The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-06-14
THE EXPLOSION
OF THE MAINE
Some Theories in Regard
Thereto.
Chief ENGINEER OF U. S. NAVY
Explains That of Necessity
Explosion Must Have
Occurred Within.
PERTINENT MATTER JUST NOW


by Government direction after being
submerged thirteen years, the North
American Review for June prints
In full a letter written under date
of January 20, 1902, by Rear Ad-
miral Melville, then Engineer-in-
Chief Of the United States navy, to
Thomas B. Reed, then Speaker of
the House of Representatives. The
following paragraphs show the pur-
port of the communication and may
throw some light on the reasons
why the Maine has been so long
left to rot at the bottom of Havana
harbor:
THE more study and reflection /
give to this question, the more con-
WINGED l am that the destruction OF
the Maine was due to an internal
lexplosion. In giving this opinion,
there is no desire nor intention to
reflect either upon the discipline or
morale of the ship, nor upon the
sincerity of the views Of the Court
OF Inquiry.
'In the history of explosives the
whole weight of evidence goes to
show that when a warship is de-
stroyed either by a mobile or sta
tionary torpedo, the flow of water
through the rupture is so rapid in
to the ship that it will be a rare
exception when an internal explo-
sion follows. From an engineering
standpoint this phenomenon can be
accounted for by the fact that there
are Innings to magazines and that
boilers rest on saddles, thus giving
Just enough cushioning to prevent /
the shock from being directly trans
mitted.
'In view OF the experience of our
own. vessels as well as from data Sc J.
cured from the series of five-hun-
dred-pound guncotton discharge (
against her Msiesty's ship Oberon.
conducted in 1875, IT can be stated
with a good deal of certainty that,
had the disaster to the Maine been
caused by anything but an internal
explosion, the effects would have
been absolutely different from those
when the explosion is within,
heavy flames arise, debris is scat
.ered and there is a great mass of
smoke shot directly above the YES
Iel. The rupture is great and ir-
'egular and havoc is general. When
he explosion is from without, the ,
lamage Is not local. the effect often
,eing noted for miles distant from G
he scene. ,
In the destruction of the Maine q,
APT. Sigsbee states that there was :
bursting, rending and crashing ;
ound or roar of immense volume. Il
argely metallic in its character. II 9
vas succeeded by a metallic sound .
probably of falling debris-a n
and lurching motion of I
be vessel The passengers of the
lily of Washington, which vessel
'as only about three hundred feet
istant on the Names port quarter, "
eclare that a few seconds after b
caring the report of the explosion G
here came forth from the center t.
the ship a terrible mass of fire al
nd then things went over their Of
eads. The flames were seen a few bi
sconds after the explosion. These
were eyewitnesses of the CT
fair, for they were on the deck of sc
leir steamer when the Maine blew IN,
"a point that will ALWAYS mill OF
tie AGAINST the submaTine-mine eli
cory is that no considerable body a
water was thrown uD by the ex- 81
osion. Il was no moderate charge w
explosive which DESTROYED the in
lttleship. and any excessive NJ
Mount exploded In harbor whose Iof
'pth did not exceed thirty feet be
uld not have failed to have sent ip
nth great volumes of water. Is Il wi
It also possible that the explosion Isl
light have occurred in this wise? an
first small explosion or deton- Il