Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-29

almost intact. The port bulkhead be-
tween the main and berth decks at the
coming tower support had been blown
aft on both sides. but great deal more
on the port than on the starboard side
The fire room hatch Immediately abaft
OF the coming tower had been blown
in three directions, aft to the starboard
and to port. The protective deck I'M
der the coming tower supports was
BENT IN TWO DIRECTIONS,
the plates on the starboard side being
bent, and on the starboard side bent
down.
In reply to inquiry as to whether he
meant With reference to their original
positions, Ensign Powelson replied af-
Tentatively. The beam supporting the
protective deck a few inches abaft of
the armored tube. to the port of the
midship line, was bent up to starboard
of the midship line. Just forward of
the coming tower. underneath the
main deck, two beams met at right
angles; one beam was broken ana
pushed from port to starboard A
grating was found on the poop awn>
ing just forward of the after search
light
A piece of the side plating Just abaft
of the starboard turret was visible.
This plate was bent outward and then
the forward end bent upward and
folded back upon itself. This plate
was sneared from the rest of the plat
ing below the water-line This plating
below the water-line has been pushed
out to starboard."
4 The unarmOred gratings of the en-
CINE room hatch were blown off. A
composition strainer was picked UP
from the bottom on the starboard
quarter at a point about opposite the
poop capstan and about 20 feet from it.
The chief engineer thought the strainer'
was from the firemens' Mushroom. 1t
was not strainer in the ships side.
Near the outside plating, to which
witness referred above, he said. there
were pieces of red shellaced planks.
On the planks was bolted a compost
ton track, two inches wide and an inch
thick.
ENSIGN POWELSON THEN ASKED
If the court meant for him to say any,
thing about wha. the divers reported
or just what he knew.
The judge advocate replied that he
would like to have him state any i'm
portant discoveries which might lead
the court to draw some conclusion as
to the cause, and if a diver gave such
information to state the divers name
Before doing so the judge advocate
asked witness TO state if the forward
and after part of the ship were in line.
Ensign Powelson replied that as far as
he could judge they were not. The end
where the explosion occurred seemed
TO be pushed from port to starboard
from to 10 degrees, he should judge,
with the apex to the starboard. The
divers reported to witness that ut a
point where the ten-inch shell room
should be they discovered ten-inch
shells regularly arranged, but the ship
had sunk down SO much that some of
the shells were in the mud
Ensign Powelson then said that a
six-inch powder tank that he saw ap-
peared to be an empty tank broken by
the explosion, as it was not badly dent
ed, but merely ripped the length of the
seam. A teninch tank was badly bat
tered out of all conceivable shape
Continuing, witness said that up to
the night before he was on the stand
he had not been on the outside of the
ship. The mud was too deep for them
to work on the bottom.
What is the condition Of the star
board turret?" witness was asked.
TO my knowledge it has not been
found. SIR" was the reply.
sS nrndnnod
your mind by the divers report so far
as you have heard them?' Ensign Pow
elson was asked.
The impression produced upon me, ="
replied the witness, is that an
EXPLOSION TOOK PLACE
we'll to the port of the mid-ship line
and at a point in the length about OPP
posite the coming tower"
In reply to further questions he said
his opinion was based on the obserya-
ton of things above water. He gave
no weight to Mr. Morgan's statement
about falling into hole in the port
side because Morgan might have been
mistaken about it. Referring to his
notes made of things on the Maine, En-
sign Powelson stated that the arc Of
the engine room and the shaft of the
steering gear breaking down through
the armored tube (turreD was bent
from port to starboard. The port side
of the protective deck was covered with
a greasy deposit. the starboard side be-
ing comparatively free from 1t.
The forward smokeplpe hatch pc
tween the main and superstructure
decks did not show signs of the inter-
nal pressure of gases. On the nam
deck forward of the coming tower
where the fore and after angle Dull S
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 near
the coming tower. What witness saw
would indicate that the pressure lifted
the protective deck up on the port
side and the protective deck on the
starboard side held and bent that deck
downward. Witness here eXhlDlteo
two sketches to the court showing dla-
grams of various parts OF the sunken
ship. and explained them to the court
The witness evidence about the strip
on the sLarboard side of the Outside
plating of the ship which was folded
and rolled back, was recalled to him
and Powelson said the plate under
meath it was bent outward as he could
see it. He was only
TWO FEET UNDER WATER,
where the shear occurred.
Witness had taken soundings and