Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-29
VIEW OF AN EXPERT
Testimony Of Commander Converse
Before the Maine Court.
FAMILIAR WITH HIGH EXPLOSIVES
Continuation of the Evidence Sub
mitted to Congress Yesterday. .
STORIES OF THE DIVERS.

Following is tie remainder of the testi-
mony taken by the Maine court of inquiry
and yesterday submitted to Congress by
the President:
Commander G. A. Converse of the navy,
summoned a witness, testified he had
made a study Of the nature and effects of
explosives. The largest quantity Of ex
plosives he had ever seen used consisted of
a torpedo containing 800 pounds of gun
powder and 200 pounds dynamite, all in
separate cases, 100 pounds in each case,
securely lashed together. Being shown
blue print of the forward magazine and
shell room of the Maine, and asked if one
or more of those should explode or par
TALLY explode, it would lift the forward
part of the ship partly out of the water,
he replied that he oidn't think it would.
After a long description of the effect of
torpedoes, he was asked what his expert
ence was in the case of the explosion Of
submarine mine; as to what became of the
mine. He replied that they are almost in
variably ruptured and lost; blown up and
pieces of them are rarely found. This ex-
perience did not allow him to remember a
case where he saw any considerable pieces
remaining from a submarine mine or it's
iron case after it's explosion. On one or
two occasions small fragments of cast iron
thrown into boat indicated complete
demolition of the case containing the eX-
plCsive.
What a Mine Would Do.
When asked if submarine mine ex-
plcGed under the bottom Of a ship and
containing enough explosive to completely
destroy that part of that ship would be
similarly demolished, he replied that the
violent explosives would cut a hole in the
ship. blowing out the part that was cut in
small fragments. Being shown sketches of
the forward magazines and asked if tha1r
explosion or partial explosion would leave
the bottom of the Maine in the condition
IL was IN as shown by the sketches, he
stated that the distortion of the keel of
the Maine was too far forward and too
remote from the magazine to have been
caused by their explosion. He was of the
opinion that tie bending of the plates on
the bottom of the Maine could be produced
by the explosion of q submarine mine con-
tanning large amount of the lower ex-
piCsiveS-gunpowder or something similar
not In contact with the ship, but some
distance below 1t, perhaps on the bottom
Continuing, he said that he had never in
MS experience seen any interior explosion
That was possible to produce the effect
upon the Maine.
DO you think that necessarily there
must have been an underwater mine to
produce these explosions"
indications are that an underwater ex-
piosion produced the conditions there" was
the reply, with the further statement re-
garding the impossibility in his oninion of
ar internal explosion causing the Names
wreck His testimony was closed
Gunners Mate Smith described his first
descent, which landed him in the 1O-inch
shell ROOM The shells were there in good
ORDER, most of them nose I'D, but some
topped over by the shock of the explosion
which had wrecked the wood work of the
magazine and blown the aft bulkhead over
n tar ard
tElS buikhead and down behind it found
lo-lnch powder tank bent and dented hut
not exploded. 1t was intact with powder
and cartridge bags.
On his next descent he went down from,
me port crans, following the side of the
ship down tilf he struck plates that were
blown from port to starboard inboard.
he followed these plates down till he
came TO the 6-inch shells still in the sugs
used for sending them up out of the shell
foom Ihey were lying with their noses
up pointing to starboard. The forward
part OIL the slx-inch reserve magazine
altogether. The ragged edges of the steel
Moor to the shell room were turned I'D and
Smith walked over them out into the mud
coming back from his trip into the outer
submarine world, the diver came across a
lot of six-pounder shells and shell cases
some Of them not even broken away from
the shells. They were sent up to the deck
or the lighter. There was also some of
aus ioi SlIiS the ar Cnam-
bers of the torpedoes
Lying right across the middle of the ten
irch shell room he found an armor plate
that had been torn away from the ships
SIDE These plates taper toward the bot
tom, which is thus easy to distinguish The
piate on being ripped loose by the explo-
sion had turned a complete somersault
and landed with the thick edge in the mud
and the plate leaning obliuuely over the
wreck of the shell ROOM There were six
inch powder tanks. scattered over the ten
ire shell room, most of them split.
number Of them were sent up, but more re-
manned.
Lieut.. Blows Experience.
Lieutenant G. P. Blow was the officer
of the day on the day of the explosion and
received the reports at pm. He said the
usual reports were made that the lights,
fires and everything were secure. He said
he had perfect confidence in the reports
CT his men. He heard an explosion which
seemed to be well up in the bow. Instant
ly the lights went out, and he rushed out,
but before he got more than six feet from
the room the second and more violent ex-
piCsion came. This explosion he described
as being continuous, lasting for some
seconds, accompanied by the crashing and
rending of steel and n sharp heel to port"
He gave vivid description of the scenes
following the explosion.
Mate Olsen Re-Examined.
Chief Gunner's Mate Olsen on his re-ex-
animation stated that the ram plate which
he could feel was fastened on the bow Of the
ship and extending from the ship about ten
or twelve inches convex on the outside and
extending fore and aft. He said that he
could feel the bottom of the ship forward
for ten frame spaces, but at frame 81 he
found her to be cut off entirely. This was
as far as he could walk in the mud. He
then went back to the point of beginning
and counted six frame spaces forward or
about frame 35. and from there forward he
found the frames blown up and open to
starboard. At frame 81 Olsen found the
bilge keel and followed the break in amid
ships as far as he could. At the port bow
he found hawse pipe, but could not feel
the chain. Underneath the keel he found
scroll work on the bow of the shin and over