The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-13
pF8AL VIEW PICKED TO PIECES
,vrRICAN OFFICER FINDS 1T FULL
OF FLAWS.

rorpedo Thirty Feet Under Water
vouId Hardly Raise Small Wave
the Surface-The Maine Draw
,uc 2s to 80 Feet-Deep Place in
.,o Mud May Have Been Made by
che ExpIOsion-NO Fish in the Har-
bOr.
havana, via Key West, March 12.-It is
nnossible to send direct from Havana
,rytbing in refutal of Capt. PeraPs state
r.rt of Yesterday regarding the views of
no Spanish court of inquiry as to the
Maine disaster. However, an American
oFoer. who is an expert, says in effect,
and his words are worthy of weight, as
no knows absolutely of what he is talk
Ing
81 am a graduate of the torpedo school
and have studied the effects of torpedoes
or mines from observation and expert
ments.
"A torpedo exploded at depth of six
feet would throw column of water 100
feet into the air; at twelve feet deep, ten
feet in the air, and at thirty feet would
hardly raise small wave. A detonatory
Of gun cotton in the open air makes.a
mark its own size in steel or blows stone
70 fragments. In the water torpedo it.
self would not be felt at any great dis
lance. 1t requires the resistance of a
solid body and would be dissipated in wa
ter or mud. This disposes of the wave
theory and the affecting of the shore or
boats in the harbor.
"As to the hole in the Maine, the expert
IN question makes the most important
feet at the time of the explosion and had
about ten feet of water between her bot
tom and the surface of the harbor mud.
"On the port side, where the United States
4 divers are now at work, there is at present
forty-seven feet of water. May not this
e be the hole which Capt. Peral says could
not be found. If it is the hole was more
than seven feet deep when the explosion
Il took place and has been greatly filled with
Fl mud since
E AS to the finding of dead fish, the Uni
ted States court of inquiry has not seen
solitary fish since work began on the
wreck. The bodies recovered from the
Maine have not been touched by fishes
Some of the fishermen in Havana testified
that there were no fish inside the harbor,
the waters being too foul for them. Some
times they come part way in during the
B day. but all go out at night.
Il Further, as to the alleged discoveries of
Spanish divers reported to Capt. Peral,
n five American divers have been working
On the port side of the wreck an average
OF seven hours each day for nearly three
y weeks in a space fifty feet long and TWEEN
& iy feet wide. The Spanish divers have
never been inside the wreck at all, neither
nave they ever been on the port side, de-
voting the short hours which they have
spent under water to the starboard side
n forward and outside the hull Recently,
10 their own surprise, they brought up two
cans OF ammunition for the six-inch guns,
not exploded. They dropped them back
When the light of the surface showed they
We're unexplored and what their nature
was
further, the Spanish divers often go
uoWh only long enough to wet their suits
ana then come up and hide behind blank
q on the barge, where they sleep or rest
1u couple of hours and then go ashore
aNu report that they cannot see anything
III 'he mud and water. They could not
nave found the ram of the Maine, since
they have not been down in the locality
ol mat part of the wreck.
1hey have not located the turret with
ue lO-inch guns, though the spot has been
pointed out by Capt. Sharp, in charge of
t Sle Wreckers, where there is only sixteen
ieel and should be twenty-six feet This
spot is outside the hull on the starboard
iue' siue' 1t is probable that the turret is
.Hele' partly buried in the mud. All of
uIese Iacts are known by the United States
V"urt OF inquiry, having been elected in
know.
Inc expert interviewed by the corre-
sPondent expressed the belief that the
.Hdine was blown up by what is known as
eile Newport torpedo, or something of tine
same nature. This engine of destruction
= 'le JOINT product of the labors of Com
mander Converse, commander of the Mont
svheIy; Lieutenant Commander Mclean,
~" IN command of the torpedo station at
'e"port, and Senior Lieut.. Holman, oid-
nance officer of the Maine at the time cf
.le explosion. The Newport torpedo can
pe placed from a small boat and the ex-
peFls believe that this was exploded by be-
eis struck on the port side of the Maine
rol"ard Of amidships as she swung to her
mornings.
lie thinks this more likely than that
y, MHes were laid from the shore, as the wires
u iaid for any length of time would sink
yep IN the loose harbor mud.
=, II would be singular if il should prove
Nat the Maine was blown up by tors
peuo' IN the invention of which one of
ner principal officers, Lieut.. Holman, bore
notable part"
An OF the above statements OF fact and
sginises come from authority upon
"Ineh the court depends for much of its
v''qience, and is given to the correspondent
"phout reservation, except as to the name
'ua III. rank of the giver
me expert further believes that the de-
rstoF'hs mine was made up of four tor
%asIo5 10 OF thirty-six pounds each of wet
g,l ory gun cotton, or IA pounds in all.
ms amount would have been ample TO
oo" the entire forward part of the Maine
S af over the starboard, as undoubtedly
was done.
:, 4" me judgment of the correspondent,
@ Dls united States court of inquiry is fully
o"ue Of the views which the Spanish
n 0uIl VIII promulgate, and has also made
0aTeiuI investigation on the same lines,
q, a. as to be able either to refute or con-
81 u me Spanish statements.
g. - story is current here, but is not con.
iHieu, that Capt. Sampson has been ad-
t!sle,d from Washington that President Nc
ci,lIey Is ready All any time to receive the