Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-29
COURTS (J REPORT
Continued from First Page.)

Iii~ad oSCli " al S-ttIIFkV.S
des:royed
The fixtures We're completely wrecked.
w'ha.e fixtures in the same position
on tha S~.arboard side We're aiuo.t in
tact THE port buikhead betwecn the
main and berth decks at the coming
tower upper had been blowa aft ON
bG;h sides hut a great deal more on the
port than on the starboard S.de. The
protective deck on the c.1nli.n. tower
support was bent in TWO directions.
Hthe Plates Un the port side oaillS bsat
up and on the siaiboard sill. bent down.
Just forward of the coming tow!
underneath tile main deck wv beams
met at right angle: one beam MAS b:r,-
ken and pushed from pGN't to StarbLauIfl.
a grating was found ON the poop avn
ing just forward of the af.er search
light.
a piece of the side plating just ADMIT
,s ttia S.ani5oard tuIlct was visible.
This I,tatc was bent and then
she forward end ben: upward and fo.d-
ed backward upon itself. This 1~'itite,
wa,7 stleerei from the rest Of the plat
ing below" .".
Referring to his notes made of things
on the Ma!ne. Ensign Prwelspn started
lsi's an src of the engine room tela-
graph aud the shaft of tne steering gear
coming down through THE armur,~i
lube GurreD. was bent frs:n pert To
stt.itooaHd. Tn. ptrt side Of the pro-
.-ctlve deck was covered With a greasy
deposit; the starbcard side b&iny COM
p~arat.veiy free from it.
The forward smoke pipe hatch be
tween the main ana the Su~perStructur.
decks did not show signs of the inter
nal pressure Of gases. On the mann
deck forward rf tine coming t,sNer
where The fore and aft angle Dulb beam
was located the Tranking was blown off
tn the only remaining plate of the main
deck on the port Side While the wood
was still attached to that part Of the
st;urlS,Irl side between tn. coming
4 tower and base and iuG7retS. What
witness saw would indiceAt. THAT the
pressure lifted the protective deck on
the ST rFooa I'd side. HELD fast and bent
that deck downward
Witness Thought tine ship on the port
side was entirely gone opposite Il point
indicated or a diagram handrd the
court. 1t was entirely blown out. "
February 2Jth and showed the plans
of the Maine from which lhe had ilen-
Titled the bottom plates that We're blown
up Through the upper deck. THE find
HnFs "rf these pilates on the top at ,hc
wreck clear above water was among
the first and most important paints of
evidence clearly disprovinE the posi-
Ibrlity of an Internal explosion. .
After infinitely describing The bottom
plates with their green coating of ,sAtnt
and the other marks by which they
We're identified. powels,n stated that
they must have been Blown up IS or so
feet t" reach the%r present position.
l'eside the 'b'rtI1'ln plates Towelson
found some pipes from THE bottom COM
plrtment lodging i'm the. angle uf The
plates that protruiei above the
water. The berth deck over this bot
tom comp was also on the top uf
the wreck and 90 feet forward off the
''late9, While TIM. section OF the m:in
deck had Disappeared. 1'he. diver who
lsisi been working for PpW-elSAn ON ,his
lnvestigation informed HIM that he had
found the ilnrlnulition for the 6-inch
magazine pushed over TO tlle s%tarb,ard
side. "" ."M.# ""MM +"
Ensign PSwelSon. after d:agramins
'he wreck. was convinced that the
bottom was thrown up and NOT out.
Mr.. Powelson sa.d chat on February
18TH Diver Olsen reported to him that
I'm corning UP fr1IA below he had fol-
Flowed the forward and aft wings of the
v shape made by the BOTTOM plating
at frame II. and said on the forwv ri
wing of the Y the plates ram down on
\ very steep slant and sthen turned un-
ar anu out under the star!toard side.
thar just above where the Yylates turn,.d
(" go under The sarfs,aal side he found
w" dents as VT the plating had been
bulSed in the frames from out
side in. I'm
Olsen Satd he had explored the after
Wing 'l th. y. and had found 4 semi
circular %ht,lc about two feet in diameter
with rivt-t holes all Ground IT.. He said
the semi cMcular hole WAS abuu, TWEEN
y feet from the top of the V made by
me bottom plates. He said THE plates
presented a jagged apel,a4,a nee asst they
mad been torn and 't1lal Il crack had
extended from the bottom edge Of the
sf'mi-clG'o-llar hole to a distance OF
about elsht inches ANA that the plates
al'sut this hole We're bent away from
the green side of the plating.
THE judge advocate asked Mr.. Pow
tiStIn NOW he looked unnn jOS,.n'S t.-S
|t!m"ny. i'm view of his knowledge Of
the Maine and the drawings Of the YES
SCI. 'He replied that he regarded it as
extremely accurate. ". " F. #.. .
olson What he deduced from Olsen's
testimony received from THE diver that
afternoon. together with that infurma-
ton given before.
H'"wels"n replied ,htat lie Thought the
e pluSl0n occurred on the port side
somewhere about frame is, center of
impact. . ""
When questioned further as 10 wha,
ne regarded as the cause OF the injuries
Mr. luWelSnn Sutl: rY." FL. .. .l " *"
''On the bottom Onward whore n
frame was thrown up lit would seem
To me the furN> was ommunieat
some distance through The water. be-
cause it was lifted UP instead Of being
battered in. 1t was i force that was
cushioned in some way, because the
diver tells ms ther,. was a bulge i'm
Plates the two frames. and
su-h a. force as THAT would b. q cushion
pressure. SO the Pilates in that part of
the ship not having been broken i'll
THIS explosion may have occurred
aft and The frames forward of ,{hr
transverse arinpr being weaker than
ahey are aft. the ship might have been
hfted UP there by this cushion pres
sure from further aft"
MIR. FoweN-pn said: Diver Sm;tGn
went down the ships side and examined
the backing of the a,mor. Tina; locked
10 'bt. pushed in because at the plac.
Wnere The plate Was gone the wood
backing about six or seven inches thick
was sI'aintered and all OF The splinicrs
pointed @IEbuaTd." It. ...".
Mr.. P"weis"n sent schl1uter. on the
MiorIl'nG OF The 2'th. 10 examine the
pl4NNns on tht. port sid. ;lrlf It the crane.
just under the main deck. The outsid. !
plating he found was bent SHARPLY from
~Htsgle IN. making an acute angie az
the waterway.
on February 2lth Cltief Gunner Chas.
Morgan, who was in charge of m.
|JtrSfIrS n" ~ all1Al o. o., -. ~