El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-04-02

The HERALD gives the principal
testimony taken before the beard of
inquiry which sat to determine the
cause of the obstruction of our battle
ship Maine. The testimony was taken
on eig hteen different days and covers
two hundred pages of typewriter ma :
ter.
Captain Sigsbee, in testifying before
the court VIII ca convened in the har-
Dor of Havana February 81, said he as
sumed command of the Maine April 10,
1897, and that this ship arrived in the
harbor of Havana the last time on
January "a, 1898. The authorities at
Havana knew of the Names coming.
Consul Gene al Lee hav ug Informed
the authorities according to the usual
customs. The snip was berthed in the
man-Of-war al chorage off the Machine.
or the Shears, AMI according to his
understanding it was one of the re-
gular buoys Of the place. He then
stated that he had be IN in Havana 10
1872 and again in 1898. He could not
describe whether the Maine was placed
in the usual berth for the men-of-war,
bat said he had heard remarks since the
explosion, using Captsin Stevens, tenn
porarily in command of the Ward line
steamer City of Washington, as author
known in all his experience, which CO.
vered visits to Havana to five or six
years, q NARROW r to be auc bored at
chat buoy; mat ne had rarely known
merchant vessels to be anchored there
and that it was the least used buoy in
the harDor.
The Maine coaled at Key West,
taking on about $50 tons, the coal be-
ing regularly inspected and taken from
the government coal piles. This coal
was placed generally in the forward
bunkers. No report was received from
the engineer that any coal had beer
too long in the bunkers and that
the fire alarms In the bunkars were
sensitive.
In so far as the regulations regarding
iDt1ammables and pants on board,
Captain Sigsbee testified that the regu-
lations were strictly carried out in re-
gard to the storage of explosives. He
examined the temperature himself aad
the contents of the magazines, and ac-
cOrding to the opiuiOn of his officers,
as we'll as Slgsbee, the temperatures
were never at danger point. Speaking
of b is relations with the Spanish au-
thorities, Captain SigsDee stated that
with the officials they were ou:wardIy
coroial. When asked whether there
was any demonstration by people a1oat,
Captain Slgsbee said that there never
was on shore, as he was informed, but
there was afloat. He then related lha'
on the first Sunday after the Maine's
arrival ferry boat crowded densely
with people returning from a bull fight
in Pc gla passed the Maine, and about
forty people indul ged in yells, whistles
and derislve calls. During the stay in
Havana Captain S gsbee took more
than ordinary precauIiOn for the pro-
lection of the Maine by placing SEN
tries on the forecasIle and poop and
bridges. He said he had given orders
to the master alarms and the orderly
sergeant to keep a careful eye on
everybody who came aboard, and to
C Carefully observe any packages that
hit be held, on the suppositlon that
dynamite or other high explosives
might be employed, and after wards to
inspect the routes these people haa
taken, and never lose sight of the i'm
pOrtance OF the order. He states that
u few people visited the ship, Lieuten-
ant Commander Wainwright being
rather severe On desultory visitors
Once a party of five or six Spanish
officers came on board, but, according
TO the captain, they were constrained
and not DESTROYS of accepting much
courtesy He said he made every eff
fort to have the Spanish officers visi,
the ship to show good will, according
to the spirit OF the Names visit, but,
with the exceptions stated, no military
officer OF Spain visited the ship social
ly.
He went Into description of the ex-
plOsiOn. He charac .erized it as burst
Jog, rending and crashing SOUND, large
ly metallic in its character. 1t was
succeeded by metallic sound, prob
ably of falling debris, trembling ano
lurching motion OF the vessel. Then
- ,,,h@.
by an eclipse of electric lights and ut
ter darkness. Fire amidships was by
this time burning fiercely and the !
spare AMMUNITION in the pilot house |
was exploding. AT this time Lieute- |
nant Commander Wainwright whisper |
ed to the captain that be thought the |
ten-inch magazine forward had peeo |
thrown up inJO the burning mass aud |
might explode at any time. Every body |
was then directed TO get into the boats
over the stern, which was done. About
men were found that night
who survived. By the time Captain
Sigsbee reached the quarter deck it
was his impression that an Overwhel-
ming explosion had occurred. When
he came from the cabin he WAS practic.
ally blinded for few seconds. His
was for the vessel, and he took
no note of the phenomena of the explo-
sion.
In reply to direct questions of VIII stb-
er any of the magazines or she IL rooms
were blown up The captain said it
was extremely difficult to come to any
H. stated that be had
examined the wreck him SELF ,conversed j
with 9th. officers and men, but as the
Spanish authorities were very much
averse to any iuvesti. a ion except .
on the grounds stated bv {
the Spanish admiral, that the bonor of {
Spain was involved, he forebore TO I
examine the submerged portion of the
wreck for the cause of the explosion :
until the day the court convened. The t
J scipline of the ship was excel eut. a
The msrine guard was in excellent
condition. The report of the naval de- e
oartment shows that about ons man a
md quarter per day were on the C
lick list during the past year. In thu "
,ngiu eerine depsrtme the vessel was =
always ready and always responsive, C
BE paid tribute to the crew and said .
hat q quieter, better-natured lot he {
,ad never known on board any vessel u
N which he had served He had no O