Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23
DEATH LIST
MAY BE SWELLED

/ San DIEGO, July 22-The death list
caused by the boiler explosion on the gun
boat Bennington grew with each passing
| hour today. Instead of lessening the extent
OF the catastrophe later details have added
to the death list, which may be swelled to
| over four score.
This total, II reached. will be made up Of
| the sixty known dead the ten probable
| victims among the injured and the fifteen
missing. The probable deaths of injured is
based on the opinion Of DIR. NJ. H Foster
of the United States marine hospital serv-
| ice, In charge of the medical staff, while
| the number of missing is given on the
| statement of Commander Young. who be-
| lieves the missing nIen were drowned and
| that the waters of the bay will give up
| fifteen bodies
The information that Rear Admiral
Goodrich, commanding the Pacific squadron,
had been ordered to San Diego fort is taken
to mean that a naval investigation into
| the causes of the explosion aboard the
Bennington will be made with a view of
fixing the blame. If any. Capt. Drake and
Surgeon Smith. both from Mare Island
| navy yard, are In San Diego, the former to
direct operations on the wrecked vessel and
the latter to assist in caring for the in
jured and direct the burying OF the dead
With Surgeon Smith came four hospital
stewards, whose assistance will be well
coined by the overworked medical CORDS
now in charge.
The Bennington tonight lies deeper than
ever in the mud and shallow water on the
shores of the bay and no apparent progress
was made in the work of pumping out her
flooded compartments. Until this is accom-
plished the status of the hold will not be
known. This much is known, however:
Seven bodies are wedged beneath collapsed
crown sheets and burst bulkheads of the
fire room More bodies may be found in
the flooded compartments.
Commander Young's Statement.
Commander Lucien Young. in his quarters
aboard the Bennington this afternoon,
made the following statement as to the
cause of the explosion and it's effects on the
machinery:
AS to the cause of the explosion, can
not say anything because i do not
know. What do know is that the damage
was caused by an exploding boiler or boil
ers. The crown sheet of boiler B collapsed
and the boiler head blew out, breaking
through the steel bulkhead separating II
from boiler D. the other main port boiler
Immediately aft. Boiler was forced back.
the crown sheet collapsing and breaking
down the steel bulkhead separating It from
the fire room.
Every one in the fire room at the time
was killed. Three bodies are now pin
ioned down by the collapsed crown sheet
OF boiler d and four more by the burst
bulkhead. These bodies we are now try
ing to release In order to do this 1t Will
be necessary to cut the steel bulkhead in
typn MIA Ono Of
in such shape that it may be necessary to
dismember in order to take it out We
are hindered, Of course by the water in
the fire rooms and are taking measures
to pump this out as rapidly as possible 1
cannot express an opinion as to when we
will reach the bodies.
There were no high explosives In the
part of the ship where the explosion
CURED. and / am positive that 1T will be
found that all damage was caused by the
boilers
LAS far as l know. the boilers were in
irst-class condition. They had been re-
Gently tested to 225 pounds pressure At
the time of the explosion we carried only
100 pounds. The boilers were inspected
within the last few months. do not know
the exact date"
All Patients Carefully Attended To.
All the patients in hospitals have now
been carefully attended to, and careful
nursing now replaces the inevitable hasty
attention at first, divided among the many
sufferers.
Ensign Perry's widow arrived this after
noon from San Francisco. Lieut.. Yates
met her at the station and informed her
for the first time that her husband was
dead. She came hoping to ind her hus-
band not seriously hurt.
Tomorrow the Benningtons dead will be-
accorded all the honors of military
funeral, and many of the bodies will be
buried in the cemetery on the Point Iona
government reservation. Other bodies will
be shipped to relatives. The funeral pro-
cession of the Benningtons dead will start
from the Plaza. in the center of San-Diego,
a. o'clock Sunday afternoon.
A score more of hearses and under
takers wagons will carry the bodies. to-
gether with the masses of flowers that
have been offered by hundreds of San Diego
women. to Fort Rosecrans. There religious
ceremonies. Catholic and Episcopal, will
be performed. The naval reserve of San
Diego has been ordered to act as escort to
the burial grounds.
Summary Of Casualties.
The following is the gunboat Benning-
toms casualty summary at o'clock to-
night:
Total known dead. fifty-six.
Bodies recovered. forty-nne.
Bodies In ship compartments, seven.
Missing (may be drowned, fifteen.
Severely injured, fifty-four.
Probably fatally injured. ten.
Probable ultimate dead, eighty-one.
SCENES AT THE
VARIOUS HOSPITALS