Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-29
MAINE TESTIMONY.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PACED

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| just forward Of the after searchlight.
| piece OF the side-plating just abaft OF
| the starboard turret was visible rms
| plate was bent outward. and then the-for-
ward plate bent upward and folded back
ward upon itself. This plate was
sheared from the rest OF the plating be-
| low"
| Referring to his notes, made OF the con-
| dition. of things on the Maine, Ensign
| Powelson said that the wire of the en-
gine-room telegraph and the shaft Of the
| steering gear coming down through the
| armored tube (turreD was bent from
port TO starboard. The port side Oh the
| protective deck was covered with
| greasy deposit. the starboard side being
comparatively free from IT, The forward
| smokestack hatch between the main ana
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 angie
bulb beam was located, the planking was
| blown off on the only remaining plate OF
| the main deck on the port side. while the
wood was still attached to that part OF
/ the starboard side between the coming
| tower base and the turrets. what VIII
ness saw would indicate that the pres
| sure lifted the protective deck and bent
| that deck forward. Witness thought the
| that deck downward. Witness thought
| the ship on the port side was entirety
gone opposite point Indicated on
diagram handed to the court. 1t was
| entirely blown out.
BOTTOM PLATES ABOVE WATER.
Ensign Powelson was recalled on Feb
ruary 5th and shown the plans OF the
Maine from which he had idenu-
fed the bottom plates that were blown
up through the upper deck. The nndlhg
| of these plates on top Of the wreck clear
above water was among the hrst anu
| most important points of evidence clearly
| disproving the possibility OF an INTERNAL
| explosion.
| After infinitely describing the bottom
plates, with their green coating Of paint
and the other marks by which they were
| identified, Powelson stated that they must
have been blown up IS or 3S feet to reach
| their present position. Besides the bot
tom plates. Powelson found some pipes
| from the bottom compartment lodged In
the angle of the bottom plates that pro-
| truded above the water The berth-deck
over this bottom compartment was also
| on top Of the wreck, and 20 feet forward
| Of the plates while this section OF the
main deck had disappeared. The diver
| who had been working for Powelson on
| this Investigation informed him he had
found the ammunition for the 6-inch mag
azine pushed over TO the starboard SIDE.
| Ensign Powelson. after diagraming the
wreck. was convinced that the bottom
was thrown up and not out
DIVER OILsEN's REPORT.
Mr.. Powelson said that on February
| 26th Diver Olsen reported TO him that
| on coming up from below he had found
| the forward and after wings Of the
| shape made by the bottom plating at
frame H. and said that on the forward
wing Of the V the plates ran down on
very steep slant, and then turned in and
| out under the starboard. Just about
where the plates turned to get under the
| starboard side he found two dents, as
| II the plating had been bulged in between
| the frames from outside inward. Olsen
said he had explored the after wing OF
] the V, and had found selni-circular
! hole about feet in diameter, with rivet-
| holes all around it, He said that the
| semi-clrcular hole was about 20 feet from
| the V made by the bottom plating. He
| said the plate presented a jagged APP
pearance, as IL IL had been torn. and
| crack extended from the bottom edge OF
| the semi-crcuar hole to a distance OF
about inches, and that the plates about
| this hole We're bent away from the green
| side Of the plating.
The iudge-advocate asked Mr.. Powell
son how he looked upon Olsen's testi-
mony. In view Of his understanding of
the Maine and the drawings Of the YES
sell he replied that he regarded 1t as
extremely accurate.
The judge-adyocate asked Mr.. Powelson
what he deduced from Olsen's testimony,
received from the diver that forenoon,
together with such information as he mad
had before. Mr.. Powelson replied that he
thought the explosion occurred on the
port side somewhere about frame 49, the
centre Of the impact. When questioned
further as to what he regarded as the
cause Of the injuries, Mr.. Powelson said;
ION the bottom forward, where a frame
was thrown up, it would seem TO me the
force was communicated some distance
through the water, because it was lifted
up. instead of being battered in. This was
a force that was cushioned in some way,
because the diver tells me there was
bulge in the plates between the two
frames, and such force as that would
be a cushion pressure. and the frames
forward OF the transverse armor being
weaker than are aft the ship might have
been lifted up there by this cushion pres
sure from further aft"
Mr.. Powelson said: oliver Smith went
down the ships side and examined the
backing of the armor. That looked to be
pushed in, because at the place where the
plate was gone. the wood backing, about
six or seven inches thick. was splintered,
and all the splinters pointed inboard."
Mr.. Powelson sent Diver Schiller to eX-
anime the plating on the port side aft the
the crane. The outside plating. he found.
was bent sharply from outside In, making
an acute angle at the waterway.
GUNNER MORGANS EXAMINATION.
On February oath the chief gunner,
Charles Morgan, who was in charge of
the divers, was called. On first going
down in diving dress. he said he landed in
a mass of splintered and broken powder
tanks Of G. and l0-inch ammunition. He
found what he thought was the ceiling
and sides Of the magazine. The powder
tanks were split and crushed. some with
the heads knocked off and most of them
empty. There were twenty or twenty-five
In all. They did not seem to have eX-
Dloded. but being crushed open. the pow
der had melted out by action Of the
water.
All the frames and plates found had
list TO starboard. The hold at this point