Evening journal., 1898-03-29

that were blown from port to starboard
inboard
lie followed these plates down till he
came 20 the 6-inches in the sings used
for sending them out OF the shelIroorn.
They wete lying with their noses point
Ing 70 starboard. The forward part of
the 6-inch reserve magazine seemed TO
him to have been blown away aItogeIh-
er. The ragged edges Of the steel floor
of the sheelroon were turned up. and
Smith walked over them out into the
mud. Witness was questioned very
closely as to the plates that he found
blown inward and whether they might
not have been bullxheads, but ne insist
ed that they were the outside skin of
the ship near the bottom and located
them accurately on the plans above the
middle OF the d-inch shellroom, where
lin big circle thare is none of the out
side Of the ship left at ALL"
EVIDENCE OF HOOD.
Lieutenant John Hood, senior watch
officer. in charge Of the powder division.
said he had inspected the magazines
and shellrooms, and there was nothing
stored there contrary to the ordnance
regulations. He was absolutely sure
he said that on the night of the ex-
plosion There was nothing being done
beyond the ordinary work down there"
These rooms had only been opened
on the day Of the explosion to take the
temperature
Mr.. Hood was officer Of the deck part
of the time, and while acting in that
capacity he had not noticed any hos
tile demonstration afloat in the way of
beats approaching the ship. He felt the
~.
sounded and felt like an under water
explosion, and he was at the time un-
der the impression that It came from
the starbOard, forward There were
two explosions, following closely. I'm
nediately following the fall OF objects
he saw the water in a foam, much
wreckage and many groaning men. The.
first explosion was as IL something had
exploded under the vessel. He was sit
ting far aft and supposed the explo-
sion was on the starboard side, but.
that was only an impression, as his
view was obstructed. At the second ex-
plosion there was an upshoot OF flame
/ His belief is that the whole Of the for
ward part Of the superstructure that is
now lying on the starboard gangway'
was in the air when the second explo-
! sion occurred. The second explosion
! occurred on the starboard side
ENGINEER BOWERS TESTIMONY.
Passed Assistant Engineer Bowers
senior assietant engineer TO the chief
was examined particularly as to the
precautions taken on board the Mainc
against spontaneous combustion. He
said the order had been to inspect the
bunkers every day and log It. In case
I
they had always opened these doors,
lie was on duty on the day before the
explosion.
The coal in bunker A 16, he said, ha6
been stored either in Norfolk or New
port News There was about 40 tons OF
it and It was soft coal The bunkers
Immediately after were empty. The door
leading from the bunker to tho 10-inct
lodgeroom was kept closed.
Asked his opinions as to what effect
heat generated in a bunker which had
become ignited by spontaneous combus-
ton In the bottom would have upor
the upper part of the bottom and tho
bull1heads. 3Ir. Bowers said it could be
materially noticed.
As TO the condition Of the after boil.
ers he said they were practically banked
and We're Ia good condition. and he did
net consider that there was any dangeI
Of their having too much pressure IN foi
safety on the evening Of the explosion
The safety valves blow he said, a
about 100 pounds and only 50 to 100 wa.
carried for auxiliary purposes. They
had the usual therlnostats in the bunk
ers, but as these instruments did noi
work very well the bunkers were exam
med daily by feeling. Mr.. Bowers SAID
there had never been a fire from spon.
taneous combustion in the bunkers
They had once thought they had such
fire, but IL was from lealSy exhaust
pipe from the ice machine.
THE CHAPLAIN's STATEMENT.
Chaplain John p. Chidwlclx Of tn,
Maine was in his room on board on th'
night OF the occurrence. He said:
'I heard q loud report. and every
thing ct once became dark. The light
went out and there was a crashing
sound Of things falling. I rushed OF
deck and got to the captains poop
where I saw the captain giving his or
ders. After trying to cheer up the mel
3 [ who were crying out in the water 70
? help, I was ordered by Lieutenant Jun
zen to go into boat, which I did H
rowed around the ship and picked III
[ | cne man. Then at the orders of tn
D / captain we pulled for the City of Wash
b. ngton"
Asked how many shocks he felt. wit
e ness said he remembered only one.
HOLAIAN'S VIEWS.
Lieutenant George NJ. T. Holman
/ who performed the duty of navigate
i and ordnance officer and was in charg
2 of the electric plant, testified that al
D possible precaution was taken to pre-
: vent accident. The temperature of tn
magazines was taken daily. One hun
dred and fifty or 100 tanks of powde
were slowed in the forward 1O-inc
magazines, representing rs or so charges
The electric wires were separate
= from the magazines by a double platin
= of glass. He noticed nothing at tn
time of the explosion 10 indicate tina
anything was the matter with the cleo
trio works.
The explosion was IN the forwar
= part Of the vessel. IT shook the fran
- violently and sounded like low, heav