The Washington times., 1923-02-11
Spanish War Vets to Have
Charge of Exercises at
Arlington and Fort Myer
sIGsBEE STORY RECALLED
Captain of Inflated Vessel,
In Narrative, Gives Details
of Event in Havana Harbor

! y
of a great national tragedy-the
blowing up in Havana harbor of
the United States battleship
Maine, with the loss of 268 lives.
The disaster ''impelled the peo-
! pie of the United States to regard
Spain as an impossible neighbor, +"
in the words of Capt. Charles D.
Sigsbee, commander of the un-
fortunate vessel. Sixty days after
it occurred, the two nations were
at war.
"REMEMBER THE MAINE"
Impressive ceremonies in honor
of the Maine victims and those who
died in the struggle that followed
will be held Thursday at Fort
Myer and Arlington Cemetery.
These ceremonies will be under the
auspices of the Department of the
District of Columbia, United Spanish
War Veterans.
The story of the Maine explosion
is one of tragedy. Certainly it
Mortified the American people when
1t was flashed over the cables from
the Cuban capital. It also in
creased MANIFOLD the adverse SEN
timent against Spain. Flags, pins,
buttons, with the motto "Remem-
Der the Maine" appeared all over
the land.
to Havana, was blown up at 9:45
fore that the ships buglar, Newton,
had blown taps, and IL is related
that he sounded the notes with
much flourish-like a bugler in a
happy mood.
Happiness 1t seems was universal
on the Maine that night. Captain
Sigsbee, in his personal narrative
OF the disaster, commented on this.
James Pinckney, a Lght-hearted
colored man." narrated Sigsbee,
who spent much of his spare time
singing, playing the banjo and dane
ing jigs, was for some reason in an
especially happy frame of mind that
night. Poor fellow! he was killed,
as was good old John r. Bell, a col
ored cabin steward, who had been in
the navy for twenty-seven years"
THEN CAME CRASH.
Captain Sigsbee-who is now a
retired rear admiral, living in New
York city-was in his cabin when
the explosion occurred. Here is
MS version or it:
was inclosing a letter in it's
envelope when the explosion
came. The impression made on
different people on board the
Maine varied somewhat. To me,
In my position well aft, it was a
bursting, rending and crashing
sound or roar of immense vol
ume, largely metallic in char
acter.
1t was followed by a success.
sion of heavy, ominous, metallic
sounds, probably caused by the
overturning of the central super
structure and by falling debris.
There was a trembling and lurch-
ing motion of the vessel, a list
to port, and a movement of sub
sldence. The electric lights, of
which there were eight in the
cabin where / was sitting, went
out. Then there was intense
blackness and smoke.
Captain Sigsbee CROPPED his way
from the cabin and along the pas.
sage to the outer door. Here he
collided with Private Walliam An
thony, one of the real heroes of
the Maine disaster.
HEARD CHEERS ON SHORE.
BILL as he was affectionately
called by his friends, was Sigsbce's
orderly. When he ran into his
superior in the darkness it is re-
lated that he canle to a stiff salute
and apologized. He then reported
in a calm voice that the ship had
been blown up and was sinking.
Slgsbee was the last man TO
leave the doomed man-of-War. The
boat bearing him and other officers
made for the City of Washington,
a passenger liner lying in the har-
Dor.
The principal memorial exercises
Thursday will be held in the Riding
hall at Fort Myer at 2:3O O'Clock.
Addresses will be made by Repre-
sentative Richard Yates Of Illinois;
Oscar E. Carlstrom, past com
mander in chief, United Spanish
War Veterans; John Lewis Smith,
department commander, American
Legion; II. l.. Dean, department
commander, Grand Army Of the
Republic, and Capt. f. A. Varona,
military attache, Cuban legation.
Harry f. Patterson, department
commander. United Spanish War
Veterans, will preside. Music will
be furnished by the Marine Band
A more touching ceremony will
take place in Arlington Cemetery
at the base Of the great memorial
shaft standing above the graves of
the Maine victims. Here will be
placed floral decorations from Presi-
dent Harding. the Cuban govern
ment and veterans organizations.
The executive committee of the
local department of the Spanish
War Veterans is made up as fol
lows: John Lewis Smith, ]. Q. A.
Braden, William l.. Mattocks,
Charles J. p. Weber, Samuel G.
Mawson, DR.. 8. Clifford Cox. Harry
r. Patterson, John Murphy, Frank
White, James H. Sheridan, William
II. Santelman, Daniel V. Chisholm,
James e. Maynard, Gus E. Rausch,
r. Hodgson, Jerre A. Costello,
Charles w. Mccartney, James J.
Murphy, Arthur II. League, Robert
f. Wallace, Clairborn s. Close and
Harry r Coulter