The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-18

coal supplied to the Indiana assumed
some Importance. This is supplied al
present to the gureau OF equipment, and
the head of that bureau, Captain Roya
Bradford. this morning asserted positive
~ that coal was the very. best TIE pro-
duced the quarterly report required BY
regulations. TO show exactly the state OF
the Names coal supply and the quality OF
| the coal. At the end of December the
| vessel had ffty-two tons of coal only in
| her bunkers. This was made up OF Poca-
| hontas and New River coal Captain
| Bradford said that Pocahontas is a stan
| dard naval coal and is rated at 100. New
| River follows next, and is set down at e
per cent. These are semi-bituminous
! Goals of a quality closely approaching that
OF the celebrated Welsh navigation coal,
the British naval standard.
In the opinion of Captain Bradford
neither of these Goals are particularly
subject to spontaneous combustion Since
the Maine has been in the Gulf of Mexico
/ however, she has probably consumed a
| good part of this coal and has replenish-
/ ed her stock from the naval store at the
| Key West station. The coal there taken
on was anthracite. which said Captain
| Bradford. 'is no more subject TO spon-
! taneous combustion that a pile of stones
| The Maine took on $50 tons OF this coal
! in December and in January before she
left for Havana she loaded UP with %
! tons more. This coal al Key West is kept
| behind picket fence. very much exposed
/ TO any evil-minded person who might de-
! sire to conceal a bomb therein; something
which could only he effected with great
| difficulty after the coal was stored in the
bunkers. These obscure fires arising from
spontaneous combustion are very difficult
of detection. Such fires have been known
to shoulder undiscovered in piles of coal
at the Washington navy yard here for
many days before breaking out, and this,
too. Notwithstanding that the pile was
visited almost every day.
1.-THE taking of the temperature of the
magazines daily is one of the precautions
to guard against such fires. In the case
of the Maine this observation was usu-
ally taken at 9 o'clock in the morning, so
that it was entirely possible for a bunker
fire to have developed sufficient heat
during the twelve hours that elapsed be-
fore the explosion TO have ignited the
used for the ten-inch guns is difficult TO
ignite without a detonator, still the ap
plication of heat in excess of 800 degrees
for some time will cause the explosion
which the application of match will fail
to bring about"
OPINION AT KEY WEST.
Key West, Fla, Feb. 1.-THE Associat-
ed Press correspondent here has had an
opportunity to question a number of the
officers and men who were aboard the war
ship Maine at the time of the explosion.
and it is the universal opinion of all of
them that the explosion was due to some
interior cause and not the result of the
explosion of a torpedo on the outside.
The anthracite coal here for the supply
Of the United States warships is being
overhauled, in search for Internal ma
chimes. 1t is pointed out. however. that
the Maine took her coal on board here a
week ago. and it is not likely that the
mechanism of any Internal machine
would delay action so long.
The story that a torpedo might have
been concealed in the coal furnished 10
the Maine is secuted here but an inspec-
ton of fuel coal for warships will be
made hereafter.
In this connection it is advisable to dis
count the stories in circulation at Ha-
vana and here regarding the Maine hav-
ing been blown IN by a torpedo placed
under the ship. The Maine reached Ha-
vana unannounced. and therefore it
would have been difficult if not impossi-
BILE to have placed a torpedo at the spot
where she was moored.
A lieutenant of the Maine whose name |
is withheld al his request, was questioned
today regarding the dispatch from Ha-
vana saying that a diver had discovered !
a hole apparently made by a torpedo in |
the hull Of the Maine. He said: why !
not make the hole 500 feet or 5000 feet? (
One story is as likely as the other"
In short. the cause of the explosion is |
shrouded in mystery and the |
plete that it is probable the secret of the |
disaster will never be known. 1t is be-
ieved here that the censorship at Ha
7ana will now be made mere strict than
ever and that a postal supervision will
De demanded as n military necessity.
jacksonville Fla Feb lin an inter-
REV today with Captain Pillsbury. com
nander of the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius,
n port here, he expressed the opinion |
hat the injunction OF Captain Sigsbee, of
he battleship Maine. directing the Amer
can people to suspend judgment until fur
her information should be secured. was
IN inspiration and should be observed.
captain Pnlsbury said:
THE report that Sigsbee said the de-
truction and sinking OF the Maine was
aused by floating torpedo. is in my
pinion. untrue. for if he said that yes
erday. he knew it the day before. in fict.
e knew it at the time Of the explosion.
which is extremely improbable He has
ad no time in which to investigate and
think it very wise for us TO withhold
ur judgment until a thorough inyestfRa-
ion can be made. Whether the explosion /
ras from within or without can easily
. ascertained by divers. I viii stake my
commission on it that Captain Sigsbee |
1ade TO such statement. He IS as cool
$ any man ever saw. and what there ~
D be known about the Maine accident
-iH be brought out by him"
ON JEFFERS0N'S BIRTHDAY
here VIII be Much KeynotinE at