The Portland daily press., 1898-03-29

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COMMANDER CONVERSE.
On the 18th day, Commander c. A.
Converse Of the navy, testified that he
had made study of the nature and
effects of explosives. The largest quanti-
ty of explosives he had ever seen used
consisted of torpedo containing 300
pounds of gunpowder and x6l pounds of
dynamite, all in separate cases, 100
pounds in each case, securely dashed to-
gether. Being shown q blue print of the
forward magazine and she'll room of the
Maine and asked if one or more of those
should explode or partly explode it would
lift the forward part of the ship partly
out OF the water, he replied that he did
not think it would.
After long description of the effects
of torpedoes he was asked what his ex
perience in the case of the explosion of
submarine mines; as to what became
of the mine. lie replied that they were
almost invariably disrupted and lost,
blown up and pieces of them were rarely
found. His experience did not allow him
to remember a case where he saw any
considerable pieces remaining from a
submarine mine, or its iron case after
the explosion. On one or two occasions
small fragments of cast iron thrown
into bow indicated complete destruc-
ton of the case containing the explosive.
under the bottom of a ship and contain
ing explosive enough to completely de-
stroy that part of the ship would be
similarly demolished, he replied that
the violent explosive would cut a hole in
the ship, blowing out the part that was
cut In small fragments. Being shown
sketches of the forward magazines and
asked if their explosion or partial explo-
sion would leave the bottom of the Maine
in the condition it was in as shown by
the sketches he stated that the distortion
of the keel of the Maine was too far
forward and too remote for the maya
zine to have been caused by their explo-
sion. He was of the opinion that the
bending of tine plates on the bottom of
the Maine could be produced by the ex
plosion of submarine mine containing
large amount of the explosives, gum
powder or similar, not in contact with
the ship, but some distance below, per-
haps on the bottom. Continuing, he said,
that he had never in his experience seen
any inner explosion that was possible
to produce the effect upon the Maine.
"Do you think that necessarily there
must have been an under water mine to
produce these explosions9"
indication are that an underwater
explosion produced the conditions there"
was the reply, with the further statement
regarding the impossibility in his opin-
ion of an internal explosions causing the
Names wreck. His testimony was
closed.
GENERAL LEE.
Consul General Lee appeared before the
court on March 9Th. On January "a,
he received a message from the state de-
partment saying that the Maine would
be sent to Havana on a friendly visit,
to resume the regular status of naval
relations between the two countries and
he was ordered to make arrangements
at the palace for the interchange of
official courtesies. After a call at the,
palace he sent to state department. a
cipher message saying:
~ - Authorities are dispos ed to think the,
United States has ulterior purpose in
sending the ship. Say it will obstruct
autonomy and produce excitement and
most probably a demonstration. Ask
that it will not be done until they can
get instructions from Madrid. Say that
If for friendly purposes as claimed, de-
lay is unimportant'
1t was too late, however, the Ma inc
had already sailed. She arrived next day
and Lee reported her arrival to the state.
department..
COMMANDER WAINWRIGHT
Lieut.. Commander Richard Vain
wright testified that the regulations in
regard to the paints and indammables
and all other precautions were strictly
carried out on board ship. Every posi-
BILE care was taken to avoid accident.
All visitors were scrntinized before be-
ing allowed to come on board. Nobody
was allowed unaccompanied. Special
''lookouts" were required at night. No
authorized boats were allowed to ap.
proach the ship.
There was fine discipline. obedient
T. l.
tain's office at the time of the explosion,
felt very heavy shock and heard noise
of falling objects on deck. He thought
the ship was being fred npon. Was told
by captain to see boats were lowered. He
saw no reason to flood the magazine be-
cause water was coming up. He saw fire
forward. Boats began to crowd around
take the wounded to different vessels.
Ordered list taken of the saved. There
was excellent discipline after the explo-
sion, Orders were followed with prompt
ness of drill. The only order not
obeyed was the order to leave the ship.
He first examined the wreck at daylight
the following morning. he took gig
to board the wreck. He was
warned off by an armed boat crew of
Spaniards and then pulled around the
wreck. There were still some burning
fragments.
The after part OF the ship appeared to
be intact. The main deck was folded
back in direction from port to star
board.
The coming tower pointed downward
toward the armory. The forward smoke.
stack was lying abreast the after smoke
stack lying on the port side. There was
an angle between the after body of the
ship and the forward with an apex to the
First important thing found by divers
was two powder tanks, one six inch and
one l0-inch. They were cruehsd together
and fattened in. They did not contain
any powder. A 10-fnch tank was dis
full of powder, with cover slight
ly opened. This gave the impression
that the tank had been forced open by
without flame or heat. Flame
or hsat would have fired 1t before water
could have reached and drowned it. AT
ter the questioning, Wainwright asked
leave to state the following:
I saw in the chief engineers room of
the City of Washington large piece of
cement heavily covered with oil. 1 then
thought it WAS piece Of bottom cement. |
am now inclined to elieve it came |
from the forward blower on the port |
side."