The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-17


the president or at the state department
20 express their regrets. The disaster
is remarkable I'm that only two officers
lost their lives. and these were of junior
grades. They were Lieutenant II. w.
Jenkins and Assistant Engineer Darwin
II. Merritt. The former was unmarried,
but leaves a mother and sister. The
latter. IL is thought, also was unmarried,
but the department was unadvised con-
cerning his family.
The Maine had three magazines. The
one forward was used for the storage OF
ammunition for the big 10-inch turret
guns. There were so rounds OF this
ammunition. Weighing $1,000 pounds.
This quantity OF explosive is so large
that naval officers here can scarcely be-
lieve IL was possible for any human
being on board the Maine to have es
capped alive had this magazine exploded
entirely. There was no smokeless
powder aboard the ship. and the 10-inch
ammunition was made up OF brown
prsmatic powder. Not only Is this
powder most carefully packed In her
metically sealed copper cases. but rs
heat resisting qualities are so great that
a match, 600 degrees Farenheit being the
amount OF heat that must be applied for
some time to set off the powder. On
the other hand. IL is readily ignited, i'm
the case OF the charge In gun, by the
explosion of a good quantity OF full
inmate. Every precaution Is adopted
aboard ship to safeguard the magazine.
In its vicinity sentry stands on duty
continually The doors are closed her
metically except when the ship is cleared
for action. At s o'clock every night the
temperature is taken and the keys or
the locked door are placed in the cap
tain's hands for the night. The records
OF the navy department show that 81
degrees was the maximum temperature
I'm the Names magazines during the
past month. very low and safe tenn
perature. These facts make IL extreme
Is difficult to account for the explosion.
particularly as no visitors are admitted
under any circumstances 10 the maga-
zine. OF course II is possible that there
was spontaneous combustion or some
illuminate or un-cottonyntendedf for use
in torpedoes. There were no steam
pipes or furnaces near enough to the
magazine TO cause the belief that they
might have exploded the powder.
The coal bunkers were in the neighbor-
hood and II is just possible that in them
might be found the origin of the accident.
H. depends on whether they were empty
or contained coal to some degree. Ii is
said TO be the practice of commanders
10 empty the fore-bunkers OF the ship
first. in which case the Names bunkers
in that quarter were probably emptied
owing to the length of her stay In Ha-
vana harbor. If. however, the bunkers
We're not entirely empty. they undoubt-
edly contained within themselves ele-
ments of danger that might rccount
for the explosion. The department
within recent years has been greatly
troubled by complaints of spontaneous
combustion OF coal which has endan-
gered the lives of the crews and the
safety OF the ships. The Cincinnati
twice at least has been obliged to food
her magazines to prevent their blowing
up during fire OF this kind and the Bos-
ton has been in the same condition.
In some of these cases shelving in the
magazines which separated the powder
charges has been charred by the in
tense heat caused by the burning coal.
Although the kunkers are inspected
under the regulations at frequent inter-
walls. so numerous have been the cases
OF combustion that the navy department
only recently had the special board in
vestigate the subject with the view to
applying preventative measures. Un-
fortunately this board was prevented
from making the thorough investigation
necessary. because no funds were ap-
plicable to the purpose.