El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-04-02
AND UNDERNEATH THE SHIP.
She Was Anchored Over Mine by the Head Pilot of the
Harbor, and Her Destruction Was Discussed by Span
ish Officers Two Hours Before the Explosion.

, fault to find with the behavior of any
officer or man at the time of the disas-
ter and cons idered their conduct ad-
miraoie.
On his examination Captain Sigsbse
said that the highest temperature he
could remember was 1l2, but this was
in the after magazine, the temperature
in the forward magazine being con
siderably lower. There was no loose
powder in the magazine. All ;he coal
ounkers were ventilateC..hrough air
tubes examined weekly by the chief
engineer and were connected electric
ally to the annurciatOr near his cabin
door. The coal bunker on the port
side was full The forward bunker on
the starboard side was full and was be-
ing used at the time of the explosion.
Private William Anthony of The
United states marine corps, whose
calmless at the tim of the explosion in
reporting to Captain Sigsbee has be-
come the theme of admiration through
out the world, was a2other witness.
= He testified that he had the first
watch from to II O'Clock on the night
of the explosion. There was no drill
that day and it was not necessary to open
the magazines. In response to ques-
lions Private Anthony told his story.
81 was standing on the main deck
just outside the door on the steamer
side. 1 first noticed a trembling ard
bucking of the decks and then the
prolonged roar-nOt q report, but u
roar. The awnings were spre ad, and
where the wing awning and the deck
awning should join there was a spzce
of at least eighteen inches. l locked
out aud saw an immense shee. of flame,
and then l started in TO warn the cap
tain"
Did you not ce any perceptible list
to the snip at the first shOck?"
''At the first shock the ship instant
ly ducSed, the quarter deck, where [
was Standing, dipped forward and to
port like this (indlcating) aud surged
forward and then went over to port
Witness said the upshOot of flame
was we'll forward. 1t must have been
forward of superstructure. Il could
see the debris going up with ii. l did
not know what it was, but saw fire.
brands going up"
"Was it on the port or starboard
side?"
1T looked more to port than it did to
star board. 1t looked like it covered
She whole ship. 1t was an immense
glare that illuminated the whole heav-
ems for the momeot, as much as l could
see for the awnings"
did you see aDy water with it?'
81 did not notice that. 1 start I'd into
the cab n at Once.'
Lieutenant A. W. Catlio, who was
in charge Of the marine guard, said
that when the ships went into the
harbor two extra night sentinels were
put out. They had strict orders to
challenge all boatS which approached
the ship rear enough for challenge.
He was sitting in his room all the time
of the explosion He heard q dull
sound, a loud collision and felt the
shaking of the ship. TIE lights went
out and he went on deck, and as he did
50 the whole heavens We're full of
sparks. There were no flames, and he
ielt but one shock.
Passed Engineer Bowers, senior as
sistant engineer to the chief, was ex-
amined particularly as to the precau-
lions taken on board the Maine against
spontaneous com bustiOn. He said
the order bad been TO inspect the bunk
ers every day and log them. Bowers
said there had never been a fire from
spon taneous combustion in the bunk
ers. They had once thought they had
such a fire, but it was from q leak in
an exhaust pipe from the ice machine.
Sigmond Roth echild, one OF the pas
sens gers on the City of Washing on, WAS
an eyewitness to the explosion. He
was on board the City of Washington
on the night of February Is as she
sailed into Havana barbor. He was
on the stern of the ship, which was
as ern and on the port side of the
Maine. The vessels were about 100
yards apart. He said he Was naturally
inter ested in the Maine, and had taken
a position WHERE he could get a good
look at her. Just as he had taken his
eyes of her to move his chair there
was sound like a cannon shot in the
darkness. He Immediately looked to-
wards the Maine. He saw the forward
end of the vessel rise, he thought, a
couple of feet out of the wafer. An
iastant later came a second distinct
explosion. There seemed 10 burst from
the interior of the vessel forward
dull flame and the air was instant y
filed with ii wing debris. The vesss 81 |
launched b ick in the water after the |
lifted her bow, AID quickly began to
sink forward. In less than q minu-e |
her bow had disapp a ed. There was
no dOub5 about the two explosions, as
about twenty seconds interviewed be-
tween them.
Naval Constructor J. B Hoover ap-
care as a witness March 8. His
estimOny was very technical, describ-
ug the various parts of the ship by
III "a Der Oh frame q ~ SoSCiOQ. summed
lp, it was that the bottom of the plates
If the vessel at the point of the ex-
,losiou, the decks over them and t. q
protected decks had ben turned over
nd forward, revolving through an
.ngle of 80 degrees The six-iuch
Magazine was just below this dec :, as
t originally stood.
Commander G. A. Converse of the
svy, summoned as with .Ss, stified
J." had made s'uiy of the naturr ami
ffec cts of explosives. After long
escriptiOn of the eff, CT OF the torpe-
Oes he was asked what his experience
as in the cas- of the explosion Of a
u bmarine mine. He explained tina.
hey were almost invariably rupture
nd lost.
When asked if Submarine mine
EXPLODED unoer The bottom of ship
nj containing enough explosive to
omple.elg destroy that part of h lip
ould be similarly demolist ed, he re-
lie d that the violent explosive would
lJ hole 10 the slip, blowing out the
art that was cut in small fragments
eing shown sketches of the forward
Jag azines and asked If the explos on
: partial exp oson would leave the