The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-12
THE:SPANISH INQUIRY,
Tho President or the Court Talk, Very
z Calmly nn,i Con niiaonuy OH tho Cause OF
the Maine Explosion.

Tho President or the Court Talk, Very
Y Calmly nnd Con fiaonuy on tho Cause OF
the Maine Explosion.
HAVANA, March 11.--To-day Captain
Peral, president OF the. Spanish naval
court of inquiry into the cause of tho
Maine disaster, granted an interview to
the correspondent OF the Associated
Press whom he authorized TO say 1t was
the first and only interview he had given
any newspaper on the subject OF the In.
curry. Captain Peral speaks excellent
English. With him In the naval court
Is Lieutenant Salas. He has power to
call in for consultation any army or
navy engineer or expert on explosives or
marine building; and he has twice called
in such and will DO so again when neces-
sary.
Captain Peral said: "our divers are
hard at work examining the hull OF the
Maine. Great difficulty is experienced
owing TO the deep mud in which the huh
Is buried and the condition OF The wreck
forward OF amidships. The whole for
ward part OF the ship Is q mass OF iron,
and steel debris. We have hoisted much
of 1t, but in the mud 1t is not always
possible to tell what part OF the ships
armor, deck, beams or stanchlons are
found, the explosion SO changed their
positions. Il = 90
I'VE think we have located the ram or
PROV, but not in the position supposed.
The forward ';urret, mounting two large
guns, was blown clear or the hull Into (
the water on the starboard. We shall
continue our work and try to examine
the hull forward down to the keel. It is
possible that we may propose to the
american authorities to raise the hull by
means of the floating dock, brought from
England, and now In Havana harbor."
We cannot believe there was an ex-,
ternal explosion of q torpedo. for the fol-
lowing reasons: A torpedo, following the
line OF least resistance, must have blown
great hole in the mud at the bottom
or the tharbor. No such hole was found.
y torpedo must have thrown n large
mass OF water into the air II exploded at
depth Of only twenty-five feet or So,
OF, at least have produced a wave reach
the other ships and the shore of the
harbor. We have examined every one
on shlpboard or on shore who saw the
explosion; but no one can be found who
remarked any upheaval Of the water or
big wave. A torpedo explosion al (,
ways kills fish'in the vicinity No fish
were killed by the Maine disaster as
fishermen who have known the harbor
for many years testify. To have pro-
duced the effects noted in the wreck
topcdo would have to be OF enormous
size, fully 150 or 200 kilos. !.
Il am, therefore, of the opinion that
the explosion occurred within the ship.
I know and respect Captain Sigsbee.
and believe the American regulations
affecting naval conduct, which have
read and found admirable. were care-E
fully observed. But some things which
cannot be foreseen are bound to happen
in any navy. I have been reading oc
the explosion on the English ship DOL
erel, which the English believe was
caused by chemical combustion In tho
paint used for quick drying. I have
also read IN English account of shells
that were found burst open because OF
hardening points that split and pros
duced heat, thus flashing the powder in
the interior Of the shell.
AS have said, I do not believe there
was any carelessncss on the part OF the
officers OF the Maine. do believe there
was an accident which could not possl-G
bly, have been foreseen. Such is my
Judgment at present with the facts that
are In possession OF the court. When
our court Of inquiry finally decides. its {
Judgment will be In accordance with the 3
best evidence that can be procured. We
are having plans, diagrams and draw
iugs Of the wreck made rs fast rs the
divers are able to give us definite in
forlnatIon."'
# Captain Peral was most courteous
during the entire Interview. He illus
trated some OF the points he made by
sketches on the deck before him. Heg
spoke as q judge would whose mind was
ready to weigh any evidence brought
the court over which he presided.
IL should be borne In mind that Is the (
first and only Interview he has given
any one Captain iPeral requested this 4
correspondent to make 1t known that
he had granted the interview in his un \
official capacity and not as president OF
the Spanish court of Inquiry. which the
law forbids him TO do.
Weather Foreca,t for To-day.