The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-03-31

were about 100 yards apart. Rothschild
said he was naturally interested in the
Maine. and had taken a position where they
could get a good look at her. Just as he
had taken his eyes off her to move his
chair, there was a sound like cannon
shot in the darkness. He Immediately
looked toward the Maine. He saw the
forward end of the vessel rise, he thought
a couple of feet, out of water. An instant
later came second distinct explosion.
This seemed to burst from the interior
of the vessel forward in dun flame, and
the air was instantly filled with flying
debris. The vessel lurched back in the
water after the force of the first detona-
ton that had lifted her bow. and quickly
began 10 sink forward. In less than min
ute her bow had disappeared. The wreck
took fire and burned for two hours. There
were single reports that kept up through
all that time as the fixed ammunition was
reached by the flames, out these were not
to be confused with the two big explo-
sions which had destroyed the Maine.
There was no doubt about the separation
of these first two explosions, an interval
of TWO seconds at least separating them.
The much discussed section of cement that
fell on the deck of the Washington was
two inches thick and weighed 80 pounds.
The engineer of the Washington took ir
to Mexico. Pieces of iron stove in some of
the Washington's boats and delayed the
work of rescue. Other wreckage was
hurried clear over the washington no
boats of the Spanish warship AlphOnso
XII. he said. were prompt to so to the
rescue and were aided by the searchlights.
Extra Guards Put On.
Lieut.. A. N. Catlin, who was in charge OF
the marine guard, said that when the ship
went into Havana harbor, two extra night
sentinels were put on. one in the forecastle
and one in the poop armed with rifles. They
had special orders to challenge all boats
which approached the ship near enough for
a challenge. There was a picked man on
the port gangway. The corporals guard
inspected the ship lights below every half
hour, the patrol taking his place whle
gone.
Electric Wires All Right.
Lieut.. George F. NJ. Holman, who per-
formed the duty of navigator and ordnance
officer and was in charge of the electric
plant, testified that all possible precaution
was taken to prevent accident. The tenn
perature of the magazines was taken daily.
The electric wires were separated from
the magazine by double plating of glass
He noticed nothing at the time of the ex-
plosion to indicate that anything was the
matter with the electric works.
The examiner referred to Holmans large
experience in matters of explosives and
asked his impression OF the whole affair.
He said:
My impression, not yet verified by div
ers findings, is that a very heavy mine
went off under the Names bottom. The
noise produced by a heavy mine would
be great in itself and adding to the second
explosion would make the two practically
one and the same explosion"
Foretold the Tragedy.
Henry Drain, a clerk in the United States
consulate, Havana, was examined as to
the receipt of an anonymous letter received
by the consul-general in regard to the
explosion Of the Maine Witness produced
the letter, the date of which was February
is of the present year. There was no sig
nature, it being signed AN Admirer."
Drain said II seemed to be the document
of a fairly-well educated man. 1t was
written in Spanish. The translation was
produced and was handed to the judge ad-
vocate AID read by him. The letter was
referred to in the record as being marked
F., but was not appended.
In response to the question as to whether
anything had been done to ascertain the
truth of the statements contained in the
letter, the witness said that there had.
He asked Gen. Lee to look into the mat
ter, and he did not appear to know what
to do, stating that he had no secret service
money.
A man by the name Of Pope Tatco was
mentioned in the letter. Witness said he
had tried to discover the whereabouts of
the man, and the one to whom he spoke
said the name was mistake, that the man
mentioned had died few days before the
the explosion of the Maine, and that the
letter referred to a Pope Barquin, that he
also had died suddenly, about two or three
days after the explosion of the Maine Wit
ness declared his informant was Mr..
Charles Carbonnel, an American citizen.
An Unknown Witness.
y witness was introduced whose name
was suppressed by agreement between him
and the court. He had to talk through an
interpreter. This witness was crossing
about half past seven o'clock on the morn
ir1r Of thaJ - h low TO la,r1o
ferryboat. He was sitting near three Span
ish officers, two of the army, one of the
navy and a citizen. They were talking
about the Maine. One of the army officers
said: That is nearly arranged" The
citizen asked if making explosions in the
bay would not endanger Havana. The Off
Ger said No" 1t was arranged so that il
would simply explode, open the vessel and
she would sink Immediately. The other
man loosely exclaimed: "Oh, l will take
plenty of beer on that occasion" Some one
came by and they suddenly stopped the
conversation. They had said it was q
shame she (the Maine) should be in the
bay and they would blow her up anyhow
Effect of Explosives.
Capt. G. A. Converse, of the navy sum-
moned as a witness, testified he had made
a study of the nature and elects of explo-
siVes. The largest quantity Of explosives
he had ever seen used conss ed OF a tor
and 200 pounds of dynamite. all in separate
cases, 100 pounds in each case securely
dashed together. Being shown a blue print
of the forward magazine and shelroom of
the Maine, and asked If one or more Of
these should explode or partially 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 effect OF
torpedoes, he was asked what his expert
ence was in the case of the explosion of q
submarine mine; as to what became Of
the mine? He replied that they are al
most invariably ruptured and lost; blown
up, and pieces of them are rarely found.
This experience did not allow him to re-
member a case where he any consid-
cradle pieces remaining from submarine
mine or its iron case after its explosion.
On one or two occasions small fragments
of cast iron thrown into boat indicated
complete demolition of the case containing
the explosive.
When asked II a submarine mine ex-
ploded under the bottom of a ship and con-
tanning enough explosive to completely
destroy that part of that ship would be
similarly demolished, he replied that the
violent explosive would cut 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 explosion would
Len no Of no Tot ha