The herald., 1898-02-24
THE MAINE INVESTIGATION
TENDS TO DIsPRovE THEORY OF
ACCIDENT
The Position and Condition of Mems
Bodies and Wreckage Indicates
an Explosion From Outside

NEW YORK, Feb. 23.-A dispatch to
the Herald from Havana says: The
further the inquiry into the causes that
led to the Maine disaster proceeds, the
more remote appear the chances that
any evidence will be discovered to show
that the disaster was due to accident.
Those divers who penetrated into the
forward part of the wreck found that the
whole forward end of the ship from a
point just abaft of the forward turret
had been twisted fifteen or twenty de-
grees to starboard. That part of the
vessel was wilderness of debris and
curled and twisted plates.
The sharp, Jagged edges of the plates
added danger to the difficulties of the
divers, getting life lines into a tangle
and fraying the cords. In one instance
they almost cut through rubber tube
which supplied a diver with air.
One important discovery made was
the position Of the bodies found in the
wreck, 100 of which were floating about
In the torn compartments. A full score
of these were examined by my infor-
mant. All of these bodies were in ham
mocks and all had the arms curved up
been startled by some sudden shock of
danger and were in the act of reaching
up for their hammock hooks to swing
themselves on deck when death came.
This seems to confirm what has already
been said about there having been two
explosions-the first startling the men
into the act of arising. from their ham,
mocks. the other dashing the life out of
them while they were in that position.
Before the explosion the ten-inch
magazine was located on the starboard
side forward and beneath the forward
turret. What is left of the magazine
seems to have been driven toward the
port bow in a diagonal and upward di-
rection.
The six-inch magazine, which had its
location in the port side Of the ship for
ward, was hurled in a direction directly
opposite to that of the ten-inch maga-
zine. One of the copper cylindrical
tanks for the six-inch magazine was
found by the divers in the wreck of that
structure. 1t contained no powder
charge.
The ten-inch magazine has not been
closely examined at this writing, but
such inspection of 1t as was made leads
to the belief that big pile of twisted
wreckage that lies about the top of it is
composed of unexploded ten-inch
charges.
The theory of the explosion is borne
out by the testimony of Senor Antonio
Cabalero, tobacco dealer of Havana
Senor Cabalero was crossing the bay in
a ferry boat at the time of the disaster
He was familiar with the Maine, having
paid several visits to the craft, and was
pointing out to group of friends on the
ferry boat her peculiarities. There
came, just at that instant, he says, a
dull report from the forward part of the
ship. the upheaval Of a geyser of water
about the boat, followed almost in
stantly by a terrific roar and a binding
flash of light.
He is positive about the first explo-
sion and says that it was noticed by his
companions. This statement of his
came to the ears of one Of the Court of
Inquiry, and last night an officer was
sent to Senor Cabalero to ask him if he
would appear as a witness before the
court. He announced his willingness to
do to. Many strange tales of the dis
aster are brought out as the days wear
on. One of these was made known yes
terday when the captain of an English
bark anchored in the harbor, nearly a
mile distant from the Maine, told how
a bewhiskered jaw had fallen on the
deck of his vessel. The captain has
been asked to appear as witness be-
fore the Court of Inquiry.