Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-04-01
The Testimony.
What IL Shows as whole, with Some
of the Individual Parts in Detail.

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of the individual Parts in Detail.
The immense mass of testimony taken
by the Maine court of inquiry was sent to
the Senate with the Presidents message,
and, with the findings of the court, was
referred to the commi tee on foreign re-
lations. The testimony was taken on IS
different days. Every witness who was
known to have any information that could
throw light upon the disaster was called TO
give his testimony The story of the des-
truction of the vessel is told in a manner
which gives all the obtainable facts. No
technical detail is omitted. Every move
ment and incident connected with the
Maine from the time she left Key West un-
til the last diver examined the wreck,
slowly sinking in the mud of Havana
harbOr, Is given.
Perhaps the most significant testimony
is that showing the bottom plates on the
port side of the Inflated Maine to have
been bent inward and upward, result
that hardly could have followed anything
save an explosion from the outside. A
mass of testimony is submitted showing
the care exercised on board the ship by
Captain Sigsbee and his officers, and the
apparent impossibilty of the accident &C.
curing by any internal cause, such as the
heating of the bunkers, spontaneous COM
bustion, or from other causes upon which
so many theories we're based.
The testimony of Captain Slgsbee is of
the greatest importance, and is, perhaps,
of more general interest than that of any
other man called before the board. With
great care and minuteness he gives an ac-
count of the management of the ship, how
she was handled, what was done from day
to day ON board, how she sailed into Ha-
vana, her anchorage, and what he knew
about it, and in fact every point upon which
the government and the country desire to
be informed. Nothing in Captain Sigsbee's
testimony shows that the anchorage was
changed or that it was considered danger
GUS by any one.
Second TO the importance of the testi-
mony of Captain Sigsbee is that of Ensign
Powelson, who had charge of the divers,
and knew from day to day what these
divers found. This officer was infinitely
informed as TO the construction of the
Maine and everything about her. His tes-
timony was, to certain extent, technical,
bearing upon the construction of the ship,
her plates, etc., but It was from these
plates and the technical knowledge that he
was able to declare that the explosion took
place from the outside.
The divers, Morgan, Olsen and Smith,
all contributed important evidence. They
testified that the plates were bent inward
on the bottom port side and outward on
the starboard side. The story of the ex-
plosion is told by different witnesses and
adds little to what Captain Sigsbee and
Commander Wainwright related.
Nothing in the testimony fixes re-
sponsibility, no conspiracy Is apparent, no
knowledge of the planting of mine is
shown. Captain Sigsbee states that a
somewhat bitter feeling existed against the
American ships and Americans generally,
and witness, whose name is suppressed,
tells of overhearing conversation between
Spanish officers and citizen indicating q
fore knowledge of the destruction of the
Maine and an intention to blow her up,
An official of the American consulate tells
of information received anonymously tend.
ing to show that conspiracy existed. But
nothing is definitely stated which fixes any
responsibility upon Spain or her subjects.