Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-07-22
DISASTER TO GUNBoAT.


gunboat Bennington in San Diego Bay,
California, yesterday morning, was an-
nounced in the Gazette. The disaster
is re. arded as one of the most frightful
in the peace history of the American
navy, excepting the sinking OF the
Maine in Havana harbor in 1898. With
out warning, the lower furnace OF boiler
4 exploded and the warship blew up.
At a moment when the worship, lying
at anchor and with her officers and crew
quietly attending to their duty on board,
was the object of interest to hundreds OF
persons watching her from piers, pleas
ure boats and passing ferry boats,
cloud of steam suddenly burst from
point Just forward of the smokestack,
and the spectators were horrlhed
TO see bodies and human fragments
hurled high in the air and scattered
over the surrounding water.
The ontburst was accompanied by
roar as of thunder and shock
which rocked vessels nearby. In
an instant the air was filled with
shrieks of pain from the wounded,
which could be heard ashore. The
next moment bleeding sailors were fight
ing, crippled, in the water against death
in only less sudden form than that from
which they had just escaped, while row.
boats, sailhoats, launches and tugs we're
being driven to the rescue as fast as pos
sble.
The latest number Of dead is 80,
inclnding Lieut.. Newman X. Perry.
Sevenly-six are wounded and 2l are
missing. The total number of casual
ties is l91. OF the wounded many will
die.
Commander Lucien Young said, as far
as he had been able to inspect the ship,
the explosion occurred in the starboard
main boiler. He says there must have
been weak spot in this boiler, though
the vessels boilers were inspected year
ago and reported sound. Lieutenant
Perry, however, said recentlyit has been
common talk aboard the Bennington that
the boilers had been defective for the
last six months, and many had feared
such an accident as occurred yesterday.
The force of the explosion was terrific
beyond conception. Human bodies were
hurled into the air to height probably
not less than 200 feet.
Sections of the upper deck were carried
away from stem, to stern and att hole
was blown in the side of the warship,
into which the water poured, causing the
rapid listing of the vessel.
Nest of the men on board were assem-
bled between decks, above the boilers,
when the explosion occurred. Here Is
where the most frightiul slaughter took
place. No one living has been able to
describe what happened there, but vivid
witnesses exist in the blood-smeared
walls. II is from between decks that
most of the:dead bodies have been taken.
Commander Young and Surgeon Peck
were ashore at the time of the explosion.
Lieutenant Yates was in charge Lieu
tenant Wade was the only one Of the Of
ficers aboard not otinjured. Lieutenant Sa-
bin was badly burned ABOUT the banus'
Lieutenant Yates was badly scaided.
The other two officers we're injured, but
how badly IS not known.
Tugs aud launches which had hasten
ed to the rescue were soon headed for the
shore, bearing those whose injuries per-
mitted removal and bodies of the dead.
All the time the work OF rescuers was 60
log on the ship was settling to starbOard
and clouds of white steam poured from
her Interior. News of the disaster spread
like wildfre over the city and soon the
barbor was lined with people. Com
nauder Young, who was ashore getting
final orders preparatory to sailing, was
soon on deck. He at once ordered the
air tight compartments closed and signal
ed tug to tow the ship into Shallow
water. Then he took charge of the sick
ening work at hand