River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-03-31

''The impression produced upon me- re- |
Piled the witness. lis that an explosion took I
place well to port Of the midship line, and {
at a point in the length about opposite the I
coming tower
Witness in reply to further questions said /
his opinion was based upon the observation /
Of things above water. He gave no weight (
to Mr. Morgan's statement about falling I
iEto hole on the port side because MOT /
gan might have been mistaken about II /
Referring to his notes made OF Things on /
the Maine Ensign PcwelsUn said that the /
are Of the engine room telegraph and the /
shaft OF the steering gear coming down +
through the arruorcG tube (tUrrcU was bent 7
from port TO starhoar1 The port side OF /
the protected deck was covered with I
greasy deposit. she starhoaFd side being +
comparatively free from ii.
The forward smoke pipe, between the I
main and superstTucture decks, did not t
show signs of the internal pressure of /
coming tower where the fore and after /
angle bulb beam was located the piaaking /
was blown off on the only remaining plate +
OF the main deck on the port side while the +
wood was stu attached to that part on the !
starboard side between 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 protective deck on the starbOard side
held fast and bent that deck downward
Witness here exhibited two sketches to the
court showing diagram of various parts Of
the sunken ship and explained them to the
court.
The witnesses evidence about the strip
on the starboarl side Of the outside plat
ing Of the ship which was folded and
rolled back, was recalled to him. and Pow
elsou said he could see plate underneath II
was bent outward, as he could see it. as st
was only two feet under water where the
shear occurred
Witness taken =ouNIfuos had
found five fathoms OF water on both sides
IF the Maine down to the mud. Taking
H-pound lead line ana dragging with a
wherry for Instructions on the port side,
dragging close to where he thought the wa
ter ways would be found, he found no OBJ
structions whatever. On the starboard side
he found distractions for - feet where he
had reason to believe the waterways had
originally been.
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. WI
ness thought the ship on the port side was
entirely gone opposite q point indicated on
a diagram handed the court. II was en-
tirely blown out.
= Divers story.
Chief Gunner's Mate Olsen, of the United
States steamer Iowa, told how ne had been
sent to Havana for the purpose OF doing
diving duty on the wreck. He had descend
hours Of total examination.
Olsen told how on his first descent he
went over the forward part Of the ship
To use his own expression, he said: Il
found the wreck all bowed up. l found
lot Of CRATE bars down there" The second
time he went down further forward and
there located a lot Of ten-lnch shells. For
ward of these the plates were bent inboard
over them
Asked If he imagined himself looking for
ar4 Ia CT - ft3 % did Going the
plates lie struck tato lot Of siX-inch shells
with the sings on them. Going to the right
witness stated he found a lot of wreckage
1t seemed to have been blown over the star
board Olsen stated that he put his hand
into the cranks and brought out several
Six-pouEder shells.
The next time he went down, Olsen testi-
fed he went outside the ship. forward Of
the crane on the port side. lie followed the
bottom along and found that the ships
side was blown cupboard and along the
crane it could be walked on.
"At the part whore she is blown up COM
pletely," witness said, part Of her bottom
plates are turned up Then you follow the
bottom from there up, and the plates are
blown cupboard. At the top and underneath
the bottom they are blown inboard and
bent in. About three feet forward Of that
spot there is a piece of iron laid along he
Bulkhead. The skin Of the inside Of the
double bottoms IS CUried like a sheet Of pa
per fnboarl from stem to stern.
"Amidshtps ON the same place there IS an
armor plate. one plate complete, the top of
the plate standing up. The plate is inclined
over the starboard completely. IT stands
I'M Win tho thick mart Gf the Mate down
=. Il fyoTtrea fgrvvar RI and over IN star
board"
PoyvcIson Again on the stand.
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wreck, G"'.heI > 80, ~, ~ 81, va
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any erroneous statement '''1 '"o having
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