The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-23

Between DECKS WHcn tHo bOHeTb
blew Up-Wounded Jackies Showed
Great HerOism-Burial Of the Dead
To-day-Revised List OF the Dead and
Injured-Iny esti cation Work Started
Efforts to Get Bodies Out OF Wreck.
San DIEGO. Cal, July 22.-Every hour
makes the Bennington horror greater than
II at first appeared. The dead now num-
Der sixtv-eight. The three hospitals are
filled with wounded sailors, ten OF whom
are expected to die before tomorrow
morning.
With forty-nine dead men identified,
nineteen unidentified and ffty-four victims
in the hospitals, seriously injured the
casualty list runs up to 1872. The number
Of seamen missing is varousy estimated at
from fifteen to fifty and many of these may
vet be proved to have been killed by the
boiler explosion which rent and wrecked
the gunboat as she lay in the bay yesterday.
1t may be hard to learn just how many
rerished, for 1t is thou ght that some seamen,
who were blown into the water and rescued
by small boats, fled when they reached the
land Commander Young has asked the
chief OF police to arrest all sailors who are
not armed with pass, and he hopes in this
way.to have seized any survivors who were
tempted to desert.
The bodies Of the dead, possibly except
Ing Ensign Newman K, Perry, will be
buried at the National Cemetery, Fort
Roeecrans, tomorrow afternoon. The
case Of Perry, the only officer killed,
was a sad one. After he was taken to the
hospital desperately wounded he die
tated telegram.to his wife, saying. Am
badly soalded, but am keeping stiff upper
lip. Come at once" Mrs. Perry left San
Francisco, and not until she reached here
did she learn that her husband had died,
Details Of what happened aboard the
gunboat at the instant Of disaster are lack
ing. The only men who knew what really
happened down In that hell Of boiling and
scalding steam will never be able to tell
their story. Death came to them swiftly,
down in the boiler room. Those on deck
Jared little better. From every ventilator
over all settled the biting steam. Men
left that ship like rats. With awful in
juries they went over the side and into the
water. One seaman with great strips
Of flesh literally peelng from his arms
and legs swan to the shore.
Another man, his leg broken by flying
timber made his way to the nearest land
ing. Many Of the men who were on the
upper deck when the explosion came es-
capped injury. The scalding water spared
some Of the men OF the Bennington. and
their action in the face Of the unknown
danger shall stand forever a credit to the
American jackies.
The vessel was listing to starboard and
no man knew when she might sink, but
these brave American sailors forgot their
own danger and set out caring for those Of
their shipmates who we're too badly hurt
TO get over the side. Men were screaming
and were lying on the deck helpless in
the rain of hot water and steam. Their
shipmates burst through the cloud and
carried them away to places Of safety.
Only about dozen men were killed
outright by the force Of the explosion
and three lost their lives from flying debris.
One Of these latter was almost beheaded
by some heavy object. Commander
Young ordered rollcall on board the Ben
nington, 1t showed sxty-one men present,
leaving 1873 unaccounted for. These in
Guided the dead, injured and missing.
Commander Young believes some Of the
missing men were drowned and that their
bodies will be found in the hay. Jack
Burns, one OF the survivors, said:
The engine room watch had just COMO
telow to prepare for sea. Some Of the
hoys we're up on the forecastle, and most
OF US were down on the berth deck, just aft
the boiler which exploded. The whole
Geek seemed to lift in front OF us and
cloud Of steam and hot water swept
ait over the berth deck. 1t scalded every
one Of u.s. We all made for the side and
over We went.
About all Of us could swim and we helped
nose that could not. We were In the water
oh'y Few minutes. The explosion could
ECU nave happened at a worse time. for we
were ABOUT all below and about every one
o' us was in his underclothee 80 we were
all scalded Severely"
His an assured fact that boiler B, the one
winch exploded first. had been in bad con-
dition for a long time. In fact 80 serious
was II considered by the fremen that many
0' them were afraid to sail on the ship
was o'clock on Thursday night that