Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-12
THE SOUND THEORY
OF the Maine Explosion by Joseph Gibbins.
Who Furnished the Mines-Connivance
of Two Officials Needed to Close Circuit.
Separate Keys Necessary.

of Two officials Needed to Close Circuit.
separ rate Keys Necessary.
New York World.
Joseph Pauell Gibbins. the electrician
who supplied submarine mines to the
Spanish government, cables from Lon
don:
The only submarine mines which
have been supplied to the Spanish gov
eminent since 1867 were manufac-
tured under my own patents | then
supplied them with fifty-six ground
mines, twenty-five buoyant mines, each
with a charge of 500 pounds of gun
cotton, and fifteen electro-contact
mines. exploded on contact or by OBJ
servation from shore, each containing
a charge of 100 pounds of gun cotton.
''The mines sent to Havana would
still
RETAIN FULL EFFECTIVENESS.
They will last under water for an in
definite period.
In 1862 the Spanish government
ordered a fresh supply of my patent
mines. Whether they went to Ha-
vana or not is immaterial
One of the mines supplied in 1880
is still fully capable of causing the de-
struction of the Maine. In fact, | am
convinced from all surrounding cir
cumstances. that no other agency could
have caused it.
In direct contradiction of the asser-
tons of the secretary of the Spanish
legation at Washington, and OF General
Weyler, that there are no submarine
mines in Havana harbor,
l ABSOLUTELY AFFIRM
that | shipped the above mines Tor
Havana and Ferrol on Spanish snip,
the property of the Spanish govern
ment and Differed by Spanish naval
officers, with the two captains, al the
West India dock, London.
INV mines are in electrical connec-
ton with the shore, and it is quite I'M
possible that they could be exploded
except by design.
Il am convinced also that the eX-
plosion of the mine which destroyed
the Maine was the work of one or Two
men, for these reasons:
"First-A vessl swinging e1tner an
chored or moored, upon striking the
circuit-closer case, would merely crop
a shutter on the keyboard on shore
warning the officer N charge mat
SHE WAS IN CONT ACT
nth the mine.
"Secund-Peiure tie Officer is in a
position to fire the mine he must oD-
tain one of two keys. One is generally
kept by the commandant. the other by
the officer in charge of the firing sta
IL thon unlock the glass
door over which the shutter has fallen
and insert a red danger plug in the
insulated switch.
.sThird-He must insert a plug in
the switch of the firing battery earth
plate.
'Fourth-The fring-key hammer
must be pressed on to the contact an
vii to complete the circuit that eX-
plodes the detonator, by which the
mine in turn is exploded.
Il have not the slightest hesitation
in saying that the Maine was deliber-
ately destroyed with 500-pound
ground mine. as invented and supplied
by me-
There is a consensus Of opinion that
the first explosion
WAS EXTERN AL
This is established on the following
grounds:
THE forward magazine contained
$500 pounds of gunpowder, which
might blow up the decks, but it is
problenatical whether it would be
capable of igniting the $500 pounds OF
powder in the middle magazine. Even
if it did, the explosion of both would
be quite incapable of decorating the
$500 pounds of wet guncotton in the
after magazine Had that quantity OF
guncotton been detonated, not YES
tige of the Maine would remain.
The only practical way OF discover
ing the mine that sunk the Maine Is
by undermining the cable from shore
to the junction box. and thence under
running each individual cable to the
mine, until one was found without a
mine attached.
Il am satisfied that the exlosion was
caused by a ground mine-not by a
buoyant mine-for Havana harbor is
too shallow to admit of the latter.
Il am prepared to satisfy, by dem
onstration, any jury of reasonable
men, that this is the true explanation
OF the destruction of the Maine"