The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-07-29
STORIES OF HEROISM.

STORIES OF HEROISM.
Many stories of individual heroism
are being repeated tonight; stories of
stoicism in the face of horrible pain;
stories o. rescues at risk of life and
limb.
A bronzed young seaman was point.
ed out as the man who went below
at risk of his life and dragged four
of his shipmates out of the charnel
house between decks.
"Oh,' he said, cit was not any
thing; anybody would have done as
much Could you hear 'em yelling
for help and not bear hand9 1t
wasn't anything. My names oh, my
name don't cut any ice. We all did
the best we could in the excitement.
A man don't need any praise for doing
what s his plain duty, does hee"
And this is the spirit of the men
whom the nation has every right to
honor as heroes. Scalding steam is
harder to face than rife bullets, but
this boy raced it, saved five lives, and
says it was nothing. I wish / knew
that boys name, but he went away
nursing his peeled face and injured
arm.
A few minutes after the explosion
a sailor was carried aft out of the
way of the steam and laid On the deck.
He was cruelty scalded and the flesh
was literally dropping from his fin
gers. One of his mates ran to his
side and, kneeling down, tried to ease
his pain and cheer him. up. a bit.
"We1l get you to the hospital right
away, Whitey,'' said he. 'Brace up,
old sport; you'll be all right soon as
one can get you there
And Whitley, suffering the fortunes
of the damned, rolled over and grinned.
"Never you mind about me" he gasp
ed between paroxysms, 81 reckon m
worth heap of dead men yet, Bill.
Don stop here with me; dig in there
and see if you It 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 11:45 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 80 this
afternoon, after the Bennington had
been towed into shallow water, l went
aboard. l found my Old friend Captain
Lucien Young pacing his cabin in an
agony of mind. Lucien is brave man
and a philosopher. He has been
through many dangers and bears many
scars as evidence Of his venturous life
Why, its worse than the Maine dis
aster,'' he exclaimed as 1 shook him by
the hand.
Il have scarcely a man of the whole
crew who is not hurt more or less"
What caused the disaster. Lucien ~
I asked. How can 1 tell he replied.
I can only give you the report made
TO me-"
Last night 1 got a hurry order to 80
out and assist the Wyoming She is
stuck on sandbar up the coast /
found that the boilers We're not supplied
with water and gave orders that we
would go out early this morning.
The water was got in slowly. FORUM
ately as it turns out. and this morning
only the TWO forward boilers We're fill
ed. I gave orders that we should move
out with these two boilers. intending
to fill the others as we went out.
L went ashore to attend to some pri-