New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-29

three feet vide. Forward from TINS Po'n'
found a s-inch tank II was Intact ana was SCI"
IN II proved TO he a full tank. he iounu w
~ nrokcn tanks split up on the seams ana 10 vi.
,,. ,ho cover Of which has holes In 1t. he fouhu
a II, NJ mud which was brought up anu "''1"
,ooL.d uke dissolved powder. There was any
o,.ntitv NJ similar mud in the same place i"o
mud around the tanks was black. that OF inc '"'
Dor Is gray.
THE rxrrT-TIVE OFFICERS STORY.
Commander Richard Wainwright tes-
tned that the regulations in regard 10 p''''' ~.
,nearrobles and al other precautions were s"ic'
lv carried out on board ship. Every posS'oc ''' =
was taken TO avoid accident a" N''''''
scrutinized before being allowed 10 come vi 49,
the shin Nobody allowed unaccompa"'c''
Special lookous were required AT hish" NJ ..'.
authorized boats were allowed 10 approach '"e
ship. There was me disc'pHne' an 0'''
and quiet men.
He was in the captains office ut the time or the
exposon; felt very heavy shock and heard ho'se
OF falling objects on deck. He thought the s"ip
was being fred upon. Was told by the captain ~
con hoats were lowered. He saw few men coming
mostly officers He saw no reason to iooi 'he
napazine because water was coming up He saw
hre forward Boats began 10 crowd around tho
wreck He induced boats to take the woundeo 10
different vessels He ordered list taken oil t'e
saved and wounded There was excellent GlsciP"he
after the explosion orders were followed with
promptness of a drill The only order not ooeyed
was the order to leave the ship. lie first ex-
omined the wreck AT daylight the n lowing morn
ing He took A Gig. with Lieutenant Hood ana n
few mon and attempted to board the wreck nc
was warned of by an armed boats crew OF span
iards and then pulled around the wreck Ihere
were still some burning fragments.
The after part OF the ship appeared 10 be intact
The main deck was folded back in direction from
port TO starboard The coming tower pointed DOWN
ward toward the armory. The forward smokes'ack
was lying abreast OF the after smokestacK' lying
on the port side There was an angle between the
after body OF the ship and the Forward WIN al
ape& to the starboard.
The first important thing found by divers was two
powder tanks one six-inch and one ten-nch. They
crushed together and fattened in They ala
no, contain any powder. 4 ten-inch tank was dis
covered full % powder. with cover slightly opened.
This gave the impression that the tank had been
forced open by pressure without flame or heat.
Flame or heat would have fred Il before water
could have reached and drowned II. After the
questioning Mr.. Wainwright asked TO state the fol-
lowing: Il saw IN the chief engineers room of the
City OF Washington large piece OF cement heavily
coated with oil 7 then thought II was piece or
bottom cement. I now inclined to believe 1t
came from the forward blower on the port side"
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright was recalled
to the stand on the sixth day. He reaf'lrmcd the
statement made by Captain Sigsbee that the tor
pedoes had not been disturbed and stated there had
been, 10 his knowledge. no large transfer OF am
muniton from one magazine into another on board
the Maine He testified as to the position in which
the Maine lying on the day of the explosion.
on the sixteenth day Leutenant- c omma nder
Wainwright was recalled and testified to the ex-
animation of powder tanks. Nearly all the tanks d"
he said. show signs OF having been subjected to
outside pressures II pressed against the powder
inside. and their ends also crushed in. I
two six-inoh tanks that were opened Mt the seams
and were pressed down fiat II by exertion of
considerable force
WHAT THE CHIEF ENGINEER TOLD.
The first witness the third day OF the inquiry
was Chief Engineer Charles +. Howell. L. g. ~,
who Joined the Maine in December 1895 lie de-
scribed the location OF the various magazines on
the Maine and the coal bunkers. and showed by
dag grams their proximity to each other. Two
bunkers were adjacent the 10-inch magazine.
One OF these bunkers. Il. was difficult 70 put coal
into or take +; out OF. lG was also difficult IN
the same way, as four other bunker5 had 10 be
emptied before they could be reached two bunkers
each being In the way There had never been any
signs OF any kind Of spontaneous combustion In
tho Names bunkers since he had been chief
gineer Witness never found any signs OF heating
in the bunkers. Bunker a Is was half-full Of coal
at the time OF the explosion and \ Is full. Any
spontaneous combustion In the bunker would have
undoubtedly
IN the passing room. There steam piping in
dangerous proximity 70 the Names magazines
The two aftermost boilers In while In
port carrying about eighty pounds to a hundred
pounds OF steam for auxiliary purposes. They car
rled one hundred and twenty pounds az sea.
Assistant Engineer Morris and watch OF trust
worthy men were duty when the Maine was
wrecked Witness described the explosion. He was
4, tho wardroon--mes sroom-when the explosion
occurred Il was suddenly startled with an
usual shock There was then continued series OF
commissions md a noise Ike the tearing of the
shin 10 pieces then a tremendous crash then APP
narently the sound OF falling debris Then the ship
felt az II II was waving and unsteady on the deck"
Witness did not notice any list OF the ship AZ tho
first shock He did not notice II Until after the
series OF shocks when ne started TO go on deck.
hen the ship appeared 10 be listed over about de-
grees 10 port.
Witness saw no upshoot Of fame or anything OF
that sort when he reached ;he deck. Now and
then there would he small explosion Ike tho ex-
ploson OF 6-inch shell perhaps
Examined in detail by Captain Sgsbee. Chief En-
sneer Howell further explained the mpossbility
OF the coal In the bunkers heating 20 any extent
sufficient TO fire magazine without sucA condition
being known long before such result could bc
reached.
Chief Engineer Howell testified that tho bunkers
OF the Maine were painted between February ana
10 and that the bunkers were frequently opened
They had air-vcntatng pipes leading 10 the open
air and there was nothing TO cause combustion or
explosion.
GUARD AGAINST SPONTANEOUS COM
BCSTION.
Passed Assistant Engineer Bowers, SENIOR as
sistant TO the chief. examined particularly as