The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-17
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
Naval Officers Cannot Agree Upon
Any Theory to Account for 1t,

upon any theory 10 account for the de-
struction of the Maine. Perhaps a ma
jority are inclined to the belief that the
explosion was purely accidental: another
considerable number feel that torpedo
was exploded under the vessel, and a
third theory is that some Internal ma
chine was struggled aboard the ship and
set off. In the present lack of know
edge il is not thought possible to say
TO which theory the balance of probable
ity inclined. An examination by a diver
of the hull of the Maine would demon-
strate instantly whether or not tor
pedo had been used. for In case it had
the plates would surely be driven in.
On the other hand. protruding plates
would be an evidence that the explo-
sion was purely internal.
There was no smokeless powder on
board the ship, and the ten-inch ammlp-
milton was made up of brown prmmatic
powders. Not only is this powder most
carefully packed in Theoretically sealed
copper cases, but its heat resisting quail
tiles are so great that il cannot be ig-
nited by the flames of a match. GOO de-
Srees Fahrenheit being the amount OF
heat that must be applied for some time
To set off the powder. On the other,
hand, it is readily ignited. as in the casfs
of the charge in the gun by the explo-
sion of d good quantity of fulminite-
Every precaution is adopted aboard ship
to safeguard the magazine.
Captain Sigsbee's brief report as Welt
as General Lees dispatch, indicate thaC
they now incline strongly to the belief
that the explosion was of internal ori-
gin. Both agree that the force of it WIS
in the forward part of the ship. and this
ie- H. ], ,l.x
jority of the officers whose quarters ara
aft, and the heavy casualties among the
/ crew. sleeping forward. Probably in
the latter case the death list would have
been even larger. but for the fact that
the Maine had a superstructure forward
on the main deck. A portion of the
crew We're quartered there, and so es-
capped the greater violence of the explo-
sion as felt on the berth deck below
them.
The Maine had three magazines. The
one forward was used for the storage of
ammunition. weighing $4,000 pounds.
This quantity of explosives is so large
that the naval officers here can scarcely
believe it was possible for any human
being on board TO have escaped had this
magazine. exploded entirely. In its vi
cinty a sentry stands on duty continu-
ally. The doors are closed Theoretically,
except when the ship is cleared for ac-
ton. AT about 5 o'clock every night the
temperature is taken and the keys of the
locked door are placed in the Captains
hands for the night. The records of the
! Navy Department show that 81 degrees
was the maximum temperature in the
Names magazine during the past month.
a very low and safe temperature. These
20 pXt Ia
| count for the EXPLOSION.
Captain Dickens, Chief of the Naviga-
ton Bureau, expressed the opinion to-
day that the explosion took place in the
magazine of the Maine. He said this
was evident for the reason that the ship
was afioat an hour after the explosion.
/ Had a torpedo been fired under the bat
tleship, she would have sunk almost i'm
mediately, and the fact that she had
not done so was conclusive evidence that
the firing of torpedo was not the cause
! of the disaster.
The department in recent years has
| been greatly troubled with reports of
, spontaneous combustion of coal in the
ships bunkers, which have endangered
| the lives of the crew and the safety If
the ships. The Cincinnati, twice at
least. has been obliged to flood her
/
during fires of this kind and the cruiser
Boston has been in the same condition
In some of these cases shelving in the
magazines which separate the powder
have been charred by the heat caused
| by the burning coal in the adjacent
/ bunkers.
Although the bunkers are inspector
under the regulations at frequent in
! tervals so numerous have been these
cases of spontaneous combustion that
! the Navy Department only recently had
the special board investigate the SUBJ
! ject, with the view to applying preven-
tive measures Unfortunately THIS
| board was prevented from making the
| thorough investigation necessary, be-
cause no funds were applicable to the
purpose. Even empty bunkers have
exploded. In the Atlanta some years
ago the bunker exploded with great
violence and the only explanation that
could be given was that it probably
was caused by the igniting of the va
pors arising from the new paint APP
| piled to the lining Of the bunkers
The theory advanced by the Spanish
authorities that the disaster might have
| been caused by the explosion of the
| boiler is accepted al the Navy Depart
ment as within the bounds of CREDIBLE
! ity The Names boiler was separated
from the powder magazines at the near
| est point by a space of about four feet,
usually filed with coal. At least one
| boiler undoubtedly was kept under al
most full steam, in order to run the
| dynamcs and move the ship in case or
need The explosion of such boiler
/ might easily drive through the bulk
head and fire the magazine.
1
Inasmuch as suspicion exists in some
| quarters that a torpedo was used
against the Maine. it may be said that
| the majority of naval officers believe
| that the cause of the explosion was
| hardly such as could be attributed to 4
| torpedo The latter, charged with about
| 100 pounds of powder or gun cotton. 1t
| is believed would have torn a large
| hole in the bottom or side of the Maine.
and it was scarcely likely to fire the
magazine which is not near the bot
| tom.
/ 1t is said at the Navy Department
/ that there is no lack of precedent for
| such disasters as that sustained by the
Maine. all of which can be traced 10
! accidental causes In 1881. the United
| States man-of-war Missouri. then ly-
| mig at Gibraltar was totally wrecked
| by the explosion of her magazine. An
/ other case famous in naval history is
(Coatinued on Seventh Page)