New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-29

blown inward Crawling into the hole. he felt the
double bottom and the Jagged edges OF tho cement
turned up He described IN detail the 1O-nch tanks
Found here. none OF them apparently exploded, but
the soldercd seams split and the cases nat
tened. Some lids were TO be found.
You say you never reached tho forward e-!noh
magazine shellroom? Suppose were TO tell you
thoro elnch shells in that reserve maya
zine how would you account for the 6-ipch smell
you found there"
A.-They had been blown from the forward one
Q.-BloHn off?
A-Yes sir.
/ Witness was questioned very closely as to the
plates that he found blown inward. and whether
they might not have been bukAeads but he IN
sisted that they the outside skin OF the snip
near the bottom and located them accurately on
the plans about the middle OF the s-inch shell
room where "in a big circle there is none o. the
outside OF the ship left at all"
De said ne had been into the lo-inch maya
zine the starboard. which was buried under a
OF wreckage.
Gunne-'s Mate Smith when recalled. told Of three
trips down in diving dress February p. during
one OF these ne located the break in the Keel where
the ships back was broken by the explosion lie
there found q hole In the bottom OF the haroor
about seven feet deep and seven feet IN diameter
The mud in the bottom Of this hole was harder
inches in IT, In this hole he found a tin about
twenty by ten inches There place In 1t
with a big square hole where gasket had been
he said and l sent It UP 10 Mr.. Powelson. lie
did not find the forward turret but IT was missing
from the place where It belonged.
The Importance Of this testimony caused II 70 be
gone over and over again. and additional questions
along tho lines already indicated were put but
/ they only served to point out more clearly max
abreast OF the 6-inch shellroom the whole side OF
the ship had disappeared from the harboT bed to the
/ vater-l,ne and the edges OF the rent were turned
| inward Further. the 10-inch magazine had NOT
exploded He found the bottom plates broken.
! with the edges pushed IN. He located a circular
. hole between the sixth and seventh frames from
the waters edge down. Later he went down 10 eN-
anime the keel and found hole in the Inud ABOUT
/ seven feet deep and the same in diameter II was
about under the forward V-shaped plate on the
port side of the ship. In this hole ne found tin
twenty inches long and ten inches square. Later
n. found the forward boiler the port side in
good condition.
THE CHIEF DIVERS EVIDENCE.
On February a Chief Gunner Charles Morgan.
who was In charge Of the divers, was called on
nrst going down in diving dress he said, he land
ed in 4 mass OF spill; and broken powder tanks OF
and 70 inch ammunition He found what ~
thought the ceiling and sides Of the maya
zine The powder tanks were split and crushed.
some with the heads knocked off and most OF them
empty There were twenty twenty-five In all.
They did not seem 10 have exploded. but. being
crushed open. the powder had melted out By the
action OF the water. All the frames and plates
found had a list TO starboard. The hold at this
point was open TO the outside OF the harbor. and.
walking 70 the engine. he fell of IN what seemed
70 have been the same hole in the mud described
ly Smith Morgan did not estimate the size OF tho
hole beyond saying tho sides sloped and It was
over waist deep"
oS NJ rNe- IA ke
parts OF the cartridge bags IN them. He did not
personally find any tanks that were wholly intact
with the powder in them Men working under him
found four 6-nch shells en1 a I0-inch shell These
powder tanks mixed UP with the dynamo
wires and accuululators that belonged In the
Morgan was quite certain ne had got down into
the magazine Itself. and that the electrical appll-
ances had fallen through the roof OF the magazine
when the latter crushed open in tho general
wreck.
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN INSIDE.
Gunner's Mate Carl Rundquist. Of the divers
said ne down IN the after par OF the 10-inch
magazine and found a lot OF empty l0-nch powder
tanks-dozens OF them-with pieces blown in all
directions They did not look y they had been
exploded by charge inside. 1t looked & a
pressure from the outside had opened them up The
ragged edges OF the sAip were bent inboard. The
bottom OF the ship all blown Up. He found a
hole IN the bottom OF the ship II looked as Il It
was blown up from the outside because expo-
sive from the inside could make hole Ike that
The pieces OF armor-p plate also showed they were
Blown from the outside from the way they were
bent"
Rundqu!st. being recalled testified to the progress.
OF his exploration. He went down March the
port side and found berth-deck sloping aft 70
starboard. There coal several fee: deep Jus;
forward OF the crane None OF Il had been blown
out OF the ship that side. He also found a 10
inch tank. and powder bags were sent up. He
also found bunch OF wires. about nifty Of them II
q bunch" In the afternoon he went down n the
same place and found the break where the arInor-
plate ended. Here he found long string Of heavy
wire fifteen feet long. Asked as 10 the condition OF
the backing OF the arrnor he replied The end was
oil twisted and torn. and had ragged edges and
then that all looked and pointed nf'oard also
examined the upper part OF the backing and found
the inside corner gone"
Q-Then there no plate o. The ship under the
armor plate?
A-Th!s was just at the first break OF tho ar1nor
bet. ana there was no plate loft underneath There
was nothing Of the ships side left
Continuing. he des r.bel how ne found tanks all
pressed in. tanks and pieces OF tanks all around
and black mud. He found lO-.nch tanks The nex'
day Rundqust went down on the s;arooard side
and found a break "a good way forward This
break" ne said was vertical and with ragged
edges"
Tho corner o. the lower edge OF the rear plate
he SAID was nearly doubled over and bent outward
II 90, the same pla;e and found lots Of backing
extending out five or six feet. This backing was al
pointed outboard."
Rundqust. on being again recalled STATED 'ha'
ne had been diving the day before and found big
SQUARE hole that looked something Ike big shell
or cornpart,nent lie thought 1t may have been a
hotter blown IN The top 0: the boiler looked 10
be in rood condition 10 found also during his
examination three l0-inch shells. Coal was found
oh -
90, b,,,,p.rs Tho next day ne found three 1o-nch
ehol,s lying fat down. He also found lV-inch
powder tank. which was sent up. When he FIRST
iorded an me lo-inch shells they found lying