New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-17
VARIOUS VIEWS OF III.
TALKS WITH EX-NAVAL AND EN-AhMi
OFFICERS IN THIS CITY.

nr~r POSSIBLY DUE To CoMBrsTIoN
or GASES IN THE PAINT LOCKER
WHAT ADMIRAL. ERPEN.
GENERAL srcEIEs AID
OTHERS SAY.
The loss Of the Maine vas naturally tne sur
., di,,usslon among the eX-Narh oH'cerS All"
Arm, officers as we'll. now in this city. l'',"'o
rarorfer called upon number Of th"m 10 t'l Wv"
theories Of tie terTihi" disaster. one ol -" -
fa soon was CAPTAIN Alfred r. Masn, United states
w. -ot,rod who is one OF tho grcateSt naVai an-
,hor,-,os NJ the dav He declined 10 discuss me
tr,ro1v however saying: II have no iniormauo"
In the matter -ha- would Justify me IN eNp'esS''s
an opinon Sicehoe gave good advice "''e" d"
cable6 Suspend Judgment As n your que .'"" a.
70 whether. I'm my opinion. there is any danger !"
the Tinted states permitting tho Spanish cruiser
vlzcaya 20 enter Network Harbor at TINS t'me'
do not mink here g. any
Jacob W Miller. captain Of the New-fork Sun
Division. Naval Militia. and an ex-oficer OF the
Navy had This to say: Il don't know how the i'"
shirs arc slowed AS 7 haven't been on board. ana
NV examination OF he new types since left the
Navy has been perfunctory. But DO know that
the MAGAZINES are kept separate and Isolated ana 80
that no can g., ~ them that the keys are huhs
In the captain cabin and sentry stationed over
them. A. IS well known these new ships carry guns
cotton for torpolocs on board which has 10 be kept
q
the INSPECTION % Ills gun is very rigid ana Is
made day at regular hour This gun cotton has
A separate magazine Of ia own forward. ana II II
was IT All dry. it Is possible that an electric wire
may have got loose and dctona'ed Il. Tie Name
from the accounts. sank bow first. The accident
n,ight also have happened from the fact that our
ships use soft coal! and going from a cold 10 warm
climate sweats the inside OF a ship ard makes spon-
taueous combustion pQss!hla
Il do not regard the coming OF the Nzcaya as
In any way a menace 70 US but she should be 50
carefully guarded 10 prevent even the posslbil-
ity OF outside danger TO her"
OPINION OF GENERAL SGCKLES.
Daniel E. sickIes. ex-Mnster Spain and re-
tired Major General. United States Army said:
9TH. disaster occurred about 10 o'clock last night,
and all the magazines must have been locked up
by that hour What possible occasion could there
have been for going then. to the magazines when
the vessel At anchor IN Havana Haroor ana
on a friendly mission? From what kho" OF
ships there IL a large space forward at the bows
soma nftv or sixty feet In length-unoccupied
save by the crew and It was there. l understand
the explosion took place. but have seen nothihS
as yet to suggest that it was the explosion Oh
magazine However the accounts arc stil very
meagre II = Impossible as yet 70 account Tor II.
II may have been careessness on the part OF
some one on board the snip But Il IS impossible
and inconceivahle that the Spanish Government
could have had thing 90 DO with II IL wouin
be hard TO find a Spanish port where mlscreahts
do not exist who are capable Of doing 80 dastardy
a deed but they are but Outcasts and scum. ana
represent nothing save their own depravity. AND
I sbouh think there would have been little oppor-
tuulty for an outside attack for ! assume that
Captain sigsbee took extra precautions TO guard
against such q thing happening knowing as ne
must have known the bitter hostility with whlch
his ship and its crew we're Regarded ~ 'ne ~
habltants OF tho city.
81 do not regard the coming OF the spanish
cruiser Vizcaya AZ all inmical 10 this city put
think that she should be carefully guarded WINE
here n YOU will remember some uin' W '"e
a..venties a ship OF ours named the Nirginius was
seized by Spain. and her captain, one Ryan ana
sornething IKE a hundred people besides, were
shot out II hand Spain alleged that the Virg!nius
was carving a hlibustering expedition "heh inc
news reached here II caused the most prolouhu
feeling and q war with Spain seemed Inevitable
Al that time two OF SPANS best ships were In our
horbor one of the Battery and the other In the
dock OF the Brooklyn Navy Yard undergoing re-
reirs When they came take the latter snip
on, vessel Of some kind accidentally sank at
ths mouth Of the dock, and they couId hot se'
her out until the war rurnors were over. l"o
other one however lay all the time of the Bat
,orv and no evil resulted. I do not think we VIII
have a war with Spain or that the Spaniards are
as black as they are painted Ny son ls III SPail
now as Secretary with my old friend. General
Woodford and l haven't the slightest fears TOT
HE safety"
Admiral Henry Erben. United States Navy 70
tired when seer at the University Club, said: III
YOU want TO know about the Maine let me INTRO
duce YOU 10 Paymaster z. y. Whitehouse who
was attached TO the Maine for three years prior 10
last October
THE magazine for Run-cotton on the Maine
was the Paymastcrs answer to various questions
",yas forward very far forward. In fact II was
hevond the anchor-chan lockers; but ! do not
believe It exploded. for II Il had It would nave
blown everything TO bits Then. too, the sun
cotton in the magazine IS rendered non-explosive
bv being kept moist. while that which - really
FOR use IS kept on deck where Is explosion would
cause comparatively a small amount OF damage.
7 do not think either that # could have been by
spontaneous combustion Of the coal. for each coal
bunker and water bunker won. contains
tberrnostat go delicately arranged that when the
temperature reaches given point IN that par
ticular bunker a warning bell Is rung which would
cause an immediate investigation
DANGER FROM PAINTS.
"It 70 possible that It may have como from
combustion OF gases in the paint locker Combus-
ton Of the gnses given OF b. paints have been
causing trouble for very long time great
many paints come ready mixed. and are tremen-
dous generators Of gas Some years ago. when
the Atlanta was Of Hatteres IN a gale. n bat
Touchdown hatch was blown OF with great foroa
and the shin was found 10 be on fire II was hr-
terward discovered that It all came from some of
these paints and later when the news rot 10
Malta where the Chicago then was. they found
some OF tho paint that boat and threw 1t
overheard A. long ago 1853 there was man
killed on a ship which I was on IN an explosion OF
paints.
THE TWO paint lockers Of the Maine were To-
Gated vav forward In the bow ouo above the othe-.
and when the Aatch above was battened down II
seems d. mo that gas may have been generated.
The climate tie Maine VAS in would call Tor con-
SAINT palrtirg aui 30 IS probable she had lot Of
patent dryers stored 20 her lockers. as well as tho
iairfs and these dryers have always seemed 10
me dangerous. IL tbs paint room exploded IT
MIGHT have Of the gIn-cOtton magazine,
which was adjacent. ana that would have been
suficieut to send the Maine 90 bottom IN the man
rer deec-ii.d. although if that magazine I'D
plode ] should have thought the damage would
,eri than a The .NIlO-