The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-23

At the time of the explosion we car. ried only 120 pounds"
 When were the boilers last inspect ed?"
 T cannot answer as to the exact date, but it was within the last few months"
 T am quite satisfied" he said. that more men were blown into the water than were picked up by the rescue boat. These men. I believe. were too seriously injured to keep ahoat any length of time and were drowned. No one could have been on the gun deck, especially amidships. and escaped death or i'm jury" --t
 Tomorrow the Benningtons dead will be accorded all the honors of mili- tary funeral and the bodies will be in- tered in the cemetery on the Point Loma Government reservation. Just how many of them will be buried here cannot be determined tonight. not even by the officer in charge of the prepara- tions. Scores of telegranis have come from relatives of the dead from every quarter today and several have request ed the bodies of their dead shipped to them. The requests will be complied with.
 From the British Admiralty once came a telegram today extending sym pathy and laying it's floral tribute upon the bier of the dead sailors. It Is as follows:
 London, July P. TO Vice Consul c. B. Allen. San Diego.
 Cal:
 Please arrange for a suitable wreath to be sent on the occasion of the fu- ne ,tott ~,C An xn the U. s. s. Bennington with sincere sympathy of the British Navy and Ad- miralty."
 Tonight news came from the Ben- nington that rapid progress is being made in pumping the water from the fire room. It has been lowered sum- cientlY to permit a resumption of work of rescuing the imprisoned bodies.
 Washington Hears Details.
 Washington. July 22.-The details of the explosion on the United States gun boat Bennington at San Diego as as- certained by Commander Lucien Young were received at the Navy Department at 11:15 o'clock tonight in a long tel egram from the commander. It appears from the telegrams that small leak had been discovered in boiler B and the boiler maker was on his way to repair 1t and was passing through the engine room when the explosion occurred. The dispatch in part is as follows:
 T have employed stevedores and la borers from shore and am making cv- cry effort to stop leaks and recover dead still under wreckage and boilers I believe the principal leak is at the bottom and below pipe and leak under rudder head. Many seams shaken loose and leaking. Ship at high tide is filled with water two feet above main deck on lower side.
 T am of the opinion that the cause of the explosion as far as I can ascer- tain was q small leak in boiler B. Boil ermaket was on his way to repair il and was passing through the engine room when accident occurred. Boiler B was forced to stern through it's bulk. head and came in contact with boiler ID which was also forced through it' bulkhead, and both boilers exploded with two close explosions.
 There was no noise-only thicf thunder which filled the ship from stem to stern full of scalding steam, soot ant ashes, even so much so that the deck was unirhabitable and those who were no' blown overheard jumped overheard fol air, and in my opinion many of these were drowned, for I still have seven teen missing that cannot be accounted for.
 "Dr. Foster. marine hospital service has charge of a force of efficient doc tors who are doing all in their power for the wounded"