Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-04-02

ing to the American. Those who read
it could have little doubt as to whether
there was any lineal or external explo-
sion. Perhaps the most significant tes-
timony is that showing the plates on the
port sides of the Maine to have been
bent inward and upward, a result that
could hardly have followed an cxplo-
sion from the inside. A mass of testi-
mony is submitted showing the care
exercised on board the ship by Captain
Sigsbee and his officers, and the appar-
ent impossiblity OF the accident occur
ing by any external causes.
The testimony of Captain Sigsbcc is
OF the greatest Importance and perhaps
is OF more general interest than that
of any other called before the board.
With great care and minutencss he
! gives good account of the ship, and
what was done from day to day on
board, her anchorage and what he knew
about it, and in fact, every point upon
which the government and the country
desires to be informed Nothing in
Captain Sigsbee's testimony shows that
the anchorage was changed or that it
was considered dangerous by any one.
The divers-Morgan, Olsen and
Smith-all contributed important evil
dence They testified that the plates
were bent inward on the bottom port
side and outward on the starboard side
! The story OF the explosion is told by
different witnesses and adds little to
| what Captain Sigsbee and Commander
| Wainwright related. Nothing in the
testimony fixes responsibility, no con-
| spiracy is apparent, no knowledge OF
the planting of a mine is shown. Cap
! tain Sigsbee states that a somewhat Bit
ter feeling existed against the American
ship and Americans generally, and
witness whose name is suppressed tells
of overhearing a conversation among
Spanish officers and citizen indicating
foreknowledge of the destruction OF
the Maine, by intention to blow her up.
An official of the American consulate
tells of information received anony-
mously tending to show that conspir-
acy existed But nothing is definitely
stated which fixes responsibility on
Spain or her subjects.
Capt. Sigsbee. in testimony before the
court of inquiry, said that he assumed
command OF the Maine on April 10,
1897, and that his ship arrived in the
harbor of Havana the last time January
"a, 1898. The authorities at Havana
knew of the Names coming, Consul
| NGllCI dl LGG having llllOl
authorities according to official custom.
After he took on an official pilot sent
by the captain of the port of Havana
the ship was berthed in the man-oi-war
anchorage off the Machina, and accord
ing to his understanding was one of the
regular buoys of the place.
He then stated that he had been in
Havana in 1872 and again in 1898.
He could not state whether the Maine
was placed in the usual berth for men
of-war, bat said that he had heard re-
marks since the exploration, using Capt.
Stevens, temporarily in command OF the
Ward line steamer City of Washington,
, as authority for the statement that he
{ had never known in all his experience,
which covered visits to Havana for five
; or six years, a man-of-war to be anchor
, ed at that buoy; that he had rarely
known merchant vessels to be anchored
there and that it was the least used buoy
in the harbor In describing the SUR
roundingS when first rnoored to this
: buoy, Sigsbee stated that the Spanish
+ man-of-war Alfonso XII was moored
about $50 yards to the northward and
westward of the Maine. The German
, ship Griesenau was anchored at the
, berth now occupied by the Spanish
man. of-war Legaspe, which is about 40C
yards about due north from the Maine
He then located the German man-of-
war Charlotte, which came into the har-
E Dor day or two later and was anchored
E to the southwark OF the Names berth
e about 400 or 500 yards.
In so far as the regulations regarding
t inflammables and paints on board
, Capt. Sigsbee testified that the regula.
| finns ctr,rt1Nr CorriaI ;,,+ a,-S
J to storage, and that the waste also was
E subject to the same careful disposition
= AS to the situation OF the paint room
he fixed it as lin the eyes of the ship,
: just below the berth deck, the extreme
+ forward compartment, AS for the dis
q position OF inflammables, they were
slowed in chests, according to the regu
y lations, and when inflammables were il
+ excess OF chest capacity they were
allowed to be kept in the bath room o
: the admiraps cabin. Regarding tn,
v electric plant of the Maine, Capt Sige
r bee stated that there was no serious
c grounding, nor sudden fiaring up OF tn,
e lights before the explosion, ut a sud
den and total eclipse AS for regua
tions affecting the taking of Temperature
It OF the magazines, etc, Capt. Sigsbe,
e said there were no special regulation
r ether than the usual regulations requir
ed by the department He examine,
c the temperature himself and converse,
h with the ordnance officers as to tn
n various temperatures and the content
OF the magazines and according to tn
e opinion offhis officer as well as Sigs
:, bee, the temperatures were never at tn
n danger point.
When asked whether there was an,
e demonstration of animosity by peop
is ahoat Capt. Sigsbee said that ther
d never was on shore, as he was informed
e but there was afoat He then relate,
o that on the first Sunday after tn
&c Names arrival ferry-boat crowde,
,f with people, civil and military, return
e ing from bull fight in Regla, passe
l. the Maine and about 40 people on boar
indulged in yells, whistles and derisiv
'e calls, During the stay,in Havana, Cap