The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-13
Indignation at Reports Of Damage to
the Montgomery.
SOME CONSIDERATION DESIRED
Tor the Wives and other Relatives OF
the Men By Those Aboard the Ship.
The Ecadiustmcnt OF the De
partmcnt of the Army.
Spain's Naval
Strength.

HAVANA. via KEY WEST. FLA,
March l2-It Is impossible % secure any
ching from Havana in rccWation Of Cap
tain PeraIs statement of yesterday rc-
rsrdlng tho views of the Spanish Court
Of Inquiry as to tho Maine disaster.
However. an American officer who IS an
expert says In effect. and his words are
worthy of weight as he knows abso-
lutoly of what he Us talking:
"I ann graduate of the torpedo school
end have studied the effects OF torpcdoes
or mines from observation and expert
ments
EFFECTS OF TORPEDO.
"a torpedo exploded at "a depth OF six
feet would throw column of water ono
hundred feet into tho air; at twelve feet
deep ten feet in the air, and at thirty
feet deep would hardly raise smah
wave. A detonltor of gun-cotton IN the
open air makes mark It's own size IN
steel or blows stone 90 fragments In
The water % torpedo itself would not DE
fot at amy great distance. IL requires
fhr resistance Of a. solid body and would
bo dissIuated I'm water or mud 'fhis dis
poses of thc wave ncOry ana the aHecI-
ine OF the shore or boats ia the harDor.
AS to the mole in the Maine the expert
in question makes the most Important
statement that the Maine drew twenty
eight to thirty feet 40 the time OF the
explosion and had about ten feet OF wa
ter below her bottom to the surface OF
tno harbor mud. ON the port side. where
the United States divers are now at work,
there is at present forty-sevcn feet or
water May NOT this bo the hole which
Captaiu poral says could not be found?
DO it is. r1c NO. was more than seven
fect deep wnon the explosion took place,
and has been greatly filled with mud
since.
so FISH THERE.
As 10 the finding OF dead fish the Unit
al States Court of Inquiry has not seen a
solitary fish since work began on tho
wreck Tho bodies recovered from the
Maine have not been touched by fish.
some OF the fishermen in Havana tosti-
nel That there were no FISH inside the
harhor the waters being too foul for
them. Sometimes they come part way in
during the day. but am go ont at night.
Further as to- the alleged discoveries or
Spanish divers reported 10 Captain PerdL
five American divers have been working
ou the port side of the wreck an average
OF seven hours each per day for nearly
three weeks in % space Of fifty feet long
and twenty feet wide.
The Spanish divers have never been in
side the wreck at all. neither have they
ever been on The port side dcvoting the
short hours work they have spent under
water TO the starboard side, forward and
outside the hul. Recently 90 their own
surprise. they brought up two cans or
ammunition for the siX-iuch guns, not
explcled. They dropped them back when
the Hsnt of the surface showed they were
unoxplOded and what their nature was.
IDLERS.
Further tho Spanish divers often go
down only long enough to wet their suits,
and then come up and hide behind
blanket ON the barge. where they sleep
Or rest for "a couple Of hours, ana then
go ashore and report that they cannot
geo anything I'm the mud and water
They could not have found the ram
of the Maine since they have not been
down n the locality OF that part Of
the wreck They have not located the
turrot with the ten-inch guns. though
the spot has been pointed out by Captain
sharp i'm charge OF the wreckers. rms
enof lis outside the hull on the starboard
side DO SIS probable that the turret IS
there. partly buried in the mud.
All of these facts are known by the
United States Court of Inquiry having
been elected by those IN a position TO
know.
Tho expert interviewed hy the cor
respondent expresses the belief that the
Maine was blown up by what is known
ass Newport torpedo station torpedo OF
something of the Same nature.
This engine OF destruction is the JOINT
production of the labors of Commander
converse. commander of the Montgom-
erv. Lieutenant Commander Mclean now
FIN command of the torpedo station az
Nfvrport. and Senior Lieutenant Holman,
ordnance officer Of tho Maine az the time
OF the explosion.
n would Doe singular n 81 should prove
that the Malnc was blown up hr a tor
rodo the invention Of one Of her prin-
cipal officers.
THE MAN WHO GIVES THIS.
All of ur. above statements Of fact and
surmises came from authority upon
which the court depends for much OF IT'S
evidence and IS given TO the correspond
ent without reservation except as TO the
name and rank OF the giver.
Tho expert further believes that the
destroying mine was made up or four tor
pcdocs OF thirty-siX pounds each OF wet
and drv guncottOn. or lH pounds IN all.
This amount would have been ample TO
biovg the entire forward part OF the Maine
was done.
In the judgment Of the correspondent
the United states Court OF Inquiry is
fully aware OF the views whicn the Span
ism court will promulgate and has also
made a. careful investigation on the
same lines so as 10 be able either 20 re-
fute or confirm the Spanish statement.
A story IS current here but is not con-
hrned that Captain sampson has been
advised from Washington that President
Mckinley is ready az any time to receive
the courts report and that Captain
Sampson replied by a long cipher cable
gram 90 the Secretary Of the Navy.
Captain Sampson IS not looking well
and a good deal Of anxiety is felt lest
he Is seriously an. The doctor on tho
Montgomery however thinks such fears
are groundless. while others. who should
know DO not entertain them
NERVOUS SPANfARDS.
A careful watch d. kept on board ana
nbout lhc cruiser Montgomery, but the
nf Huf .fasell that such