The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-03-29


hand for the second battery, steam was
kept up on two boilers instead of one
and positive instructions We're given to
watch carefully all the hydraulic gear
and report defects.
He said he had given order to the
master-at-arms and the orderly SER
geant to keep a careful eye on every
body that came on board and to care
fully observe any packages that might
be held on the supposition that dyna-
mite or other explosives might be en-
ployed. and afterward to inspect the
route these people had taken and never
to lose sight of the Importance of the
order. He stated that very few people
visited the ship, Lieutenant Comman-
der Wainwright being rather severe on
desultory visitors. There were only
two visits of Spanish military officers.
Once a party of five or six Spanish Off
GERS came on board, but, according to
the captain, they were constrained and
not desirous of accepting much courte-
sy. This visit was during the absence
of the captain. He said he made every
effort to have the Spanish officers visit
the ship to show goodwill, according to
the spirit of the Names visit to Ha-
vana, but, with exceptions stated, no
military officer of Spain visited the ship
socially.
Ensign Powelson.
Ensign w. V. N. Powelson was call
ed the third day of the court. He tes-
titled that he had been present on the
Maine every day from the arrival of
the Fern and during great deal of the
diving.
In reply to a question to tell the
court all about the condition of the
wreck, he said the forward part of the
ship forward of the after smokestack
had been, to all appearances, complete
ly destroyed. The coming tower lay in
a position opposite the door leading to
the superstructure aft and to star
board, inclined at about ITO degrees to
the vertical with the top Of the con-
ming tower inboard.
Continuing, he described with close
detail the condition under the main
deck on the port side. The fixtures
were completely wrecked, while fixtures
in the same position on the starboard
side were in some cases almost intact.
ECA
and berth decks at the coming tower
supports had been blown aft on both
tsides, but a great deal more on the
port than on the starboard side. The
fire room hatch Immediately abast Of
the coming tower had been blown in
three directfons-aft, to starboard and
to port. The protecting deck under the
coming tower supports was bent in
two directions the plates on the port
side being bent up and on the starboard
side bent down.
In reply to an inquiry as to whether
he meant with reference to their orig
inal position, Ensign Powelson replied
affirmatively. The beam supporting
the protective deck few inches abaft
of the armored tube, to port of the
midship line, was bent up to the STAR
board of the midship line. Just for
ward of the coming tower underneath
the main deck two beams met at right
angles; one beam was broken and
pushed from port to starboard. A
grating was found on the poop awning
just forward of the after searchlight
| 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 backward upon itself.
This plate was sheered from the rest
of the plating below the water line
The plating below the water line had
been pushed out to starboard.
The unarmored gratings Of the en-
gine room hatch were blown off. A
compensation strainer was picked up
from the bottom of the starboard quar-
/ ter at point about opposite the poop
capstan and about seventy feet from It,
The chief engineer thought the strain
er was from the f1remen's wash ROOM
| 1t was not a strainer in the ships side
Near the piece of outside plating to
which witness referred above he said
there were pieces of red shellacked
planks On these planks was bolted a
composition track two inches wide and
an inch thick.
Ensign Powelson then asked if the
court desired him to say anything
about what the divers reported or just
what he saw. The judge advocate re-
ported that he would like him to state
any important discoveries which might
lead the court to draw some conclusion
as to the cause and If diver gave such
information to state the divers name.
Before doing so the Judge advocate
asked witness to state IL 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 star
board from five to ten degrees, he
should judge, with the apex to the
starboard. The divers reported to wit
ness that at point where the ten-fnch
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.
Gunner Morgan reported that in walk
ing on bottom he fell into hole on
the port side and went down into the
mud.
He also reported that as far as he
could judge everything seemed to be
! bent upward in the vicinity of the
place. He reported that the plates
seemed to have been pushed over to
starboard and bent down.
Ensign Powelson said that a six-inch
FOUNDER tank that he saw appeared to
be an empty tank broken by the ex-
plosion as it was not badly dented and