There were more
than 250 men aboard the warshtp
when the accident occurred, and many
men were hurled or forced to jump
into the sea by the terrific explosion
which lifted part of the deck and
compelled the Bleaching Of the ship.
The Bennington, at the time of the
accident, was lying in the stream Jost
of the commercial wharf at the foot
of H street. The warship had receiv-
ed orders from the navy department
at Washington to sail for Port Hart
ford, where she was to meet the mon
itor, Wyoming, and convey the vessel
to Mare Island navy yard. Steam was
up and everything was in readiness
for sailing, when suddenly and with
out any warning whatever, the star
board forward boiler exploded with
a deafening roar. The explosion was
terrific, people standing on the shore
saw huge cloud of white steam rise
above the Bennington.
A number of boats were in the Vi
cinity at the time, and these hurried
to the rescue, lending valuable aid
in picking up the wounded sailors
and transferring them to the shore.
At the time of the accident, Com
mander Lucien Young and Surgeon F.
E. Peck were on shore. The two off,
GERS, as soon as they learned of the
disaster, hurried to the water front,
where Commander Young Immediately
took charge.
On board the Bennington were pre-
sented terrible scenes. The force 1T
the explosion had torn a great hole
in the starboard side of the ship, and
the vessel was already commencing
to list. A section Of the upper decks
was carried away from stem to stern.
Blood and wreckage was distributed
over the entire ship, the after cabin
and the vicinity Of the ship adjacent
to the exploded boiler resembling
charnel house.
A dozen Or fifteen men were blown
overheard by the force Of the ter
rife explosion. Captain Wentworth,
who was looking at the Bennington
when the disaster occurred, says he
saw human bodies hurled over hun
dred feet upward.
The bodies of many of the men TAX
en- from the wrecked interior of the
ship were mutilated almost beyond
recognition.
For long time the hot steam pre-
vented access to the space between
decks, where most Of the dead bodies
lay, and it was not until late in the
afternoon that the last were removed.
Several bodies we're so tightly wedged
in by bulkhead, that the woodwork
had to be hewn away to free them.
Most Of the bodies yet unidentified
have been mangled almost beyond
hope of recognition.
The boiler which exploded, it is
said, was regarded as unsafe. Com
mander Young stated that during a
recent return from Honolulu the
steam pressure was kept reduced in
that particular one.
When the explosion occurred the
engineer was inspecting the boilers
as preliminary to the vessels leav-
ing port and he was not seriously in
jured.
The following is the list of dead:
J. Newcombe, B. A. Hughes, A. Ben
sci, A. Kamerer, W. w. Wright, G.
Hoggboom, E. Dresch, ". Parish, NJ.
G. Quinn, G. Brownlee, J. L. Burns, ".
Chefrey, E. G.. Geiss, c. Kuntz, seven
unidentified dead on board, seven un-
identified dead ashore. Fifteen 9th.
ers unaccounted for.