The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-29

IL.
oulkhsad between the main and berth
decks at the coming tower support led
been blown aft on both sides, but a great
deal more on the port than on the star
board side. The protective deck under
the coming tower supports was bent in
two directions, the plates on the starboard
side being bent up and on the port side
bent down
Just forward of the coming tower, Tn
derneath the main deck, two beams met
at right angles; one beam was broken and
pushed from port to starboard. A grating
| was found on the poop awning just for
ward of the after searchlght.
A piece of the side plating just abaft of
| the starboard turret was visible.
This plate was bent outward and then
the forward end bent upward and folded
| backward upon itself
| This plate was sheared from the rest of
| the plating below.
Referring TO his notes made of things
on the Maine, Ensign Powelson stated that
the arc of the engine room telegraph and
| the shaft of the steering gear coming down
! through the armored tube (turreO was
! bent from port to starboard The port side
/ of the protective deck was covered with
the greasy deposit: the starboard side be-
| ing compare lively free from It.
| The forward smoke pipe hatch between
the main and superstructure decks did not
show signs of the internal pressure of
! gases.
On the main deck forward of the con-
! ming tower, where the fore and after angle
| bulb beam was located, the planking was
| blown off the only remaining plate of the
main deck on the port side, while the wood
! was still attached TO that part Of the star
! board side between the coming tower
base and the turrets. What witness saw
would indicate that the pressure lifted the
! protective deck on the starboard side held
fast and bent the deck downward.
| Witness thought The ship on the port
| side was entirely gone opposite a point
| indicated on diagram handed the court,
1t was entirely blown out.
Ensign Powelson was recalled on Feb.
! Is and showed the plans of the Maine,
from which he had identified the bottom
! plates that were blown up through the
| upper deck. The finding of these plates
/ on top of the wreck clear above water
was among the first and most important
| points of evidence clearly disproving the
| possibility of AN internal explosion.
After infinitely describing the bottom
plates with their green coating of paint
and the other marks by which they were
! identified, Ensign Powelson stated that
they must have been blown up thirty-eight
of thirty-nine feet to reach their present
| position.
Besides the bottom plates, Ensign Powell
! son found some pipes from the bottom
compartment lodged in the angle of the
| bottom plates that protruded above the
water. The berth deck over this bottom
compartment was also on top of the wreck
! and twenty feet forward of the plates,
while this section of the main deck had
| disappeared. The diver who had been
| working for Ensign Powelson on this in
vestigation informed him he had found
| the ammunition for the 6-inch magazine
| pushed over to the starboard side.
Ensign PowesOn. after diagramming the
wreck, was convinced that the bottom
was thrown UP and not out.
Ensign Powelson said that on Feb. 26 the
diver, Olsen, reported to him that on COM
! ing UP from below he had followed the
! forward and after wings of the V-shape
| made by the bottom plating at frame sew
| enteen and said on the forward wing of
the V the plates ran down on very steep
slant and then turned under and out IN
der the starboard side, that just above
where the plates turned to go under the
starboard side he found two dents, as if
the plating had been buged in between
the frames from outside in. Olsen said
he had explored the after wing of the V
and had found a semi-circular hole about
! two feet in diameter with rivet holes all
around it. He said that semi circuiar hole
was about twenty feet from the top of
the V made by the bottom plating. He
! said the plate presented a Jagged appear
| ance. as if it had been torn, and that
crack had extended from the bottom edge
I to the senai-crcGlar hole to a distance of
| about eight inches, and that the plates
about this hole were bent away from the
green side of the plating.
The Judge advocate asked Ensign Pow
elson how he looked upon Olsen's testi-
mony, in view of his knowledge of the
Maine and the drawings of the vessel. He
replied that he regarded it as extremely
accurate
The Judge advocate asked Ensign Pow
elson what he deduced from Olsens testi-
mony received from the diver that fore
noon together with such information as
he had had before. MIR. Powelson replied
! that he thought the explosion occurred
! on the port side somewhere about frame
/ IS, center of impact.
When requested further as to Whit he
regarded as the cause of the injurieg, En-
sign Powelson said: "On the bottom
| forward where a frame was thrown up
! it would seem to me the force was com
municated some distance through the wa
! ter. because it was lifted UP instead of
! being battered in. It was force that was
| cushioned in some way, because
! the diver tells me there was a. bulge in
| plates between the two frames, and such
| force as that would be a cushion pres
sure. So the plates in that part of the
! ship not having been brokeii in, this ex-
plosion may have occurred aft and the
frames forward of the transverse armor
being weaker than they are aft, the ship
might have been lifted UP there by this
cushion pressure from further aft"
Ensign Powelson said: oliver Smith
went down the ships SIDE and examined
the backing of the arm1r. That looked
to be the place where the plate was gone,
the wood backing six or seven inches
thick was splintered and the splinters
pointed inward"
Ensign Powelson ss.nt schluter, on the
morning of the 5th, 100 examine the plat
ing on the port side abaft the crane, just
under the main deck. The outside plating
he found was bent Sharply from outside
| In making an acute angle at the water
way
On Feb. a. Chief Gunner Charles Nor
gan. who was in charge of the divers, was
called. On first going down in diving
dress. he said lie landed in mass Of
split and broken powder tanks of six and
ten-inch ammunition. He found what he
thought was tie ceiling and sides of the