Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-12
SPANISH MAINE INQUIRY.
Court President on ExpIosiOn-Evi-
dence Against External Cause.

HABANA, March 11.-To-day Captain
Peral. president of the Spanish naval
court of inquiry into the cause Of the
Maine disaster. granted an interview to
the correspondent Of the Associated
Press, whom he authorized to say it was
| the first and only interview ne had given
any newspaper man on the subject of the
inquiry.
Captain Peral speaks excellent English.
| With him in the naval court is Lieuten-
| ant Salas. He has power to call i'm for
| consultation any army or navy engineer
! or expert on explosives or marine build
| ing. He has twice called in such, and
| Will do so again, when necessary.
Captain Peral said "Our divers are
hard at work. examining the hull of the
Maine. Great difficulty is experienced.
owing to the deep mud in which the hun
Is buried, and the condition Of the wreck
forward of amidships. The whole for
ward part Of the ship is a mass of iron
and steel debris. We have hoisted up
much of it, but in the mud 1t is not al
ways possible to tell what parts of the
ships armor, deck, beams, or stanchons
are found, the explosion so changed their
position.
we think we have located the ram or
PROV, but not in the position supposed.
The forward turret. mounting two large
guns, was blown clear of the hull into
the water on the starboard side. We
shall continue our work, and try to eX-
anime the hull forward down to the keel.
1t is possible that we may propose to
the American authorities TO raise the
null by means of the floating dock
brough: from England, and now in Ha-
bana harbOr.
AGAINST EXTERNAL CAUSE.
eve cannot believe there was an ex-
ternal explosion of a torpedo for the
following reasons: A torpedo, following
the line of least resistance, would GER
tainly have blown a great hole in the
mud at the bottom of the harbor, and
no such hole was found. A torpedo
would certainly have thrown a large
mass of water into the air if exploded at
depth of only twenty-five feet or so,
or, at least, have produced a wave reach
ing the other ships and the shore of the
harbor. We have examined every
one on shipboard or shore who
saw the explosion; but no one
can be found who remarked any upheaval
of the water or a big wave. A ,orpedo
explosion always kills fish in the vicinity
No fish were killed by the Maine disas- |
ter, as fishermen who have known the |
harbor for many years testify. 70 pro-
duce the effects noted in the wreck a tor
pedo would have to be Of enormous size, |
fully Of $50 or 200 kilos.
Il am, therefore, of the opinion that |
the explosion occurred within The ship. / |
know and respect Captain Sigsbee, and l |
believe the American regulations affect
ing naval conduct, which 1 have read and |
found admirable, were carefully observed. |
But some things which cannot be fore
seen are bound to happen i'm any navy. /
have been reading Of the explosion on the
English ship Doterel, which he English
believe was caused by chemical cOmbus-
tlon in the paint used for quick drying. ]
have also read an English account of
shells that were found burst open be-
cause of hardening points that split and
produce heat thus flashing the powder in
the interior Of the shell.
NO CARELESSNESS ABOARDSHIP.
''As have said. / do not believe there
was any carelessness on the part OF the
officers Of the Maine. 1 do believe that
there was an accident which could not
have been foreseen. Such is my
judgment at present, from the facts which
are in possession Of the court. When our
court of inquiry finally decides, its judg
ment will be i'm accordance with the best
evidence that can be produced. We are
having plans, diagrams, and drawings OF
the wreck made as fast as the divers are
able to give us definite information"
Captain Peral was most courteous du-
ring the entire interview. He illustrated
some of the points he made by ink
sketches on the desk before him. He
spoke as a judge would. whose mind was
ready to weigh any evidence brought be- |
fore the court over which he presided.
1t should be borne in mind that this is
the first and only interview he mas given
any one.
Captain Peral requested this corre7
,pondent to make it known that he had
granted the interview in his UNOFFICIAL |
capacity, and not as president of the
Spanish court of inquiry, which the law
'orbids him to do.