The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 29, 1898, Page 4

FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1898. TESTIMONY TAKEN BY THE COURT The Disaster Shown to Due to Treachery Brave Men Who on the Battle-Ship and Other Witnesses Prove an Ex- ternal Explosion. TASHINGTON, March 28.—The im- m-nse mass of testimony taken by the Maine Court of Inquiry was sent to the Senate to-day, and with the President’s essage and findin of the court re ferred to the Committee on Foreign Re- ations. The testimony W taken on eighteen different days, the eenth day and over being devoted to viewing the wreck. Every witness who was known to have any information that could throw light upon the great di s called to give his testimon The story of the destruction of the ve: sel is to-day not graphically given, but in 2 manner which gives all the ob- tainable fac No technical detail is omitted. E movement and inci- dent connected with the Maine from the time she left Key West until the last diver examined the wreck slowly sinking in the mud of Havana harbor is stated. It is a story intens s £ rery ly interesting to the people. who read it could have littl as to whether there was an inter external explosion Perhaps the significant testimony is that the bottom plates the port the fll-fated Maine to bent inward and upward, a resuit hardly could have followed any- g save an explosion from the out- A mass of testimony is sub- showing the care exercised on ship by Captaln Sigsbee and the apparent impos t occurring by an in- h as the heating ot eous combustion or upon which so many the- ny of Captain Sigsbee Is test jortance and per- more neral interest than other man called. With 1 minuteness ne gives account of the management of the how she was handled, how ©d into Havana, her anchorage and h about it and, in hich the Gov: desires tu of rn- be in the anchor was considered dan- I d charge of the divers ar from day to day what the di- vers found. This officer was minutely informed as to the construction of the Maine and everything about her. Hi testimony was to a certain extent tech- nical, bearing upon the construction of Jthe ship, her plates, etc., but it w from these plates and this technical knowledge that he was able to declare that the exj ion took place from the divers, Morgan, Olsen and important ev nce. They testified that the plate were bent inward on the bottom port le and outward on the starboard side. othing in the testimony fixes re- sponsibility, but although consniracy Is app: it, no knowledge of the planting of a mine is shown. Captain Sigsbee states that a somewhat bitter feeling ed aeainst the American ship and ricans generally, and a witness whose name is suppressed tells of ove hearing a ation among Spanish officers and a citizen indicating a fore- knowledge of the destruction of the Maine by intention to blow her up. An official of the American Consulate tells vf information received anonymous that a conspiracy ex t nothing was definitely stat- which fixes any responsiblility upon | 1in or her subjects. . FITZHUGH L conve tending to show Isted. B ed SUL-GENERAL E ap- thé court March His testi- the official fcrmalities p s arrival. On Jan 24 he sage from the State Department the Maine woald be sent t~ H; frie Visit to resume the regu- lar status of naval relations between the two e ries, and was ordered to make ar- rangement at t palace or the interchange of official courtesfes. After a call at the e sent the State Department a mess g “‘Authoritles profess t think 1 States has ulterior purposes in sending it will obstruct autonomy and ement, and most probably a dem- onstrat Ask that it be not done until they get instructions from Madrid. Say that it friendly purpose, as claimed, del 16 unim- | ortant.”” P "Was too late, however, the Maine having plready salled. She arrived next day and re- ported her arrival at the State Department. CAPTAIN SIGSBEE in testifying before the urt of Inquiry said that he umed com- nd of the Maine April 10, 187, and that his )‘arrived in the harbor of Havana the la 1898 The authorities at H. Vana knew of the Maine's coming, Consul-Ge: tral Lee having informed the autho Sording to official custom r he took on an official pilot, sent by the ain of the Port | 5¢ Havana, the ship was berthed intheman-of- wvar anchorage off the Machina, or the Shear. and according to his understanding it was one of the regular buoys of the place. He then stated that he had been fn Havana | n 1572 and again in 1855, He could not state r the Maine was placed in h for men-of-war, but said that he had rd remarks since the explosion, using Cap- Stevens, temporarily in command of the | Y line steamer City of Washington, as au- y for the statement, that he had never } in all his experience, which covered to Havana for five or six years, a man- | »f-war to be anchored at that buoy; that he | {ad rarely known merchant vessels to be an- hored there, and that it was the least used buoy in the harbor. In describing the surroundings when first moored to this buoy, Captain Sigsbee stated that the Spanish man-of-war Aifonso XIT was knchored in the position now occupied by the | Fern, about 200 yards to the morthward and | rd of the Maine. The German ship au was anchored at the berth now oc- the Spanish man-of-war Le Caspe, bont 400 yards about due north from i “He then located the German man Charlotte, which came into the hai o later and which was anchored d of the Maine's berth about 500 yards. In describing the surroundings at the fime of the explosion, Captain Slgsbee stated that the Aght was calm and still. The Alfonso XII vas at same berth. The small Spanish at Le Caspe had come out the