The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-01

tEyes Of General Blanoo and Of the
admiral Of the station were mons the
Spanish officials who rendered their re-
spccts. About sighty-four or eighty
five % the men were found that night
Who survived. In reply TO the direct
question whether any OF the magazines
or shell rocms were blown Up the cap
raSa said it was extremely difficult %
come To a-y conclusion. The centre O. ex
psoSc;on was beneath n a little for
fard Of tia coming hover on port
side. In the region OF the centre OF
axis OF the explosion was the o-fncn
reserve magazine which contained very
iittie powder. about 500 pounds. The
10-inch magazine was In the same Cen-
eral region. but on the scar6oard side.
Over the lo-5nch magazine Is t1e Eoad-
ing room Of the turret and in the adj
joining passage a number OF lo-InCh
shslls were permanently PLACED. Ac-
cording to Captain SigS5ee i would
be difficult to conceive the explosion
Involved the 10-inch magazine b-Cause
OF the Vocation Of the expulsion and
that N reports show that any l0-inch
shells were hurled into the air because
OF the explosion.
He said the discipline of the ship was
excellent. In the engineers depart
merit the vessel was always ready and
always responsive. He paid a tribute
to the crew andsaid that a qlfieter. better
natured lot OF men he had never known
on board any vessel in which he had
served. On his examination by the
court, Captain Sigsbee said that the
highest temperature he could remem-
Der was 112, but THAT was in the after
magazine. The temperature in the for
ward magazines being considerably
lower.
There was no loose powder kept in
Tx magazine. All the coal bunkerS
Were ventilated through air tubes ex-
amineC weekly by the chief engineer
and w.re connected electrically to the
annun ,iator near his cabin door. The
forward coal bunker on the port sill
was full. The forward coal bunker on
the star'board sid was half full. and ii
was being used at the time of the ex-
plosion.
Captain Sigsbee gave as his opinion
that if coal bunker "A 16" had been so
hot as TO be dangerous to the 6-inch
reserve magazine that this condition
would have been shown on three sides
where the bunker was exposed and
that men constantly passing TO and fro
by 1t would have necessarily noticed
the undue heat.
Captain Sigsbee was examined as to
the ammunition on board the Maine.
He stated THAT there were no high ex-
plOSlNtS, gun tOIioIl, utIbIldIDIS OF
other material in magazines or Shell
rooms which the regulations prohibit
ed. He testified that no war heads had
been placed On torpedoes since Re had
command of the ship.
ENSIGN POWELSON'S TESTIMONY.
Ensign w. V. n. Powalscn was called
the third day of the court. He testi-
fled that he had been present on the
Maine every day from the arrival of
the Fern and during a great deal of the
diving. In reply to a question 10 tell
the court ell about the condition of the
wreck ms said the forward part of the
ship forward of the after smoke stack
had been to all appearances completely
destroyed. The fixtures We're complete
ly wrecked, while fixtures in the same
position on the staTbOard side were in
some cases, almost intact. The port
bulkhead between the main and berth
decks ait the coming tower support
had been blown aft on both sides but a
great deal more on the port than on the
staTboard side. The protective deck
under the coming tower supports was
emf in two directions, the plates on
enc sid being bent up and on the other
bent down.. Just onward of the con-
ming Owe underneath the main deck
two beams met at right angles; one
beam was broker and pushed from port
to s~tarboard. A grating was found on
the poop awning just forward CT h
after search light. A piece of the side
plating just abaft of the sta1iboard tur-
ret was visible. This plate was bent
outward and then the Onward end
bent upward and folded backward upon
itself. This plate was sheared from
the rest Of the plating below"
referring to his notes made of things
on the Maine, Ensign Powelson stated
that the arc of the engine room tele-
graph and the shaft of the steering
gear coming down through the armored
tube (turret) was bent from port to
s~tarbOard. The port side of the pro-
tective deck was covered with a greasy
deposit; the starboard side being com
pa~ratively free from 1T. The forward
smoke pipe hatch between the main
and superStructure decks did not show
signs of the internal pressure of gases.
On the main deck forward of the con
ming tower where the fore and aft
angle bulb beam was located the plank
ing was blown off on the only remain
ing plate Of the main deck on the port
side, while the wood was still attached
to that part of the ~starboard side be-
tween the coming tower base and the
turrets. What the witness saw would
NANDN Wiz S-c-uA AII'd III
protective deck on the starboard side
held fast and ent hat deck down.
ward. The witness thought the ship
on the port side was entirely gone OPP
posite the point indicated on a dia
gram handed the u 1t was entire
ly blown out.
Ensign, POwelson was recalled on
February 25th and showed the plans Of
the Maine from which he had identi-
fled the baton plates that We're blown
up through the upper deck. The find
ing of these plates on top of the wreck
clear above water was among the first
AMI most important points Of evidence
clearly ~disproving the possibility of an
internal explosion.
After infinitely describing the plates
with their green coating of paint and
the other marks by which they were
identified, PCwelson stated that they
u have been blown up thirty-eight
or thirty-nine feet to reach their pres
ent position Beside the bottom plates,
Powelson found some pipes from the
bottom compartment lodged in the
angie Of the bottom plates that pro-