The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-03-31


In reply to a question to tell the court
all about the condition of the wreck, he
said that part Of the ship forward OF
the after smokestack had been to all
appearances completely destroyed. The
coming tower lay in a position opposite
the door leading to the superstructure
aft and to starboard, inclined at about
10 degrees to the vertical, with the top
of the coming tower inboard. He de-
scribed with close detail the condition
under the main deck on the port side.
The fixtures were completely wrecked,
while fixtures in the same position on
the starboard side were in some cases
almost intact The port bulkhead be-
tween the main and berth decks at the
coming tower support had been blown
aft on both sides, but a great deal more
on the port than the starboard side. The
fireroom hatch Immediately aft of the
coming tower had been blown in three
directions, aft, starboard and to port.
The protective deck under the coming
tower supports was bent in two direc-
tions. the plates on the port side being
bent up and on the starboard side bent
down.
In reply to an inquiry as to whether
he meant with reference to their orig
inal positions Ensign Powelson replied
affirmatively. The beam supporting the
protective deck a few inches aft of
the armored tube, to port of the mid
ship line was bent UP to the starboard
of the midship line.
A piece of the side plating just aft
OF the starboard turret was visible. This
plate was bent outward and then the
forward end bent upward and folded
backward upon itself.
Ensign Powelson then asked if the
court meant for him to say anything as
to what the divers reported or just what
he saw The judge advocate replied
that he would like to have him state
any important discoveries which might
lead the court to draw some conclusion
as to the cause and if diver gave such
information to state the divers name,
/, Plates Were Bent Upward.
The divers reported to witness that
at a point where the 10-inch shellroom
should be they discovered 10-inch shells
| regularly arranged, but the ship had
/ sunk down so much that some Of the
shells were in the mud. Gunner Nor
gan, one of the divers, reported that in
walking on the bottom he fell into a
hole on the port side and went down
| into the mud. He also reported that as
/ far as he could judge everything SEEM
ed to be bent upward in the vicinity OF
| this hole He also reported that the
plates seemed to have been pushed over
| to starboard and bent down. Ensign
Powelson then said that a 6-inch pow
! der tank that he saw appeared to he an
empty tank broken by the explosion, as
| it was not badly dented and merely
ripped the entire length of the seam. A
| 10-inch tank was battered out of all
| conceivable shape
( Ensign Powelson said that on Feb
rs Diver Olsen reported to him that on
coming up from below he had followed
/, the forward and after wings of the v
| shape made by the bottom plating al
frame L, and said on the forward wing
OF the V the plates ran down on very
| steep slant and then turned under and
/ out under the starboard side; that just
/ above where the plates turned to &c
under the starboard side he found two
I ing was blown off on tie only remain
4 ing plate of the main deck on the port
side while the wood was still attached
to that part on the starboard side be-
tween the coming tower base and the
turrets
What witness saw would indicate
that the pressure lifted the protective
deck up on the port side and the pro-
tective deck on the starboard side held
/ fast and bent that deck downward.
In answer to questions. he said there
was nothing left of the port plating at
all. He dragged along the outside to
see if anything had fallen out, and
| found nothing. Witness thought the
ship on the port side was entirely gone
| opposite point indicated on a diagram
/ handed the court. 1t was entirely
| blown out
Mr.. Powelson said he thought the ex-
plosion occurred on the port side some
where about frame is, center of impact
The ship yielded at II and also at 10
but it was pretty hard to say exactly
! where the impact came. Frame Is was
4 blown in.
How do you account for the immense
/ damage done abreast of the reserve
magazine. where there is nothing left
after that exploded, whereas between
frames 16 and 18 you have found dam
/ aged piates?" Mr.. Powelson was asked
My idea" he replied lis that after
the ship was raised UP at frame IS, the
4 magazine, one or all of them. after that
were exploded. for some powder tanks
that ! have seen, I think, were explod-
ed, while others / have seen We're not
exploded
Force Came From Distance.
When questioned further as to what
he regarded as the cause of the injury
Mr.. Powelson said:
"On the bottom forward where that
frame was thrown up it would seem to
| me the force was communicated some
distance through the water. because il
was lifted up instead OF being battered
in. 1t was force that was cushioned