The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-16
A SPANISH THEORY
AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE
MAINE DISASTER.


tain Peral, president of the Spanish
naval court of inquiry into the cause
of the Maine disaster, granted All in
serview to the correspondent of the
Associated Press, whom he author
lied to say it was the frat and only
interview he had given any newspa-
per on the subject of the inqeiry.
Captain Peral speaks excellent Eng
lish With him in the naval court is
Lieutenant Salas. He has power to
call in for consultation any army or
navy iengineer or expert on ex
pIosiyes or marine building He has
twice called in such, and will do 80
again when necessary Captain Peral
said:
.Our divers are hard at work ex-
amioing toe hull of the Maine Great
difficulty is experienced, owing to the
deep mud in which the hull is buried
and the condition of the wreck for
ward of amidships The whole for
ward part of the ship is a mass Of
iron and steel debris. We have hoist!
ed up much of 1t !; but in the mud it
is not always possible to tell what
parts of the ship, armor, deck beams
or stanchions are found, the explosion
80 changed their positions
"We think we have located the
ram or prov. but not in the position
supposed The forward turret. mount
ing two large guns, was blown clear
off the hull into the water on the star
board We shall continue our work
and try to examine the hull forward
down to the keel 1t is possible that
we may propose to the American au-
thorities to raise the hull by means of
the AoatiDgdock brought from Eng
land and now in Havana harbor
eve cannot believe there was al
external explosion of torpedo, for
the following reasons A torpedo,
following the line Of least resistance,
must have blown great hole in the
mud at the bottom Of the harbor. No
such hole was found A torpedo
must have thrown a large mass of
water into the air if exploded at a
depth of only twenty-five feet or so,
or at least have produced wave
reaching to the other ships and the
shore of the harbor We have e1
amined every one on shipboard and
ON snore who saw the explosion, but
no one can be found who remarked
any upheaval of the warter or big
wave
"A torpedo explosion always kills
fish in the vicinity. No fish were kill
ed by the Maine disaster. as fisher
men who have known the .harbor for
many years testify To produce the
effects noted in the wreck. torpedo
would have to be of enormous size.
fully $50 or 200 kilos.
"I am therefore Of the opinion that
the explosion occurred within the
ship | know and respect Captain
slgsbee, and l believe the Amer
lean regulations affecting naval
conduct, which l have read and
found admirable, were carefully
observed But some things which
cannot be foreseen are bound to hap
~, - o,r na0v have been read
ing of the explosion on the English
ship Doterel, which the English he
lieve was caused by chemical COM
bustion in the pain. used for quick
drying. have also read an English
account of shells that we're found
burst open because of hardening
points that split and produced heat !;
thus flashing the powder in the IN
terror of the she'll
'As | have said, l do not believe
there was any carelesaness on the
part of the officers of the Maine. l
do believe there was an accident
which could not possibly have been
foreseen. Such ls my Judgment d.
present, with the facts that are in
possession of the court. When our
court of inquiry finally decides. it's
iu udgment will be in accordance with
the best evidence that can be pro.
cured. We are having plans, dla-
grams and drawings of the wreck
made as fast as the divers are able to
give US definite information f"
Captain Peral was most courteous
during the entire interview He
illustrated eome Of the points he
made by ink sketches on the desk
before him He spoke as a Judge
would whose mind was ready to
! weich anv evidence brought before