Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-07-25
DISASTER ON
| BENNINGTON
NUMBER KILLED ABOARD THE
GUNeoAT At SAN DIEGO MAY
REACH EIGHTY,

San Diego. CAL, July 22.-Broken
and blackened, with her flag flying at
half mast, her hold filled with Is
feet OF water, the United States ship
Bennington lies beached on the
shores of San Diego harbor. Forty.
nine of her crew lie dead at the
city morgues, the fate of many more
is as yet undetermined, and three
score are stretched upon beds of pain
in various hospitals.
This is the result of the explosion
which wrecked the trim little naval
craft, and wrought such terrible hav.
&C among her crew at half past 10
o'clock this morning. The placid wa
tiers of San Diego bay have never be-
fore seen the scene of such disas.
ter, and San Diego city has never
before been stirred by such scenes
OF death and suffering as those wit
messed tonight. The death list may
be swelled to the appalling total of
four score before the last word shall
have been written, and one of the
darkest pages in Americas naval his.
tory closed.
| These figures, which at first glance
appear exaggerated, are made up of
the known dead, the probable VIC
tins among the injured now in the
| v0r1OnC hnCnifo1c ho %o<o
Der of missing, and is summarized as
follows:
| Dead at morgues, 40; dead in the
flooded fire room of the Inflated war.
ship, Z; injured who may die, 10;
missing, Is. Total, 81.
The probable deaths of injured
men is based upon the opinion of
DR.. M. H. Foster, of the United
States marine hospital service. in
charge of the medical STAFF, and the
number of missing upon the state
ment of Commander Young.
The commander believes the miss.
ing men were drowned and that the
waters of the bay will give up this
number of the dead.
Commander Lucien Young was seen
in his quarters aboard the Benning-
ton this afternoon. He was asked to
make a statement as to the cause
of the explosion, and it's effects up.
on the machinery. He said:
"As to the cause of the explosion
l cannot say anything because do
not know. What I do know is that
the damage was caused by exploding
boiler or boilers. The crown sheet Of
boiler B collapsed, and the boiler head
blew out, breaking through the bulk
head separating it from Boiler D, the
other main port boiler Immediately
aft. Boiler D was forced back, the
crown sheet collapsing and breaking
down the bulkhead separating it from
the fire room. Every one in the flre
room at the time was killed. Three
bodies are now pinioned down by the
collapsed crownsheet of boiler D, and
four more by the bursted bulkhead.
These bodies we are now trying to
release. In order to do this it will
be necessary to cut the bulkhead in
two places. One of the bodies is
wedged in such shape that it may be
necessary to dismember it in order
to take it out. We are hindered, of
course, by the watre in the boiler and
fire rooms. and are taking measures
to pump this out as rapidly as pos
sible. I can not express any opinion
as to when we will reach the bodies"
Montana Boys in the Explosion.
Butte, July 22.-Charles A. Kuntz,
the young man who lost his life in the
explosion of the Bennington yester.
day. was a nephew of Mrs. Charles
w. Lane, 11O8 West Galena, and Of
Mrs. E. J. Van Ness, of AL South
Washington street, and was born in
this state. His parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Anton Kuntz, formerly resided in Hell
ena, where his father followed black
smithing. They removed to st. Louis
about 10 years ago. william Hofreutef,
of 43O Hopkins street, in this city, is
among those who were slightly injur-
ed aboard the Bennington in the ter
rible disaster of yesterday. Young
Hofreuter enlisted in the navy three
years and six months ago. A tele-
gram received by his father, Frank
IIofreuter last night stated that the
young man was only slightly hurt.
Willie Holley. of Anaconda, was
aboard the Bennington. He. too. tele-
graphed to his relatives that his in
juries were slight.
Fred A. BabcOck, of Butte, a men,
Der of the Bennington's crew. was not
aboard ship when the explosion &C.
Cured. The young man is coxswain
of Captain YOung's gig, and was
ashore with the gig waiting for the
captain at the time. He is son of
Captain George H. Babcock. of this