The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-29

vuaJ re mao ceen present on rne Maine
every day from the arrival of the boat
Fern and during a great deal of the
diving
In reply 20 a question TO tell the court
all about the condition Of the wreck, he
said the forward part Cf the ship forward
of the after smokestack had been TO all
appearances completely destroyed. The
coming tower lay in position opposite
the door leading TO the superstructure
aft and 10 starboard inclined at about
Il0 degrees to the vertical with the top
of the coming tower in board. Contin-
uing, he described with close detail the
condition under the main deck on the
port side. The fixtures were completely
wrecked. while fixtures in the same po-
stion on the starboard side were in
some cases almost intact. The port
bulkhead between the main and berth
decks at the coming tower support had
been blown aft on both sides, but a
great deal more on the port than on the
starboard side The fire room hatch i'm
mediately abaft of the coming tower
had been blown in three directions
aft. to starboard. and TO port. The pro-
tective deck under the coming tower
supports was bent in two directions
the plates on the starboard side being
bent up and on the starboard side bent
down.
Bent Up to the Starboard.
In reply TO an inquiry as to whether
he meant with reference to their orig
inal positions Ensign Powelson replied
affirmatively. The beam supporting
the protective deck few inches abaft
OF the armoredftube to port OF the mid
ship line was bent up to starboard OF
the midshp line. Just forward of the
coming tower, underneath the main
deck two beams met at right angles.
one beam was broken and pushed from
port to starboard. grating was
found on the poop awning, just for
ward of the after searchlight.
A piece OF the side plating. just abaft
of the starboard turret. was visible.
This plate was bent outward and tnen
the forward end bent upward and fold
ed backward upon itself. This plate
was sheared from the rest of the plat
ing below the water line. This plating
below the water line has been pushed
out to starboard."
The armored gratings OF the engine
room hatch were blown off. A compo-
stion straner was picked up from the
bottom on the starboard quarter at a
point about opposite the poop capstan
and about seventy feet from Ii. The
| chief engineer thought the strainer was
from the firemen's wash room. 1t was
not a strainer in the ships side.
Near the piece of outside plating to
which witness referred above. he said
| there were pieces of red shellaced
| planks. On these planks was bolted a
composition track two inches wide and
| an inch thick.
The Starboard Turret.
Ensign Powelson then said that a g.
| inch powder tank that he saw appeared
| to be an empty tank broken by the ex-
nlosion. as IL was not badly dented and
merely ripped the length of the seam.
| a 10-inch tank was badly battered out
of any conceivable shape. Continuing.
witness said the divers up to the night
before he was then on the stand had
not 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?' witness was
| asked.
ITO my knowledge it was not found,
| SIR" was the reply.
He understood something had been
found under the place where the tur-
ret formerly was. but its exact charac-
| ter had not been determined.
What impression is produced upon
| your mind by the reports as far as you
have quoted them?" Ensign Powelson
was asked.
From reports alone, or from the ap-
pearance OF the wreck?"
Either from such reports or the con-
ditions which you believe exist"
THE impression produced upon me-"
replied the witness, rs that an eXplo-
sion took place we'll TO the port Of the
midship line and at point in the length
about opposite the coming tower"
No Weight TO Morgan's Statement.
Witness. in reply to further questions.
| said his opinion was based upon the OBJ
| servation OF things above water. He
| gave no weight to Mr.. Morgan's state
| ment about falling into hole on the
| port side because Morgan might have
| been mistaken about it. Referring TO
| his notes made Of things on the Maine,
| Ensign Powelson said that the arc of
| the engine room telegraph and the
shaft of the steering gear coming down
| through the armored tube (turreD was
| bent from port 10 starboard. The port
| side of the protected deck was covered
with a greasy deposit. the starboafd
side being comparatively free from II.
The forward smoke pipe, between the
| main and superstructure decks. did not
show signs of the internal pressure OF
| gases. On the main deck. forward OF
| the coming tower. where the fore and
| after angle bulb beam was located, the
| planging was blown off on the only re-
| naming plate Of the main deck on the
| port side, while the wood was still at
| tached to that part on the starboard
| side, between the coming tower base
| and turrets. What witness saw would
| indicate that the pressure lifted the
| protective deck up on the port side.
| and the protective deck on the star
| board side, and the protective deck on
| the starboard side held fast and bent
| that deck downward. Witness here ex-
1 lihffoI fxro chafohoo IN tho Court ahoxy.