Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-07-22

Harbor.
 SAN. DIEGO, Call. July 22.-One of the most frightfuI disasters in the peace history of the American navy except ing the sinking of the Maine in Ha- vana harbor has occurred in San Diego bay on board the United States gunboat Bennington. At a moment when the warship, lying at anchor and with, her officers and crew quietly at. tending to their duties on board, was the object of interest to hundreds of people observing her on piers, pleasure boats and passing ferryboats, cloud of steam suddenly burst from point just forward of the smokestack, out of which the spectators were mortified to see bodies and human fragments hurled high in the air and scattered over the surrounding water.
 The outburst was accompanied by a roar as of thunder and a shock that rocked vessels near by. In an instant the air was filled with shrieks and bel. lows of pain from the wounded, which could be heard ashore, and with flying fragments of human beings and pieces of the ships superstructure The next moment bleeding sailors were fighting, crippled, in the water against death in only less sudden form than that from which they had escaped, while row boats, sailboats, launches and tugs were being driven to the rescue as fast as arms, wind and steam could carry them. --., ,
 A ferryboat which was passing near by turned and hastened to render as- sistance, her own deck crowded with frightened men and women who saw the havoc that had been wrought in a twinkling.
 A most horrible sight met those who approached. In the water men with blackened faces were struggling hand icapped by injuries. Others on deck were covered with blood and grime, some dead some wounded frightfully. Others were working to rescue con- rades who were yet below. The small CT boats turned their attention to those in the water, taking them to the wharfs as fast as few had been taken aboard the small craft. Wagons with a dozen wounded men were not rare One had eight sitting or reeling against the sides, holding in their laps the heads of comrades near to death, all of them with faces black with smoke and grime and many clothed in noth- ing but trousers Some of those whose bodies were bare, not injured in vital parts. but suffering the agonies of torn flesh, sat up with lacerated bodies exposed to the wind. One, whose arm was twisted and whose face and breast were covered with blood. looked at his own hanging flesh and dropping blood and muttered only: My God. My God!"
 A corps of men with blackened bodies were hurried through tbe streets to places where blood could be stanch- ed. gaping wounds stitched or more heroic treatment gwen.
 A more than awful sight awaited those who hastened to the i'll fated ship, from which steam continued to pour in great clouds. Everywhere was blood. and in all directions were bodies. The after cabin was smeared with blood. and the walls. ceiling and floor splotched with red. Tn the depths be- low. from which heat and steam rolled in volumes too great to face. came the groans and walls of the dying and the shrieks of the wounded.
 Tugs and launches soon were headed for the shore. bearing those whose i'm juries permitted removal and bodies of the dead. All the time the work of rescue was going on the ship was set tling to siarboard. and clouds of white steam poured from her interior. News of the disaster spread like wildfire over the city. and soon the harbor was lined with people. Commander Young. who was ashore getting final orders preparatory to sailing, was soon on board. He at once ordered the air tight compartments closed and signaled to a tug to tow the ship into shallow water. Then be took charge of the sickening work at hand.
 The explosion occurred on the main starboard boiler forward of the smoke stack. It is now known that forty live were snuffed out almost instantly that in all probability this number will he increased by at least ten when the interior of the ship can be more fully explored and that almost every man on board at the time wss injured many of them so badly inst death is Inevitable. many so painfully that screams of agony were forced from their lips and other. SO severely that they will ee confined to sickrcoms foI days or weeks
 The force of the explosion was ter rife beyond conception Human bodies were hurled into the air 10 s height probably not less than 20 feet
 Sections of the upper deck were car ried away from stem to stern. and aft . hole ves blown in the side of the vsrshfp into which the water poured. csusing the rapid listing of the vessel
 Most of the men on board were as sembled between decks above the boil ers whes the explosion occurred Here