The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-03-18
THE HOLE IN THE MAINE |
Everything Points to an
External Explosion.
THE VIEWS OF AN EXPERT

THE VIEWS OF AN EXPERT
Captain PeraPs Arguments Refuted-
Spanish Divers Method of Work
The Court of Inquiry.
Havana, March 15.-It is impossible
to send direct from Havana ANYTHING
in refutation of Captain Peral's state.
ment of yesterday regarding the views
of the Spanish board of inquiry on
the Maine disaster. However, an
American expert says in effect, and
his words are worthy of weight, as he
knows absolutely of what he is talking:
II. am graduate of the torpedo
school and have studied the effects OF
torepdos and mines from observation
and experiments. A torpedo exploded
at depth of six feet would throw a
column of water 100 feet into the air;
at IL feet, 10 feet in the air, and at 80
feet. would hardly raise small wave.
A detonator of gun cotton in the open
air makes a mark of it's own size in
steel, or blows stone into fragments.
In the Water. a torpedo itself would not
be felt at any distance. 1t requires
the resistance of a solid body, and
would be dissipated in water or mud.
This disposes of the wave theory and
the affecting of shore or boats in the
harbor.''
AS to the hole in the Maine, the ex-
pert in question makes the most i'm
portant statement that the Maine drew
28 to 80 feet at the time of the explo-
sion, and had about 10 feet of water
below her bottom. On the port side,
where the United States divers are
now at work, there is at present 81
feet of water. May this not be the
hole which Captain Peral SAYS could
not be found? If it was, the hole was
more than seven feet deep when the
explosion took place, and had greatly
filled since.
AS to the finding of dead fish, the
court of inquiry has not seen a solitary
fish since work began on the wreck.
The bodies recovered from the Maine
have not been touched by fishes. Some
of the fishermen in Havana testified
that there were no fish inside the har-
Dor, the waters being too foul for them.
Further, as to the alleged discoveries
OF Spanish divers reported to Captain
Peral, five American divers have been
working On the port side of the wreck
on an average of seven hours rer day
each for nearly three weeks, in a space
so feet long and 20 feet wide. The
Spanish divers have never been inside
the wreck at all, neither have they
ever been on the port side, sdevoting
the short hours which they spent un-
der water to the starboard and forward
parts and outside the hull.
Recently, to their own surprise, they
brought up two cans of ammunition for
the six-inch guns, not exploded. They
dropped them back when the light of
the surface showed that they were un-
exploded and what their nature was.
The Spanish divers often go down
only long enough to wet their suits,
and then come up and hide behind
blanket on the barge, where they sleep
or rest for a couple of hours, and then
go ashore and report that they cannot
see anything in the mud and water.
They could not have found the ram of
the Maine, since they have not been
down in the locality of that part of the
werck. They have not located the tur-
ret with the 10-inch guns, though the
spot has been pointed out by Captain
Sharp, of the wreckers. All of these
facts are known by the United States
court of inquiry, having been elected
oy the testimony of persons who know.
The expert interviewed by the corre-
'pondent expresses the belief that the
Maine was blown up by what is known
ss Newport torpedo, a stationary
;orpedo, or something of the same ma
lure. This engine of destruction is
ihe joint production of the labors of
Commander Converse, commander of |
;he Montgomery; Lieutenant-C Com
nander Mclean, now in command of |
he torpedo station at Newport, and
Lieutenant Holman, ordnance officer
If the Maine at the time of the ex-
olosion. The Newport torpedo can be
planted from small boat, and the ex-
pert believes that this one was explod-
ID by being struck on the port of the
Maine forward of amidships as she
wung at her moorings. He thinks
his more likely than that wires were
aid from shore, as the wires, if laid
or any length, would sink deep in the
larbor mud.
1t would be singular if it should
prove that the Maine was blown up
~ torpedo in the invention of which
me of her principal officers, Lieutenant
Holman, bore notable part.
All the foregoing statements came
rom the authority on which the court
depended for much of its evidence, and
s given to the correspondent without
except as to the name and
ank of the giver. The expert further
'elieves that the destroying mine was
made up of four torpedoes, of SO
'ounds each. of wet and dry gun cot
on, or 144 pounds in all.
In the judgment of the correspond
mt, the United States court of inquiry
8 fully aware of the views which the
spanish court of inquiry will promul.
ate, and has also made a careful in
estigation on the same lines. SO as to
e able either to refute or confirm the
spanish court.
Germany Not Spain's Ally.
Berlin, March 15.-The foreign office
as instructed the inspired press to
eny emphatically that Germany will
i'd Spain in case of war with the Uni