The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-26
INDIGNATION Of AMERICANS.
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81 an accident by spontaneous combustion.
the statement that spontaneous combustion
could not have taken place because the
coal was only three months old, need not
be considered. I have seen the same KIND
OF coal, lying right out In the navy yard
shed. catch fire after two weeks
Il have said from the first, and repeat
II now. that they VIII never find out whae
sunk the ship until IL Is raised. and the
sooner the wrecking company's divers get
70 work. the better. II is dangerous work
down there in Havanas dirty bay"
Regarding the moorings OF the Maine In
Havana harbor, Admiral Erben said:
II understand that the Spanish flagship.
when she was last in Havana was moored
at the same buoy al which the Maine an
chored. We do not know whether the
harbor Is laid with mines, and we probab-
ly never shall know.
we have no right 20 question II. any
more than the Spaniards have right TO
know whether this harbor is laid with
mines II il were known that mines were
laid. Il would be an invitation for some
crank 10 lay some on his own account.
The pilot that moored the Maine was un-
der orders from the Spanish admiral. and
Just as We were responsible for the safety
OF the Vizcaya while she was in our har-
Dor"
II Came From Below.
A dispatch to the Herald from Havana
says: There is no longer any reason to
doubt that the explosion which wrecked
the Maine came from underneath the ves-
sci, and that her magazines had nothing
TO do with the initial explosion. and played
a much smaller part In the great disaster
than was at first supposed. The evidence
that has served TO convince the board was
obtained by Ensign Powellson. an officer
attached to the Fern. Mr.. Powellson was
formerly in the construction corps and took
a two years special course in the Glasgow
school OF naval architecture. He is there
fore a competent witness. What he dis
covered was that the forward part of the
keel Of the Maine, with its ribs and plates.
was stove upward, so that parts of the
shattered doubts bottom show out Of wat
er. and in places sections OF the green
painted outer hull are visible.
Powellson and of equal significance and
Importance. IS the result OF the close ex-
animation made by the divers What
they found indicates that the explosion
came from a point beneath the keel.
plumb line dropped from point just for
ward OF the coming tower would have
laid the lead exactly on the spot where the
explosion occurred that hove keel and
plates and ribs almost 70 the surface. The
main force OF the explosion seems TO have
been exerted slightly on the port side or
the vessel. This is consistent with the
facts hitherto aScertained. Collectively.
these now indicate that the contents of
the reserve six-inch magazine were ex-
ploded by the initial blast. and that there
was no explosion in either OF the other
two. In the reserve magazine was slowed
$50 pounds OF powder in copper tanks.
each of which contained 200 pounds. Sew
eral OF these tanks have been found by
the divers all in crushed and shapeless
masses. 1t is important to note that In
the six inch and ten-inch tanks recovered.
the excelsior used for packing the charge
shows no injury from flame or gases. The
powder slowed IN the s.x-Inch reserve
magazine was used for saluting purposes
only. The magazine itself appears 10
have been utterly destroyed. only few
traces being left to show tho spot where
il was once located. The under part OK
the ten-inch magazine Is wholly inacces-
sible to divers In the upper part is tight
~ wedged mass OF powder cylinders too
heavy for divers 10 extricate. but appar-
entity containing unexploded charges OF
powder.
The Dow torpedo tube Of the Maine has
been located In the wreck. /. lies In the
debris forward. submerged several feet
under water.
The hull Is now imbedded IN the mud
70 the depth OF eight feet. The divers
sink TO their armplls In the mud and have
the greatest difficulty In prosecuting their
work. Those engaged on the forward part
az the ship are under the charge OF Gun
Nor Charles Morgan. an officer specially
detailed from tho flagship New York for
that purpose