The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-04-21
he bay from the sewage

of the bay from the sewage OF
nearly four centuries. No accident
has yet happened, but the wreck IS
continual peril to navigation. The
passenger ships from New York. New
Orleans, Mexico and Florida anchor
Immediately around il.
There have been many theories in
regard TO the cause Of the explosion,
and the subject has been probably
discussed more in Havana than any
where else. Every atom of light that
could be thrown upon the mystery
and every cleW TO its cause has been
discussed over and over. until public
opinion here has now practically de-
termined that the tragedy was due
not to a torpedo or any other external
cause, but to the explosion Of the
powder in the forward magazine of
the ship, caused by heat from EpOn-
taneOus combustion in the coal
bunkers. This conclusion is said to
have been strongly supported by the
survey of the contractors who under
took to raise the wreck. Their divers
made very different reports from
those given to the court of inquiry
shortly after the tragedy, and main
Tain that almost all me damage is
found in the forward part of the ship,
in the neighborhood of the magazine;
that there are unmistakable evidences
of hot fire in the coal buLkers i'm
mediately next to the magazine, with
nothing but a sheet o. iron One-fOUrth
of an inch thick between the fire and
the powder.
There is a curious story connected
with the explosion OF the Maine
which has had considerable weight
with superstitious people, and also
with haTd-headed, practical, sensible
men, like Senator Frye, Admiral
Bradford and others from the state
of Maine, who know the character
and antecedents of the wife of a drug
gist in the city of Lewiston, who saw
the tragedy rehearsed in dream the
night that it occurred She is not
professional clairvoyant; she does
not pretend to possess supernatural
powers, but has fOTetOld local events
in that community in a most extra
ordinary manner, until the people
credit her with the gift of divinatiOn
and the power of prOpheSy-
This woman never saw battleship
and she never saw a fortress; she was
never in Havana, nor had she ever
read a description of the harbOr or
surroundings of that city. She was
entirely ignorant of the existence OF
the battleship Maine; she was not
aware that any vessel of the United
States navy was at Havana, but upon
awakening one morning she told her
husband what she had seen in a
dream. He was so much impressed
that after breakfast he stopped in the
Office of one Of the most reputable
lawyers Of the city, who returned with
him to his house and heard the woman
repeat her story. She described the
harbOr of Havana, the CabanaS fort
ress and the anchorage of the Maine
with great detail, and she said that
she saw two men in the uniform OF
Spanish officers. which she described,
although she had never seen il in LeT
life, hold a heated controversy in a
small room IN the fortress. where an
electric switchboard, ike that in the
telephone exchange in Lewiston. was
connected with wires that ran down
into the water TO floating tOrpedOes,
which she also infinitely described
After their controversy the younger
of the two officers, protesting earnest
" against being compelled 10 obey
such an order and threatening 10
throw the entire responsibility upon
his superior, went to the switchboard
and pulled a brass pug from one
socket and put IL in another. There
upon a terrible explosion occurred in
stantly and the ship in the haTbOr
which she had described and called
the Maine, was blown TO fragments
and sunk TO the bottom.
About five hours later came the
news Of the destruction of the battle