Evening journal., 1905-07-24
VICTIMS NOW
NUMBER SIXTY.
Forty-seven of the Grew of
Ill-fated Bennington Laid
at Rest OIL Sunday
SIXTEEN ARE STILL MISSING


positively known that at least sixty
men lost their lives during the ex-
plosion on the United States gunboat
Bennington on Friday. There are six
teen men stin missing, and forty-nine
men in the various hospitals, a grand
total Of 125 casualties.
-Four bodies have been recovered
from the flooded boiler rooms OF the
wrecked warship. They have been
Identified as those of ID. n. Holland,
a fireman; NJ. Conway. fireman; c. e.
Rushing, fireman. and Frank De
Courtoni, an oiler. one of the injured
men. n. NJ. Frickwilder. died last night
making the death list total sixty
names.
The compilation of caualties. as
made up late last night by the Asso-
o4ated Press is as follows: Buried in
Military Cemetery at Fort Rosecrans.
AZ; dead now In morgues, IL; dead I'm
/ flreroom of Bennington still unre-
covered, 2; total dead 60.
OF the injured at hospitals, six or
seven are expected to die.
Forty-seven of the gunboat Bennlng-
toms dead were hurled Sunday in a COM
mon grave in the little military ceme-
terry on the crest OF the promontory Of
Point Iona, high above the water OF San
Diego Bay on the one side and within
sound Of the booming surf Of the Pacific
on the other
They have honored dead to keep them
company. All about them lie those who
died In the nations more trying times.
Gravestones. yellow with age, bear the
names Of men who died at Monterey IN
the Mexican War; others who gave up
their life in the conquest OF California,
and who followed Commodore Stockton
at old San Pasoual.
From Fort Rosecrans came the one
Hundred and Fifteenth company. coast
heavy artillery. from the city Of San
Diego, the naval reserves; from the Uni
versal Brotherhoods Home. on Point
i Iona a company of Khaki clad either
soldiers. and from the government shiI
Fortune dozen sailors.
The most impressive body Of mourneri
consisted of the hfty-two men from th'
battered Bennington. Besides, there wer'
hundreds Of civilians. who. unthouEhtfu
Of the fatguing journey from the city
brought their offerings Of flowers to ia
upon the graves. San Diego was a city o
j lmouning.
t Thousands filed through the morgue
! yesterday morning with arms filled wit
e flowers. dropping the blossoms here an
/ there upon some unfortunate's drape,
= coffin. Other thousands gathered in tn
] plaza, whence the procession OF cofnl
laden wagons was TO start
? LONG MARCH OVER STEEP HILLS
Promptly at noon the long line OF We
hicles began the journey around the ba,
to the burial place. owing to the steel
hills and rough roads II was found i'm
practicable to use hearses and the cofBnl
were placed in heavy express wagons.
There were no bands OF music TO sti
the people with doleful melody. every
thing was quiet and businesslike. It wa.
, necessary to haul the collins ten miles NJ
steep hills and along dusty roads. Ever,
coffin bore beautifully executed wreatl
Of asparagus ferns. The flags on the cof
fins came from the nation in whose ser
vice the men died.
From noon until three o'clock these deai
burdened wagons tofed toward the buria
sounds and not until almost half-pas
! four was the last coffin placed in the loni
, trench.
n Hundreds Of other vehicles stirred tn
g choking dust Of the ten mile road throug
r out the forenoon, all making for-the sam
v point. while every craft that could be ha
o drought hundreds across the FIVE mil
I stretch OF water. and they, unmindful o
n the heights 20 be scaled, tumbed five hun
n dred feet to the crest Of the ridge.
In this way the soldiers from Fort Rose
o GRAMS toiled up the steep foot path. thei
s striking full dress uniforms giving colo
e to the dull gray hills. After them cam
e the naval reserves and still later the sur
r vivoIg % the Bennington.
p Captain f. ]. Drake, Commander Lucie
Young, Of the Bennington. and the mem
bers Of his stan; Captain E. d. sgptt. com
G manding Fort Rosecrans; Mayor schor
OF San Diego. and members Of the execu
tive and legislative branches Of the cit
were hauled around the steep hills /
ambulance wagons from Fort Rosecran.