The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-07-27
FINALLY SETTLt:
C"use OF the Maine Explos y Is No
Longer In Doubt-Result santi-
ago Prove That 1T Was erna1-
marvellous Work by IL :uns Of
SampsOn's Fleet. -
Correspondence of Associated J'ress.)


Correspondence of Associated J,ress.l
OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July H.-"Any
doubt that may have existed that the
Maine was blown up by an outside ex-
plosion has been dissolved by the examna-
ton of the destroyed Spanish ships" said
member Of the board Of survey that ex-
amined the remnants of Admiral Cervera' S
fleet.
"Of four ships examined three had been
blown up by their magazines" he continued,
land of these, one had every magazine ex-
ploded and tOrpedoes in addition, yet on
none of them was there the same effect as
that produced by the explosion of the
Maine. There was no upheaval of the keel
and little bulging Of the plates except in
the immediate vicinity of the explosion. Tho
effect was nearly altogether upward, in
some cases the protected deck being lifted !;
but, outside Of the springing Of a few plates,
the hull was intact"
The examination of the wrecks of the
Spanish ships, three of which were burned
and all had their magazines exploded, was
that, first for the purpose Of acertaining
the erect OF American gunnery and Sec
Ondly to find the effect Of internal explo-
sions. Both subjects bore upon the Maine
incident as noted above, and the awful ef-
feet of Well-aimel shots was demonstrated
in the rapid sinking of the fleet. When it
is remembered that the Almirante Oquendo
and the Infanta Maria Teresa were both
sunk within forty minutes of the time they
left the entrance Of Santiago harbor, the
work of American gunners may we'll be
considered remarkable. The Almirante
Oquendo was struck over 50 time and the
Infanta Maria Teresa thirty-seven times
but by larger projectiles.
The record Of damages to these ships is
one of great interest. The fight started at
a range of 5000 yards, or three miles. At
1900 yards or $500 yards two torpedo boats
and two cruisers were annihiiated. The
closest fighting was done at l l0G and LOCO
yards, by the Brooklyn and Vizcaya with
annihilating effect on the Spanish Ship But
two projectiles larger than The S-inch struck
the vessel, both Of these either Il or 13-inch,
being put through the Infanta Maria Teresa
The S-inch, 6-nch, 5-inch and 6-pounder
projectiles did the bulk of the work, and
were frightfully destructive. Some idea of
the effect can be obtained from brief sum
mary OF the injuries to each ship as found
by the examining board. The board had
upon it such capable men as Executive Of
ticer Rogers, of the Iowa; Executive Oil
Ger Mason, of the Brooklyn, an expert on
the effect OF shells On armor; Lieut.. Hues-
sler, of the Texas, who has made some
splendid improvements in gun firing on tina t
ship, and Naval Constructor uobson of
Merrimac fame, who has a reputation for
knowledge of ship construction
The board found the following results;
Cristobal Colon, battleship, tir5t-class.
with six inches OF steal for protection, not
only on the water line, lut arounl the six
inch guns.
but six times, as it kept out OF range near
ly the whole time, passing behind the other
ships for protection and finally making a
run for it. The hits We're made by the
Brooklyn and Oregon One eight inch shell
went into the port side OF the ward room
and left on the starboard side without ey-
ploding, but cleaned out everything in the
room. A i've incn hit just above the armor
belt, and six inch struck her on the bow
None of the injuries were sufficient to put
her out OF action, nor as serious as those
received by the Brook!yn, at one time her
sole antagonist. The assertion that the
Brooklyn was overhauling her and that the
Oregon's terrific 13-inch guns were shoot
ing nearer ard nearer and that escape was
impossible seems to be the correct solution
of her surrender.
The Vizcaya is of the same class as the
battleships Texas and Maine She Carries
two 1.o irch guns and ten 80 inch guns
with projections 10 and IL inches thick
double and treble that Of the Brooklyn
This ship was the special prey of the
tlltHOugn
Texas, after her destructive work on the
Almirante Oquendo and Teresa added q
little at long range. Ihe Nizcaya, exclus-
i've of one Founders and rapid fire hits
which swept her deck, was nit with large
projectiles fourteen times and by six pound
ers eleven times. The eight inch guns Of
the Brooklyn and Oregon and the six inch
guns on the Oregon and five inch on the
Brooklyn tore her structure above the ar
NOR belt almost into shreds, while the six
Founders and one Founders made it too
warm for men to stand at the guns The
Texas got in few six inch shots and the
Iowa landed couple Of four inch shells
No thirteen or twelve inch shells struck
her.
The Infanta Maria Teresa, the flagship,
of the same build the Vizcaya was
badly punished and was the only one of
the four ships hit by Pinch or 13-nch pro-
jectiles. She has two of that size clean
through her and the position of one would
tend to demonstrate that it was fired by
the Texas. An S-inch shell, undoub .edly
from the Brooklyn, because she was the
only ship in line with the Maria Teresa S
head as she turned west entered lust for
ward of the beam on the port side and ex-
ploding inside cleaned out the deck with
four gun crews. This is the shot that Ger
vera said came from the Brooklyn and set
fire to the ship. The Teresa's difficulty ana
the one that compelled her hurried sur
render, was that all her fire mains were
cut and she was unable to eXtinguIsh the
fires that We're driving her men from the
guns.
The Almrante Oquendo armored cruiser,
same class as the Vizcaya and Teresa, went
| through the most terrible ordeal of any Of
| the ships except the torpedo boats. Her
| upper works were one ragged mass of cut
| steel and her decks were covered with dead
| and dying. She was hit on the port side
| four times by S-inch shells, three times by
| 4-inch shells. probably from the Iowa. two
+! times by 6-inch and AZ times by 6-pounders
| The innumerable number of 1-pounders that
! struck her show that she met the fire OF
! the entire fleet she turned last out of the
| harbor The torpedo boats followed her and
| the secondary battery shots intended for
! them hit her When she returned to the
| shore it in a dilapidated condition.
| One of the findings of board of sur
| vey was that S-nch shell had struck the
| forward turret just where the gun opening
| was, and that every man in the turret was
| killed. the officers standing in the firing
| hood being still in that position. Another
| fact learned was that the torpedoes in some
| Of the ships were already loaded in the
tubes and prepared to fire.