Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-01
NAVY men TALK
Congressional Action to Raise
Battleship Maine Creates
Interest.
FLIGHT OF THE SURVIVORS
Experiences of Officers. at Brooklyn
Navy Yard Who Were Aboard
Fateful Night.

In the wardrooms of the big gray
battleships of the Atlantic fleet, lying
at the Brooklyn navy yard in Brook
lyn while undergoing repairs prelim-
mary to summer cruises and target
practice, the principal topic of CONVEX
sation is the passage of the congress
sional bill providing for the raising Of
the battleship Maine, resting deep in
the mud of Havana harbor. AS it
happens, there are several officers at
the yard who were attached to Sigs-
bees ship at the time of the explo-
sion. more than ten years ago. They
were "mlddes" then. Now they are
lieutenant commanders and executive
officers. with all ;he dignity attached
to such exalted positions
1t is not easy to get survivors of that
night of terror TO tell of their expe-
riences. The subject is taboo in the
navy, so far as the outside world is
concerned. and it requires something
like the recent action of congress TO
bring it forward at mess To tell the
truth, the whole affair was thrashed
out 80 continually and in such detail
years ago that those who went
through the first ordeal of story tell
ing are loath to break the peace they
have enjoyed for the last few years.
One of the officers who served on
the old Maine was not aboard of her
at the time the explosion occurred. He
had shore leave that night and was
some distance away from the water
front when the explosion took place,
Earring the country for miles around.
Like everybody else who was still up,
he started for the quay at a run, but
he arrived too late TO witness anything
except the last act of the awful TRACE
dy. By the time he arrived the ship
had settled and most of the survivors
had been brought ashore in small
boats
Two Who Were In Wardroom.
Another officer. who now holds a re-
sponsible position in the Atlantic feet,
was In the wardroom with Lieutenant
Dick Wainwright, execu-
tive officer of the doomed battleship,
now a rear admiral. when the deck
beneath their feet trembled and the
roar Of the blast thudded in their ears.
The two officers had been going
through some of the ships papers.
but they dropped everything and leap
ed up the companionway to the deck.
They had no idea what had happened;
their first instinct was to find out
Bill Anthony. the marine orderly.
had already given Captain Sigsbee
the famous "report"-that he didn't
make. What really happened was that
bumped into the captain in
the darkness as the latter was making
his way out of his cabin. Anthony
apologized and asked If he could do
anything He never said, Sir, have
to report the ship is sinking" or any
thing like That He was cool and
clear headed all the time. keeping near
the captain and obeying his orders
but be said nothing STACY"
Gray headed Sergeants of the marine
corps hold him up to recruits to this
day as the ideal orderly.
Story of an Eyewitness.
1.-The explosion was local. as eXplo-
sions of great force usually are" said
the officer last mentioned. The part
Of the ship l was in was not affected
The decks and bulkhead
shivered, but there was no rending of
plates, and 1 was quite able to keep
my feet. OF course the lights had
gone out. and we could see little. We
knew that the ship was settling. and
our one object was to save those still |
alive In fact. the most horrible part |
Of the experience was the half hour
following the explosion, |
during which we were getting out |
wretches from the shattered |
decks forward.
81 was never in any danger myself, |
Tor L was standing on a higher deck |
above the water that came rolling in |
over the fo'c's'le. Two of the officers |
n the wardroom were caught in their
cabins by the thrush and drowned like |
ats 1t was all a case of getting on
ieck quick with US. The explosion
lid not menace US. All we did was
70 save those who were left 1t was