The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-23

,haying an interview with Mr.. Sigsbee. thu
|NcoiHma1ader of. the Maine, who expressed
~ yineshis wish that The Spanish ssinSessi
gators might hospresent at the operation:
of the American official diver. On tn,
same day i again wrote, asking for per
mission to proceed TO the examination OF
the ironclad. On the 22d i repeated m!
visit to the Mangrove.
''On the 10Th of February the authori
ties had replied, stating that, by agree
ment with the commander of the Main,
and the United States Consul General. tn,
examination requested in my letter of tn,
18th would be made as soon as those gen
tlemen received the appliances and diver:
whom they had asked for.
ION the 9th I received an important
communication, dated Feb. II, inclosine
one from his Excellency the Governor
General of this island, stating that th'
commander of the Maine. upon being con
suited as to the steps necessary to the
success of this investigation, had replied
that he expected to execute all the opera
tons necessary to the examination of the
vessel which had been under his com
mand under his own supervision. in &c
cordance with the provisions of the regu
latiOns of the American navy.
1T was at last possible to make use OF
the work of the divers, as it was dis
covered, from what they have accom-,
plished up to this date, that the hull OF
the wrecked vessel is apparently buried in
the mud. and that the examination of the
outside is impracticable, but that it may
be possible to examine the inside when
the multitude of articles of all kinds
which are lying in confusion in it have
been removed. -.
The divers, having been instructed to
examine and describe everything they
might notice at. the bottom of the bay
and nearest to the sunken vessel, reported
that they had not found in the mud which
forms the bottom any inequalities or
fissures-such as the examination Of the
bottom of the bay at the place occupied
by the Maine and the hull [caladol of
the vessel which doubtless have brought
to light, on the supposition that torpedo
had been the cause of the catastrophe.
This imaginary explosive apparatus
lartifcioI must necessarily. in this ease.
have been placed at the very bottom of
the bay or very near it. and when it ex-
ploded would have caused the gases to
react upon it, and, at the same time that
it produced greater effect upon the
wafer upward, it would have made large
assures Ideformacionesl in the mud.
wreck of the Maine, part of which is
aloat. made by the undersigned. the com
mandants of artillery, the commandment of
engineers. and the commander of the tor
pedo brigade. that, whatever may have
been the original cause of the disaster,
there is no doubt that there was an en-
plosion in the forward magazine. which
entirely destroyed the decks and bulk
heads, which now: display the appear
ance of a shapeless mass of boards. bars
and pipes of metal, very difficult to de-
scribe. In particular may be noticed a
large fragment of the forward deck.
violent manner and bent double toward the
stern by the forward stack-house, like an
immense sheet of iron. with considerable
inclination to starboard, which. upon
turning over, hurled ont of the ship the
forward turret, containing two guns.
which was situated on the starbOard side.
and another gun with a shield. which was
placed within the ship on the second deck.
When the deck was bent double. as has
been said. the smoke-stacks must have
fallen. On the present upper side of this
deck may be seen the beams and the
knees which fastened them to the sides
of the ship. ~
..The whole stern is submerged. with
of it as can be seen above the water, in
Guiding the lights IglassesI of the sky
lights of the cabin hatchways and the
glasses of one protector Iprovectorl.
The gentlemen above mentioned assert
that the injuries described could only
have been caused by the explosion OF the
forward magazine.
Notwithstanding what has been stated.
it is proper to insist upon the fact that
there is not single instance on record,
as has already been said. where the. ex-
ternal action of the torpedo against the
side of vessel has caused the explosion
of its magazines, although many vessels
are recorded as having been totally de-
stroyed by tOrpedoes, as may be proved
by C. Sleeman's work entitled 'Torpedoes
and Torpedo Warfare published in Lon
don i'll 1889, in which treatise there is n
detailed account. extending from page $50
to page 1913. inclusive. of the principal
events of this nature which have occurred
from 1885 to 1885; and this inventory of
marine disasters includes great number
of United States men-of-war which de-
stroyed Confederate vessels by means of
torpedoes.
Fl. w. Wilson's treatise, Vol. II, pub
lished in 1896, and entitled '1rOnclads in
Action; Naval Warfare from 1855 to
1885, may also be consulted on this sub
ject
''On the other hand. there are recorded
in the history of all the nations in the
world. and especially in modern times. a
prOportiOnate number of events sufficing
to prove the comparative facility with
which ships of war are liable TO become
the victims of unknown and fatal acct
dents. owing to combinations which may
result from the various and complicated
materials employed in their construction
and armament. as it is in many cases inn
possible to guard against them, except at
the cost of terrible calamities.
1.-The knowledge of the spontaneous
combustion of the coal in the coal-bunkers
is within the reach of all. and there is not
a navy officer who cannot relate some sad
episode attributed to this e~aSe.
THE danger is increased when. the coal
bunkers are separated from the powder
and ammunition magazines only by a
bulkhead of iron or steel. and it
becomes imminent when the heat devel-
oped in the coal is conveyed to the maya
zines. as has happened in several cases.
To prevent them. recourse has been had
to the study of ventilation sufficient to
prevent the accumulation of gases and
the development of caloric. taking. in addi-
= II I.