The age-herald., 1898-03-29

tube. to port of the inidship line was bent up to starboard of the mdship line. Just forward of the coming tower underneath the main deck, two beams met at right angles; no beam was broken and pushed from port to starboard A grating was found on the poop awning just forward aft the searchlight-
 A piece of the side plating just aba6t the starboard was visible The plate was bent outward, and then the forward bent up- ward, and folded backward upon itself. This plate was sheared from the rest of the plating below the water line
 An Empty Tank Battered
 Ensign Powe,son then said a 6-inch pow der tank that he seaw appeared to be an empty tank broken by the explosion as it was not badly dented and merely ripped the length of the seam. A 10-ineh tank was badly battered out of all conceivable shape.
 Continuing. the witness said the divers up to the night before he was then on the stand, had net been on the outside of the ship. The mud was too deep for them to walk on the bottom.
 What Is the condition of the starboard turret?" the witness was asked.
 'To my knowledge 1t has not been found sir" was the reply.
 He understood something had been found under the place where the turret formerly was, but its exact character had not been determined. What impression is produced upon your mind by the reports far as you have quoted them? Ensign Powelson was asked.
 From reports alone or from the appear ance of the wreck. Either from such re ports or the conditions which you believe to exist.
 "The impression produced upon me-" re- piled the witness, Ifs that an eNpoosion took place to port of the midship line and at point in the length about opposite the coming tower." .=f
 Witness, In, answer to further questions, said his opinion was based on the observa- tion of things above. water. He gave no weight to MT. Morgan's statement about falling into hole on sthe port side because Morgan might have been mistaken about It.
 Referring to his notes made of things on the Maine Ensign Powelson-staltsd that the arc of the engine room telegraph and the shaft of the steering gear coming down through tihe armoa'ed tube (turreD was bent from port to starboard. The port side of the protective deck was covered with greasy deposit, the etarboard side bedng comparatively free from it.
 The forward smoke pipe hatch between the main and superstructure decks did not show signs of the internal pressure of gases.
 Planking Was Blown Of
 On the main deck forward of the coming tower where the fore and after angle bulb beam was located, the plating was blown off on the only remaining plate of the main deck on the port side, while the wood was still attached to that part on the starboard side between the coming tower base and the turrets. What witness saw would indicate that the pressure lifted the protective deck up on the port side, and the protective deck on the starboard side held fast and bent that deck for ward.
 Witness here exhibited two sketches to the court showing diagram of various parts of the sunken ship and explained them to the court.
 The witness evidence about the strip on the starboard side of the outside plating of the ship which was folded and rolled back was recalled to him and Powelson said he could see the plate underneath 1t was bent outward as he could see 1t, as 1t was only two feet under water where the shear occurred
 Witness had taken soundings and had found five fathoms of water on both sides of the Maine down to the mud. Taking a fourteen pound lead line and dragging with a wherry for Instructions on the port side dragging close to where he thought the water ways would be found, he found no Instructions whatever. On the star board side he found Instructions for twenty. feet, where he had reason to believe that the water ways had been originally. In answer to questions Salu tnere was nOtHi1B left of the port plating at all. He dragged along the outside to see if anything had fallen out and found nothing. Witness thought the ship on the port side was en- tirely gone opposite a point indicated on a diagram handed the court. It was entirely blown out.
 This concluded Ensign Powelson's tes timony on the third day.
 Ensign Powelson was recalled on the sixth day, when he said that since his last testimony he had received book of spec ifications from the Maine. Refreshing his memory from these records he said the plates of the protective deck were one inch thick, weighing forty pounds per square foot.
 Ensign Powelson, wishing to give some testimony regarding the condition of the wreck, Gunners Mate Olson, the diver. was admitted in order that he might correct r.ly erroneous statement, the two having worked together.
 The Plating Bulged In
 Mr. Powelson said that on Feb. 26 the diver Olson, reported to him that on com- ing up from below he had followed the forward and after wings of the shape, made by the bottom plating at frame Sev- enteen and said on the forward wing of the V the plates ram down on a very steep slant and then turned under and out under the starboard side, that just above. where the plates turned to go under the star board side lie found two dents as if the plating had been bulged in between the frames from outside in. s--4
 The court asked the size of these two dents Mr. Powelson replied they were about two and a half feet long and bulged in about six Inches. He further testified that Olsen again went down and came to the surface at Il o'clock saying he thought he had found the fiat keel. Olsen had re- ported that the keel was sIoping downward about 70 degrees and to port with the after part of the keel uppermost. He said he had explored the after wing of the V and had found a semi-circular hole about two feet ip diameter with rivet holes all around 1t. Re said that the sefhi-circular hole was