The copper era., 1905-07-27
FRIGHTFUL EXPLOSION ON
 GUNBOAT BENNINGTON.
Sailors of Uncle San Meet Most Horrible
 Death in San Dieeo HarbOr.

1
 tory of the American navy, with tn,
 possible exception of the sinking O
 the Maine in Havana harbor, occur
 red in San Diego bay shortly aftel
 1O:30 July Fist on the United State
 gunboat Bennington. Nearly ever,
 man aboard was either killed or
 wounded, the number of killed being
 fixed at eighty. Over PTS men were
 aboard at the time of the explosion
 All of the upper deck of the Ben.
 nington was carried away stemstern
 When the explosion occurred the warship was lying at anchor with the officers and crew quietly attending tC their duties on board. Hundreds oi sightseers were observing her from the piers, pleasure boats and passing | ferries when a cloud of steam sud- denly burst from point just forward i of the smokestack. Following on the heels of the smoke spectators were mortified to see bodies and human fragments hurled high in the air and scattered over the surround ing water. The outburst was accom- panied by roar as of thunder and a shock which rocked all of the yes sels near by.
 In an instant the air was filled with shrieks and bellows caused by the !, pain of the wounded which could plainly be heard on shore. In addi- tion to this, flying fragments of hu- man beings and pieces of the ship structure were thrown hundreds of yards.
 In the next moment bleeding sail ors fighting against death in only a less sudden form than that which they escaped filled the water. Row boats, tugs and launches were driven to the rescue as fast as steam, arms and wind could carry them. A fer ryboat near by turned to render as- sistauce, her own decks crowded with frightened men and women. A most horrible sight met those who ap- preached the scene. In the water, with blackened faces, were strug- gling sailors handicapped in their fight for life by injuries.
 In no way less terrible was the scene on deck the Bennington. There were sailors covered with blood and grime working over the dead bodies of many of their com rades, and making an effort to rescue those yet in the bottom of the boat. Shrieks of the wounded filled the air and hundreds begged that death might come to them. Many were frightfully wounded.
 Then the boats turned their atten- tion to those in the water, taking them to wharves as fast as they could be taken abroad. On the wharves preparations were being made to take care of the injured in what at the time seemed to be a dis aster of horrible proportions. Am balances were telephoned for, and every express driver who could be reached was summoned. Physicians were notified and the hospitals in- formed. So carefully were prepara- tions made that within half an hours time after the explosion car riages, buggies, automobiles and street cars were bearing the burdens of the victims towards the hospitals.
 In the meantime the demolished boat had been beached near Speckles wharf to prevent her from sinking, and the work of taking the bodies out of the boat was begun. No cause has as yet been assigned for the accident. Captain Young of the vessel was ashore when the explosion occurred.
 Every effort aboard the i'll fated Bennington was made on the day fol- lowing the explosion towards reach ing the bodies of the dead held be- meath the steel bulkheads in the closed flooded compartments. With the work the list of victims of the appalling disaster grows.
 The summary compiled next morn ing includes thirtv-one identified dead, twelve unidentified dead, their bodies at the morgue, and seven bodies still floating in the hold of the ship unidentified. In addition to these twenty-two are seriously in- jured and twenty-seven slightly in- jured. Besides these twenty or twenty-five men are still missing and have undoubtedly gone to the bottom of the bay. It is believed that the death roll will exceed eighty lives.
 Fireman Hopp made the first state ment of the cause of the accident. He says that shortly before the eX- plosion one of the boilers was found to be leaking badly. A boilermaker was sent for to repair the damage, but before his arrival the explosion had occurred. Hopp saw his assist ants and friends killed all about him outright. He himself was for the moment stunned, but soon recovered.
 Regarding the boiler, Commander Young stated that during the recent return from Honolulu, the steam pressure was kept reduced in that DartiCular iOne When the explosion