The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-02
MAINE WRECKAGE
BEING DESTROYED
Truth Regarding Destruction
of Battleship May Never
Be Known.
VALUABLE EVIDENCE LOST
Study of Exposed Portions OF
Vessel Indicates Internal
Explosion.
VALUABLE EVIDENCE LOST

Havana, October 1.-From the man
ner in which the work on the wreck
of the Maine is proceeding. doubt is
expressed that the truth regarding tile
destruction OF that vessel Will ever
be known. The original plans contem
plated the removal OF all water and
mud within the cofferdam. exposing
the entire wreck to the view OF the
public, so that a definite conclusion
as to the cause OF the explosion could
be reached. This plan seems to have
been abandoned, and the entire wreck
Will never be seen.
The oXy-acetylene process for cut
tins away some of the debris is now
being made use of to remove the pile
of wreckage which marks the forward
part of the ship, thus effacing what
some regard as the most valuable OF
all the evidence. The fragments
which are being cut away from this
torn and twisted wreckage are being
sent to sea on barges and dumped,
thus leaving the real secret OF the dis
aster to few men.
or late there has been an effort made
to impress upon everybody. the news
paper men in particular. that the find
tngs al the naval board of inquiry,
which first investigated the Maine dis
aster. have been verified by the recent
work. Ingenious remarks and pointed
suggestions have been dropped hers
and there to make this impression
more lasting. despite the fact that
there Ia nothing tangible to support
It..
Internal Explosion Indicated.
A very careful study of the exposed
wreckage for months establishes the
conviction that all of the destruction
visible al this time was caused by in
ternal explosions. Every bend of the
steel, every twist OF the frayed edges
where 1t has been torn apart, lends
credence to this belief. 1t must be
borne In mind that the forward part
OF the Maine was literally tumbled to-
gether like a house of cards, and in
this condition the wreckage finally
settled on the bottom in positions
which might lead a casual observer to
sccredit the damage to an. external
explosion.
For instance there is a section of
the bottom which pro .rudes from the
mud vertically and which has led
some to believe that this could only
have been caused by an external ex-
plosion. in confirmation OF the original
naval inquiry, yet the entire piece is
fringed with a ragged edge. in which
all the shredded ends are doubled out
| ward
| This particular piece Is said to be
| a piece OF the keel, which Is merely an
extra heavy II" beam of steel to
which the outer bottom and the inner
bottom plates were fastened
Apparently, when the magazines ex-
| ploded they tore away the weaker
bottom structure on either side OF this
Il" beam. which was evidently broken
in two places at the points where the
two explosions were most violent, and
possibly here there were joints, and
as the heavier wreckage of the upper
structure still attached to this piece
found Its resting place on the bottom.
the fragment of keel was tilted at
right angles to its original position
No Mark of Outer Explosion.
No indentation or mark of outer
force of any nature can be seen on
this section OF bottom. which is prob
| ably twelve feet above the mud, and at
Its widest part, perhaps five or six feet.
| being somewhat oval-shapeo For
| ward OF 1t Is pile of wreckage
twisted in manner to preclu,e In
the minds OF many any belief of eSter-
nal explosion. If an exterior explosion
was responsible for the magazine cx-
ploslons no evidence Of 1t has vet
been discovered.