The age-herald., 1898-03-29

plate presented jagged appearance as if it had been torn and 8 crack had extended from 4he bottom edge of the semi-circular hole to distance of about eight inchess and that the plates about this hole were bent away from the green side of the plating.
 Mir. Powelson continued to say that Olsen had told him that he had found a hole cut in a plate twenty-five feet from the angle of the v, and exhibited a sketch showing that the keel line was found by him slop- ing down 60 degrees below the horizontal and port.
 The point where he had found the keel was about twenty feet under water. He had not followed the keel at that point as the plates between which he was wedged opened out so that he had nothing to sup port him.
 Mr Powelson said Olsen testified that about twenty feet from the sluice valve he found an opening in the ships side. He had found boarding near the sea suction in apartment A 10, about twenty-one feet from the siuice valve, in an almost verta- cal position, although 1t was originally horizontal
 The judge-advocate asked MT. Powelson how he looked upon Olsens testimony, in view of his knowledge of the Maine and drawings of the vessel. He replied that ho regarded 1t as extremely accurate
 The judge-advocate asked MT. Powelson what he deduced from all the testimony re- ceved from the diver that afternoon, to- gether with information as he had had be- fore him.
 Opening in Ships Side
 MT. Powelson replied that he thought the explosion occurred on the port side somewhere about fram IS center of impact The ship yielded at IT and at boat lb, but it was pretty hard to say exactly where the impact came. Frame 15 was blown in.
 How do you account for the immense damage done abreast of the reserve mag azine, where there is nothing left, whereas between frames 16 and IS you have found damaged plates?' MT. Powelson was asked
 My idea he replied, {" is that after the ship was raised up at frame IS, the maga- zines, one or all of them after that were exploded for some powder tanks that have seen think were exploded. l saw coffee can that was brought up this morn ing which was about as badly battered as most of the powder cases that came up It looked fin very much the same condl- tion.'
 When you say some of the powder tanks had, in your opinion, exploded and some had not, do you refer to six-inch tanks or only two-inch cans?"
 Evidence of Burnt Powder
 "I refer to both, as have seen six inch tank that was very little ripped open,
 
 first opened and fattened out with evil dences of burnt powder on 1t. saw one ten-inch tank that was scarcely battered at all, and only the head of it gone. l also saw a ten-inch tank in which the packing looked like excelsior unburned. In my opinion some but not all of the ten-inch and six-inch charges were exploded"
 MT. Powelson said four or five tanks had been brought up that morning. but he did mt see all of them. The only one he re- membered seeing was exploded and burst out so that the case formed almost a plain surface. The ten-inch tank had its head removed, but 1t had preserved it's approxi- mate shape. --.9--
 When questioned further as to what he regarded the cause of the injuries, MT. Powelson said: "On the bottom forward where that frame was thrown up, 1t would seem to me the force was communicated some distance through the water, because 1t was lifted up instead of being battered in. That 1t was a force cushioned in some way, because the diver tells me there was a bulge in plates between the two francs and such force as that would be acusion pressure So the plates in that part of the ship, not having been broken in this ex- plosion may have occurred aft and the frames forward of the transverse armor being weaker than they are aft, the ship might have been lifted up thereby, this cushion pressure from further aft"
 "It struck me-" said MT. Powelson speaking of the same part of the vessel ''that the mine there could not have been very close to those plates that were. lifted up because, as I say, the plates are not so much damaged or bent in the form of V and raised up a vertical distance. It seems to me that the mine was somewhat removed and the pressure came through the water which, produced that cushion- sort of pressure. o-
 Ensign Powelson was recalled on Feb 70 and shown the plans of the Maine, fso@ which he had identified the bottom plates that were blown up through the upper deck The finding of the plates on top or the wreck clear above water was among the first and most important points of evidence clearly disprovlng the possibility of an internal explosion.