The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-24
Boiler Explosion Did Not BLOW up
l1e B0|I|eShIp hQine.
HRECKIAG TUGS REPORT At HAVANA FOR DUTY
Tho Matnc's Medical journal Eecoy.
ered-tonsuI,Gcuer Lee viii Rea
main nt His Post-Adn,irnl sicarG
in Poor AcniLh-ships Conccn1ra-
ding nj Key West.

Washington, D. c., Feb. %, 1898.
The arrival Of a mail in Washington
from Key West this afternoon, bringing
several private letters from naval Off
GERS lately attached to the Maine. caused
a wave of excitement a., the depart
ments and the Capitol, for> there were
all sorts of rumors as TO the contents
OF the letters, very few of which rumors
in point of fact had any sound bas1.
the only feature, so far as could be
discovered, of real Importance as throw
Ing light on the cause OF the explosion,
contained in the letters, Was the state
ment that the two after boilers in the
after boiler space were all OF the eight
boilers of the Maine that were under
steam at the time OF the explosion.
This fact had negative value, for 1t
disposed at once of the theory that any
exploding boiler had caused the wreck.
The experts all say that by no posi-
bility could the after boiler. explosion
have wrecked the fo!e part of the
Maine and lGft the after part almost
unharned
Much interest was shown In n dis
patch received shortly before 3 O'Clock
from Admiral Sicard giving the recon-
mendation of Captain Sampson, OF the
court of inquiry, as 30 the raising of the
wreck. The view of naval officials was
that Captain Sampson ana his aseocl-
ates were giving this advice not as n
court but as officers III position 10
speak as to the best methods 10 be
adopted for raising the Maine. Va
rious interpretations were put on the
expression forward half completely
destroyed" This was regarded as q
tinl E,s,,, To-, ,T. .l,n 4,
the forward magazine had exploded, as
that is one Of the most important por-
tonS Of the forward half OF the ship.
at the same time, X was held by some
naval authorities that the destruction
of the forward half of the ship did not
necessarily mean that the forward mag
azine had exploded. as this might be
still intact although part of the gen
eral wreckage. In the absence OF an eX-
piicit statement 2,a ito the forward maya
zine there was IL disposition not to ac-
cept any implied statement as to its de
s;ruction.
Captain SIMPSONS recommendation
that contract be made with the best
equipped wrccking company to remove
material and lift the ship without delay
was in line with the action already
taken in closing n contract with the two
largest wrecking concerns in the coun-
try, by which their combined facilities
Will be al the service Of the Govern
mert. The contract contains a clause
binding the wreckers 10 use their ut
most efforts TO expedite the work, SO
that the department. feels that every
thing hes been done TO carry out the
view; expressed by Captain Sampson.
y clause of the contract tcmizeS The
amounts to be paid for each branch of
Wrecking WO!k, viz: Wrecking tug
Underwater, $3.50 per day; wrecking
steamer Jones. $2OO lighter Seymour
$75; derrick Chief. So; barge Lone Star,
500; wrecking tug Right Arm. 5000;
Wrecking master. $l5; wreckers $4.5O
each; dive:sa, $50 each
NO INTERVIEWS WITH DIVERS
Evidently ihe president of the court
of inquiry is fearful of the effect upon
the public of ill-judgcd attempts to
account for the destruction of the
Maine, for this afternoon he telegra phcd
Secretary Long, doubtless having in
mind certain publications of this morn
Ing, as follows:
Havana, Feb. 23.-4Any reported in
tervew with divers untrue Every
Drecaution has been taken. Officer al
ways present"
This brief statement disposes Of all
the allegations that have been mado
pro and con as to the blowing I'D of
the forward magazines.
ne piIStIS mere are sun thinking
or Captain Sigsbec's request of yester-
day TO be furnished with the plans of
The Mane's section through the maga-
zines and coal bunker pockets Tls
reference to The latter is particularly
interesting and leads TO a desire to be
Informed on the exact quantity and
quality of the coal supply at the time
OF the explosion. 1t is said that these
pocket bunkers are rarely emptied, be-
Ing designed as much for the protec-
t!on of the ship against gun shots as
for capacity to hold coal One ey-
pert said that these bunkcrs in his
own experience have not been empticd
In months. All of this had to do with
the spontaneous combustion theory. as
the bunkcrs abut on the magazines
and might have set off even the safe
brown powder, If the latter were ex-
Dosed to degree OF heat above 600
degrees for some time. The request
beside may show that Captain S!gsbee
Is not yet satisfied as to the cause Of
the explosion, Notwithstanding the eX-
pressions that have been attributed to
him by unauthorized persons.
One of the private letters received
here to-day. in speaking of the d.sas-
ter, says II was all over in five min
utes. The writer was ashore and heard
the noise. He hastily took n boat and
started for the Maine. arriving there
in about twenty-five minutes. Then
all was quiet and smooth and, In fact,
as he said. in five minutes after thn