Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-29
GUNNERS' MATE SMITH
Tells What He Saw When He Went Down
Into the Wreck-Many Shells Found r.
exploded and Uniujured.

Ieis Hhat ne ga" "heh lie Went Down
Into the Wreck-Many Shells Found n,
exploded and Uniujured.
Gunners Mate Smith described hi,
first descent as diver
which landed him in the ten.
inch shell room. The shells vera
there in good order, most Of them Doss
up, but some tOppled over by the sbocs
of the explosion, which had wrecked
the woodwork of the magazine and
blown the aft bulkhead over from nor,
to starboard. He crawled over this
bulkhead and down behind it found
ten-inch powder tank bent and dented
but not exploded. It was intact with
powder and cartridge bags.
On his next descent, he went down
from the port crane, following the side
of the ship down till he struck plates
that were blown from port to starbo2rl
inboard.
He followed these plates down till he
came to the siX-inch shell still in the
sings used for sending them out Of the
shell room. They were lying with
their noses up, pointing to starboard.
The forward part of the siX-inch re-
serve magazine seemed to have been
blown away altogether. The ragged
edges of the steel floor TO the Shell
room were turned up and Smith walk
ed over them out into the mud.
Coming back from his trip into the
outer submarine world, the diver came
across a lot of six-pounder shells aud
shell cases, some Of them
NOT EVEN BROKEN AWAY
from the shells.
Lying right across the middle Of The
ten-inch shell room he found an armor
plate that had been torn away IRON
the ships side. These pieces taper
toward the bottom which is thus easy
to stinguish. The plate on being
ripped loose by the explosion had
turned complete somersault and
landed with the thick edge in the mud
and the plate leaning obliquely over
the wreck of the she'll room. There
were six-inch powder tanks scattered
over the ten-inch she'll room, most O,
them split A number of them were
sent up, but more remained.
On his fourth trip down, he slid dow
the outside of the ship by the por
crane. The skin of the ship" he said.
lis in good condition till you come :.
the Jagged opening leading into ths
six-inch shell room before mentionea.
Here the steel edges are blown III
ward"
Crawling into the hole he felt the
double bottom and the jagged edges
of the cement turned up.
He described in detail the ten-iued
powder tanks found here, none Of them
apparently exploded, but with the so.-
dered seams split and the cases tiatteD-
ed. Some lids were to be found.
Witness was questioned very closely
as to the plates he found blown inward
and whether they might not have been
buIkheads, but he insisted that the'
were the outside skin Of the ship near
the bottom and located accurately Oh
the plans about the middle of the SIX
inch shell room where, lin q big err
Gle. there is none of the Outside Of t6s
ship left at all.
He said he had not been into the irn-
inch magazine on the starboard slde'
which was buried
UNDER A MASS OF WRECkAGh.
He did not find the forward JuIaJ
but it was missing from the Wa'7
where it belonged.
The importance Of this TESTIMONY t''
ed il TO be gone over and over az u ar
additional questions along the iine p .r.a.
indicated were put, but they on,F S.'',
to point out more clearly that abite
the six-inche shell room the who
the ship had disappeared from th' IT,
bed TO water line, and the EGG M
rent were turned inward Fuf.h '
ten-inch magazine had not cNpic"tI
Gunner's Mate Smith. who had pi'Et'
w testified was recalled. He i''t
three trips down in diving dress on
ruars' g. During one Of these he -'-N-
the break in the keel where thr sh'
back was broken by the eNpi"s,'l 5s
there found a hole in the bottom ~.
harbor about seven feet deep anna
feet in diameter. The mud IN the boz m
of this hole was harder than ,lSeN
and one did not sink over il lnoh-' 10,
In this hole he found a tin about - ~
There was a place in it Rith .
square hole where a gasket had 9'''
said ''and I sent 1t to MIR Po|ei-9. GA,
Chief Gunner Charles Morgan. ~
in charge of the divers. CnrfY'1-1
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