Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-05-19
Navy MEN talk
OF The maine
Congressional Action TO Raise
Batt|eship Creates Interest.
FLIGHT OF the SURVIVORS.
Experiences Of Two Officers at Brook.
the Vessel Whom She Blew Up and
Sank In Havana Harbor-New Ver-
sion Of Bill Anthony's REPORT"


In the wardrooms Of the big gray
battleships of the Atlantic fleet. lying
ut 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 ut
the yard who We're attached to Sigs-
bees ship at the time OF the explo.
sion. more than ten years ago. They
were "middies" then. Now they are
lieutenant commanders and executive
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 1t requires something
like the recent action of congress to
bring it forward at mess TO tell the
truth. the whole affair was thrashed
out so 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
Mni ,nf nj, nd ,f lov
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 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 re-
sponsible position in the Atlantic fleet,
was in the wardroom with Lieutenant
Commander Dick Wainwright. execu-
tive officer of the doomed battleship.
now 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
Anthony 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. l 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
Gray headed sergeants of the marine
corps hold him up to recruits TO this
day as the ideal orderly.
Story Of an Eyewitness.
THE explosion was local. as explo
siOns of great force usually are" said
the officer last mentioned. 1.-The part
Of the ship | was in was not affected
materially. The decks and bulkhead
shivered. but there was no rending Of
plates, and was quite able to keep