The San Francisco call., 1898-03-12
President of the Spanish Court of Inquiry
 Talks.
Gives Reasons for Belfevinu the Maine Disaster Due to
 Accident
No Hole Blown in the Mud, No Big Wave Produced and No
 Fish Killed.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

HAVANA, March 11.-To-day Cap tain Peral. president of the Spanish Naval Court of Inquiry into the cause of the Maine disaster, granted an in terview to correspondent. Captain Peral said:
 "Our divers are hard at work examin- ing the hull of the Maine Great diffi- culty is experienced owing to the deep mud in which the Maine is buried and the condition of the wreck forward of amidships. The whole forward part of the ship Is mass of iron and steel debris. We have hoisted up much of it, but in the mud it is not always pos 'Sible to tell what parts of the ship, armOr decks, beams or stanchions are found, the explosion so changed their position.
 We think we have located the ram or prov, but not in the position sup posed. The forward turret, mounting two large guns, was blown clear of the hull into the water on the starboard We shall continue our work and try to examine the hull forward down to the keel. It Is probable that we may pro- pose to the American authorities to raise the hull by means of the floating hull brought from England and now in Havana harbor.
 We cannot believe there was an ex- ternal explosion of torpedo for the following reasons: A torpedo following the line of least resistance must have blown a great hole in the mud at the bottom of the harbor No such hole was found. A torpedo must have thrown a large mass of water into the air if exploded at a depth of only twenty-five feet or so, or at least have produced wave reaching the other ships and the shore of the harbor We have examined every one on shipboard or on shore who saw the explosion, but no one can be found who remarked any upheaval of the water or a big wave
 "A torpedo explosion always kills fish In the vicinity. No fish were killed by the Maine disaster, as fishermen who have known this harbor for many years testify. To produce the effects noted in the wreck. torpedo would have had to be of enormous size-fully 150 or 200 kilos.
 T am, therefore, of the opinion that the explosion occurred within the ship. I know and respect Captain Sigsbee and I believe the American regulations affecting naval conduct, which I have
 
 fully observed. But some things which cannot be foreseen are bound to happen in any navy I have been reading ot the explosion In the English ship Do- lera, which the English believe was caused by chemical combustion in the paint used for quick drying. I have also read an English account of shells that were found burst open because of hardening points that split and pro- duced heat, thus flashing the powder in the interior of the shell.
 "As I have said. l do not believe there was any carelessness on the part of the officers of the Maine I do be- lieve this was an accident, which could not possibly have been foreSeen. Such is my Judgment at present with the facts that are in possession of the court. When our Court of Inquiry finally decides, the decision will be ir accordance with the best evidence that can be procured. We are having plans diagrams and drawings of the wreck made as fast as the divers are able tC give us definite information.''
 Captain Peral was most courteous during the entire interview. He illus trated some of the points he made by sketches on the desk before him. He spoke as a judge would whose mind was ready to weigh any evidence brought before the court over which he presided.
 Captain Peral requested the core spondent to make it known that he haG granted the interview in his unofficial capacity, and not as president of the Spanish Court of Inquiry, which the law forbidS him to do