The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-08-01
STIRRING STORY OF THE
BENNINGTON DISASTER
CONTINUED from page %

pako 80
old sport; you II be all right soon as
one can get you there.
And Whitley, suffering the fortunes
of the damned, rolled over and grinned.
E" Never you mind about me, ~ he gasp
ed between paroxysms, Z" / reckon / I'm
worth heap of dead men yet, Bill.
Don't stop here with me; dig in there
and see if you can't get some more of
the boys out. / can get along all
right
And that man died within an hour,
his soul simply scalded out of his poor
body.
These rough fellows who wear the
livery of Uncle Sam know how to face
death when it comes to them, and there
is not single case of cowardice to
be reported in connection with the
Bennington disaster. Late last night
two coal passers were going the rounds
of the Morgues. They seemed to be
stunned by the suddenness of the aw-
full thing which had swept fully three
score of their shipmates into eternity.
Those on shore pass along the street,
| talking the disaster over in the calm,
| dispassionate manner of the man who
reads all about it this morning, three
| thousand miles away from San Diego.
1t is hardly real to them yet.
At HAS three more were brought
| in from the marine barracks, three
more victims of that binding cloud of
steam between decks. There will be
more before morning. The tale of the
Bennington s dead is climbing to the
sixty mark, and until the closed COM
! partments give up their quota it will
be impossible to set correct figure.
CAPT. YOUNG IN AGONY.
SAN DIEGO, July 21.-About 4:30 this
afternoon, after the Bennington had
been towed into shallow water, 1 went
aboard. l found my old friend Captain
Lucen Young pacing his cabin in al
agony of mind Lucien is a brave mar
and a philosopher He has beer
through many dangers and bears many
scars as evidence of his venturous life
why, It's worse than the Maine dis
aster," he exclaimed as / shook him by
the hand.
II have scarcely a man of the Who'll,
crew who is not hurt more or less"
What caused the disaster, Lucien?'
/ asked. How can / TELL" he replied
II can only give you the report made
to me-"
Last night l got hurry order to 81
out and assist the Wyoming. She Il
stuck on a sandbar up the coast.
found that the boilers were not supplied
with water and gave orders that w
would go out early this morning.
1.-The water was got in slowly forum
ately as 1t turns out, and this morning
only the two forward boilers were fill
ed I gave orders that we should NOV
) out with these two boilers. intendin
, to fill the others as we went out.
l II went ashore to attend to some pr
? vate business and on my way back
, learned of the explosion. Had 1 bee
aboard, no doubt. should have bee
l killed, for I would have been on tn
bridge"
How many men made up you
crew."
Exclusive of the officers there wer
, 1917 men. OF all who were aboard ther
3 is scarcely one who has not been In
g jured in some way"
n Taking up a sheet of paper just lai
e on his table, Captain Young said: "Thi
report shows that there are no'
: twenty-eight dead and twenty-one ser
ously wounded, of whom 1 am told nc
less than twelve will die"
DISPOSITION OF SHIP.
What will you do with the ship?"
How can l tell? i have reported a
the facts to the department at Wash
ington and | shall wait their answer
p. esume they will send tugs to toy
her to Mare Island"
rs she too much injured to be re
paired here?"
Here, you see, they have no mean
of repairing a warship. l can't eve
learn the extent of the damage becaus
my diver was lost in the accident to
day. He is jammed down below herr
one of the seven bodies we must CT
out"
But added Captain Young, sin a
the sorrow and distress of this horribl
catastrophe I find comfort in the BRAY
cry and discipline of my crew. wis
you could hear the reports of the doc
tors who treated the men. Why, sal
ors who had the skin and flesh burne
off of them sent kilograms to the
families asserting that they were bl
slightly hurt. Men whose hands weI
burned and scalded until they coul
not use them reported for duty and d.
clared they could help their comradt
more seriously injured"
Lieutenant Perry. who was on III
bridge at the time OF the disaster an
just as the ship was ready to move OF
of the harbor. is a native of Sout
Carolina and a member of the family ,
that name that have distinguish
themselves in every era of our nav
history. He was on the bridge jul
ordering the ship out of port, and, as
ssued, an order to raise the ancho
the explosion occurred. He was blow
off the bridge with the several junior
who were there TO help him. Both
his eyes were blown out and he SUI
tanned such injury In the head that /
died tonight"
TELLS OF EXPLOSION.
Captain Young, when asked IL he ha
+ formed any theory regarding the e,
plosion. replied:
About all I can say is that the boi
ers exploded. Just what caused the