The herald., 1898-03-29
AlE dffICfRS AND ! MfN
AoAnz oN THE CAUSE or THE
DIsAsrER
INVESTIGATION BY DIVERS
1sno*ss Every Possible Doubt That
the Hattleship Was Wrecked by
a Submarine Mine

t0e 6ettiesn1P was wrecked py
Submarine Mine
Associated Press Special wire
fN'WAsHINGToN, March sS Tho immense
nass Of testimony taken by the Maine court
Of inquiry was sent to the senate today,
and was. with the presidents message and
findings Of the court, referred to the COM
mittee on foreign relations. The testimony
was taken ON ls different days, the four
tesnth day. apd over being devoted toviews
Ing Sths wreck. livery witness who was
known to have any information that could
throw light upon the great disaster was
called to give his testimony. Theetory of
the destructton of the vessel is today not
graphically given. but In q manrfer which
gives all the ,obtainable facts No technical
detail 10 omitted. Every movement and In
cident connected with the Maine from the
time she left Key West until the last diver
sxamined the wreck slowly sinking in the
mud Of Havana harbor. Is given. 1t 10 q
story Intensely interesting to the people.
Those who read It could have little doubt
as to whether there was an internal or
external explosion. Perhaps the most slg-
nifcant testimony IL that showing the Bot
tom plates on the port side Of the ill-fated
Maine to be bent inward and upward, re-
suit that hardly could have followed any
thing save an explosion from the outside.
A mass of testimony Is submitted showing
the. case exercised on board ship by Capt.
stgsbee and his officers. and the apparent
lmposslbility of accidents occurring by an
internal cause, such as the heating of BUM
kers, spontaneous combustion or SO many
other theories advanced The testimony of
Capt. Sigsbee is OF the greatest Importance,
and. perhaps is of more general interest
than that of any other man called
With great care and minuteness, he gives
an account of the management of the ship,
how she was handled, how she sailed into
Havana. her anchorage and what he knew
about 1t, and, In fact, every point upon
which the government and the country de-
sire to be informed. Nothing In Capt. Sigs-
bees report shows that anchorage was
changed. or that 1t was considered danger
Gus by any one.
Second in Importance to the testimony
Of Capt. Higsbee is that of Ensign Powell
son, who had charge Of the divers and
knew from day to day what the divers
found. This officer was minutely. in
formed as to, the construction Of the Maine
ana everything about her. His testimony
was to a. certain extent technical, bearing
upon the CONSTRUCTION OF the snip, her
plates, ETC., but It was from these plates
and this technical knowledge that he was
able to declare that the explosion took
place from the outside. The divers, Mora
gan. Olsen and Smith, all contributed i'm,
pprtant evidence, They testified that the
plates were bent inward on the bottom
port side and outward on the starboard
side. Nothing In the testimony fixes the
responsibility, but although conspiracy is
apparent. no knowledge Of the planting Of
. mine IL shown. Capt sigsbee states that
e somewhat bitter feeling existed against
the American ship and Americans general-
ly, and q witness. whose name is sup
pressed, tells Of overhearing q conversa-
tion among Spanish officers and a citizen,
Indicating forehnowledge of the .destrucr
tion OF the Maine by intention to blow hee
up. An official Of the American consulate
tells of information received anonymously,
tending to show that conspiracy existed,
but nothing IL definitely stated which fixes
any responsibility upon Spain or her sub
jects.
CAPT. sIasBEE'S TESTIMONY !
Capt. slgsbee. in testifying before the
court of inquiry, said that he assumed
command Of the Maine April 10, 1887, and
that his ship arrived In the harbor Of Ha-
vana the last time January "a. 1888. The
authorities at Havana knew Of the Maine 8
coming, Consul General Lee having In
formed the authorities, according to Off
cial custom. After he took on an official
pilot, sent by the captain of the port Of
Havana, the ship was berthed In the man.
of-war anchorage, of the Machina, or the
Shears. and, according to his understand
ing, 1t was one OF the regular buoys Of tbs
place. ff
!. He then stated that he had been in Ha-
vana in 1879 and again in lS9s +
He could not state whether the Maine warT
placed in the usual berth for men-of.waf,
hut said that he had heard remarks since
the explosion, using Capt. Stevens, tenn
porariIy in command Of the Ward line
steamer City Of Warrington, As authors
~ Tor tho statement, !, that he had never
known In all his experience. which covered
visits to Havana for five or six years, q
1han-of-w4r, to be anchored at that buoy;
that he aNrarely known merchant vessels
to be anchored there. and that It was thu
least-used buoy ia the hssboE :.
:, In describing the. SURROUNDINGS wheh
frst moored to this buoy. Capt. slgsbee
stated that the Spanish man-of-war Al
.fonso XII was anchored In the position
now occupied by the Fern, about 80 to the
iAorthward and westward Of the Mnine.
The German ship Grisensu was anchored
1T the berth now occupied BY the Spanish
man-of-war LIE Casps.. which is about 400
1 yards nearly due west from the Maine.
fI He then tocdfed tho Herman nan-oY war
Charlotte, which came into the harbor (
I Nv or two later. and which was anchored
IT. the sohthward Of the Names berth
3 about 400 or 800 yards.
In describing the SURROUNDINGS At, the
time Of the explosion. Capt. Gigsbee stated
that the night was calm and still. The Al,
fonso XII was at the same berth. The
Email spanish dispatch boat LIE Caspe had
come out the day before ana taken the
berth formerly occupied by the Germati
nan-of-war, the Griesenau. which had left
The steamer City Of Washington|was am
ehorsd about 100 yards to the south ana
est Of the Maine's stern, slightly on the
.p0rt quarter
The Maine coaisd at Key Wcst, taking
IN about 1850 tons, tho coal being regularly
Z inspsrtsd and taken from the government
6pai pile. This coal WAS placed gsnesally
~ tho forward bunkerb. No report ,was
& }1t1l3ed lton the ohisf engineer that any
- l.. J.. ..~| - -