The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-26
DECLARE MAINE
BLOWN INWARD
EXPLOSIVES MIST HAVE aEEx
PLACED FROM WITHOUT
IN CONSEQUENCES
NAVY DEPARTMENT VIEW
orFt' tsLs EXPRESS TRrIa orty-
Ions ON THE CAaE AND YE
FEtr OF METHODS THAT
NIGHT HAVE nEEy IxEn

HAVANA. Sep s5.--lt has been
made e.sar THAI TIA BAIslssalp Maine
Was destroyed BY AL @xtazral saplo-
sso1- The eotraxd dam surrounding the
wreck has bean cleared ag mud. XIV
iax psr-ect sisw os the hull, what
- is<s 81 IL and Cow tor the first
tsGaa 10 revealed che double bottom
of tie #h4p with part u the ksal
forced up into a psrpaadacuiar poa.-
Tor 10 fc~t higher than ths balance
- lie ksei
4ns 4oweas. o< platform. deck ls
I-aSs o. w-sakAxs Asavs6 above
fne 81 emerged boat HAD the er-
plaaioo bean from within. both the
Ace! ana platform deck wosaa have
assc blown downward and outward
instead OF up-
II - tie beict here that huge
boiler. probably n sugar mill boi.er
u isrSs caak loaded with powerful
expaoEsea, was used 10 blow up lie
Maine
90 Interest In Navy Department.
WASHINGTON, .. C. Sept. Ia
Vhe story printed Sunday declaring
bnat the clearing away Of the eresa-
age 81 the old battiesh!p Maine has
proved conoiusively by the position
oe part OF the vessel that the dis
sstsr was due TO al enormous mine
vas OF especial interest to the Navy
department and to the engineers of
the War Department who have In
charge the raising OF the wreck
Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright.
who was executive officer OF the Mains
on the night she Was blown up, ex-
pressed the opinion that If the story
be true the result will only bear ous
The findings OF the court OF inquiry.
Admiral Wainwright said;
I always have held to the opinion
that the wreck was due to an exter~
mai cause primarily, and 1t Is graft
tying to notice that the actual view
Of the wreck sustalns what we al
ways have considered as proved. Part
Of the keel. or "a piece of it. with
pls ties OF tAa upper deck, were above
water when the navy abandoned the
Maine There is nothing particular
u new In tho fact that this piece OF
keel has come to light again.
Bixby ON 1.-The Cause"
Il think If 1t IL not true now that
II has been proven that the Maine
was blown up from outside, the re
suit of the present wrecking of the
Maine Will make II turn out to be
true"
Rear Admiral Reginald Nicholson.
AGING Secretary Of the Navy. did not
care TO discuss the matter, preferring
10 leave TO officers on the spot at
Havana the task of doing 80.
General william II. Bixby. chief
OF engineers, who was Ia charge or
the work, said.
There liz nothing In sight now at
the wreck OF the Maine to show what
y,
ntFer has been. and there may nevar
he.
The statement has been made that
tho wreck Is high and dry. and held
up with chainB. This is not SO. What
lay observers have seen Is not stan
@hions. or chains, holding up any
part OF the wreck. but wooden posts.
chained together. which hold up our
water pipes used for pumping the wa
ter out
Three Months Work Yet.
There IL nothing more to be seen
at the wreck OF the Maine now than
there xas to be seen "a month ago.
when we stopped pumping Temporal
rliy. The present engineering sit
uauon Is that we are getting ready
to pump TO lower level.
Rear Admiral Caps has gone To
the wreck for tho sole purpose Of
oslhg present to give the naval in
spector on duty there all the time of
an orncer OF greater age and expert
ence, to aid him In identifying va
rious pieces OF the wreck when they
are brought to light
Neither Admiral Capps nor anv
one else has seen anything more than
was TO be seen when we pumped down
TO ~ feet below the upper deck. and
1t VIII certainly be two, perhaps three,
months more before we pump down
Tar enough to expose the keel"