New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-29
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to the precautions taken on board the Maine
against spontaneous combustion He said ths order
had been to Inspect the eunkers every day ana
log IT, In the case OF the bunkers that had an
escape door they had always opened these doors
He was on duty on the day before the explosion.
The coal in bunker A 10. he said had been stored
either IN Norfolk or In Newport News. There was
! about forty tons OF II. and X was SOFT coai. mo
bunkers Immediately after were empty The door
leading from the bunker 10 the l0-inch lodgeroom
kept closed.
Asked his opinions a. 70 what effect heat gen.
Grated In a bunker which had become lighted BY
spontaneous combustion in the bottom would have
upon the upper part Of the bottom and the bulk
heads Mr. Bowers said II could be very materially
noticed
As to the condition OF the after boilers he said
they were practically banked and were In good con-
dition and he did not consider that there was any
danger Of their having too much pressure In them
for safety on the evening OF the explosion The
safety valves blow he said. about 100 pounds and
only 50 TO 100 carried for auxiliary purposes
They had the usual thermostats in the bunkers.
but as these instruments did not work very well
the bunkers examined daily by feeling. Mr.
Bowers said there had never been IRE from
spontaneous combustion in the bunkers They had
once thought they had such a fire. but II was from
a leaky exhaust-pipe from the ice-machine
Mr. Bowers testified that on the day OF the ex-
plo.ion the boilers were In normal condition. and
LIEUTENANT HOLMAN'S EVIDENCE.
Lieutenant George NJ. F. Holman who performed
the duty OF navigator and ordnance officer and was
In charge Of the electric plant. testified that all pos
sible precau,lon taken TO prevent accident The
temperature OF the Magazines was taken daily one
hundred and nifty or one hundred and sixty tanks OF
powder slowed In forward l0nch magazines
representing scventy-nve or eighty charges Inc
electric wires were separated from the magazine by
~ ola Ia o.
time Of the explosion to indicate that anything was
the matter with the electric works. The explosion
was in the forward part OF the vessel II shook the
frame violently; sounded like a low heavy grume-
ling. followed by a heavy booming explosion.
II, was precisely similar to many other submarine
explosions that have heard. except that u was On
a larger scale. A submarine explosion always gives
two shocks--one transmitted by the water; tho
other Immediately a.terward. the atmospheric
shock The lights put out AZ once. MY nrst
impression was that the ship had been attacked !
called TO the rest Wa have been torpedoed Get
up on deck
The examiner referred 10 Holman's large ex-
perience in matters Of explosives and asked his
impression OF the whole AFFAIR lie said MY I'm.
prcss,on not yet verified by divers bindings 10 that
a very heavy mine went on under the Names Dot
tom The noise produced by heavy mine wou'd
be great In itself, and adding 10 the second eN-
plosion. would make the two practically one ana
the .ame exp,osion From the noise alone could
not tell whether the magazines also went on
Lieutenant Holman followed chief Engineer
Howell on the third day He desired 20 correct MS
former evidence abou, the amount OF sau'ns pow
der on board /, must have been considerably more
than 200 pounds The ordinary temperature OF the
dynamo room was not far from ~ degrees
serious rise In the temperature OF coal bunker J"
which abutted on A portion OF the dynamo room
would not have been noticed unless u set nre %
the woodwork In the bulkhead. lie couid eohee'Ne