upon the marine orderly, William Anthony, who was at his post of duty
near the captain's quarters.

It was a moment full of horror all the more intense because unknown, but
the soldier, mindful even then of his duty, saluting, said in the tone of
one who makes an ordinary report:

"Sir, I have to inform you that the ship has been blown up, and is
sinking."

"Follow me," the captain replied, acknowledging his subordinate's salute,
and the two pressed forward through the blackness and suffocating vapour.

Lieutenant Blandin, officer of the deck, was sitting on the starboard side
of the quarter-deck when the terrible upheaval began, and was knocked down
by a piece of cement hurled from the lowermost portion of the ship's
frame, perhaps; but, leaping quickly to his feet, he ran to the poop that
he might be at his proper station when the supreme moment came.

Lieut. Friend W. Jenkins was in the junior officers' mess-room when the
first of a battle-ship's death-throes was felt, and as soon as possible
made his way toward the deck, encouraging some of the bewildered marines
to make a brave fight for life; but he never joined his comrades.

Assistant Engineer Darwin R. Merritt and Naval Cadet Boyd together ran
toward the hatch, but only to find the ladder gone. Boyd climbed through,
and then did his best to aid Merritt; but his efforts were vain, and the
engineer went down with his ship.

It seemed as if only the merest fraction of time elapsed before the
uninjured survivors were gathered on the poop-deck. Forward of them, where
a moment previous had been the main-deck, was a huge mass looming up in
the darkness like some threatening promontory.

On the starboard quarter hung the gig, and opposite her, on the port side,
was the barge.

During the first two or three seconds only muffled, gurgling, choking
exclamations were heard indistinctly; and then, when the terrible
vibrations of the air ceased, cries for help went up from every quarter.

Lieutenant Blandin says, in describing those few but terrible moments:

"Captain Sigsbee ordered that the gig and the launch be lowered, and the
officers and men, who by this time had assembled, got the boats out and
rescued a number in the water.

"Captain Sigsbee ordered Lieut.-Commander Wainwright forward to see the
extent of the damage, and if anything could be done to rescue those
forward, or to extinguish the flames which followed close upon the
explosion and burned fier