day d by the | enau, which hington was to the south and slightly on the port rth_occu, taken the b taking on aled in- the at Key West, coal being regularly about tons spected nd taken from the Government coal pile. Th 1 was placed generally in the | forward bunkers. No report was received from the Ch sincer that any coal had been very lon the bunkers and that the fire alarms in the bunkers were sensitive. The regulations regarding inflammables and paints on board, Captain Sigshee testified, were strictly carried out in regard to storage and that the waste also was subject to the same careful disposition. As to the situation of the paint room, he fixed it as in the ‘‘eyes of the ship,” just below the berth deck. the extreme forward compartment. The inflammi bles were stored in chests according to the) | on vt There were only two or three of the Sp military. officers who came on board, according to the captain, they the usual | to the Maine Be Solely Escaped Death s TRnRNR WOODFORD SURE OF PEACE 1895, by James Bennett. March s, Gordon Copyrighted, MADRID, 29.—Al- though the American Minister, « al Woodford, sturdily re- fuses to be interviewed, it has come to my knowledge that he this morning a prominent gentleman in Madrid to whom he stated that he was entirely confident an early and effective peace wouid soon be assured be- tween Spain and the United States, a peace that would be consistent with the honor of the Spanish people and that would secure justice to Cuba and ef- saw fective protection to the great American interests in that is- land. in | were allowed to the Aamiral's slations and when inflam of chest capacity the: in the bathroom excess electric plant of the Maine stated that there was no s nor sudden flaring up of the the explosion, but a sudden and As for r the artment. himself and conv »fficer as to the vario the contents of the maga- to the opinion of this of- Sigsbee, the temperatures a dangerous point hink there was any laxity in this .’ said the captain, replying to a | of Judge-Advocate Marix. He had tion of any work going on In the ine or shellrooms on the day of the ex- plosion. The were called for in the usual 1y on the day in question and were properly returned. At the time of the disaster the two af temy the ordnance atures and \ccordin well an. ficer, as were 1 ‘I do st rec berths in the after fireroom were in use because the hydraulic system was somewhat leaking. Speaking generally of the relations with the | Spanish authorities, Captain Sigsbee stated that with the officials they were outward cordial. The. members of the autonomistic c ncil of the Government, however, seem to | have brought to the attention of the Navy | De rtment the fact that he did not visit them, | and that fact brought embarrassment to the Government at Washington. He took the | ground to the department that it was unknown sette to call on the civil men of the I Government other than the n Without walting for such an order, C Sigsbee made a visit afterwards, and, states, was ntly received, and his was promptly returned by certaln members of the council. ~ A part ladies and gentlemen called and the President of the council made Captain Sigsbee could not un- but which was interpreted to him whom he re i v, said Captain Sigsbee, “‘was af ds printed in at two papers in Havana, but the terms made me favor auton- omlstic Government in the isiand. I am in- formed that the autonomistic government in | Havana is unpopular among a large cla Spanish and Cuban residents. I have no means of knowlng whether my apparent Interference | in the political concerns of the island had any relation to the destruction of the Maine.’ When asked whether there was any demon- tion of animosity by people afloat, Captain Sigsbee sald that there was never on shore | as he was informed, but there was afloat. He ted that on the first Sunday after the rrival a ferry boat, crowded densely le civil and military, returning from a bull fight at Regla, passed the Maine, and about forty people on board indulged in’ vell ing, whistling and derisive calls. During the stay in Havana Captaln Sigsbee took more than ordinary precautions for the protection of the Maine by placing sentries on the forecastle and poop, quarantine and signal boys on the bridge and on the poop the guard was especially in- out for the port Eangws and the officer of the deck and quartermaster were especially Instructed to look out for the starboard gangway; a quart s kept on deck ight; sentries’ Cartridge boxes were filled. their arms kept loaded, a number of rapid-fire ammunition kept in the pilot- room and in the spare captain’s room and un- r the after superstructure were kept addi- tional supplies of shells, close at hand for the | second battery am was kept up in two boil- ers instead of one and positive instructions were given to watch carefully all the hy- draulic guns and report defects. He said he had given orders to the maste at-arms and the order to Keep a careful eye everybody that came on board and to care- fully observe any packages that might be held, on ihe supposition that dynamite or other high explosive might be employed, and afterward to inspect the routes these people had taken and not to lose sight of the order. Te states that very few people visited the ship, Lieutenant- Commander Walnwright being rather severe were constrained and not desirous of accept- ing much courtesy. This visit was during the of the captain. He sald he made every effort to have the Spanish officers visit the ship to show good will, according to the spirit of the Maine’s visit to Havana, but with the exceptions stated no mlilitary officers of Spain visited the ship soctally. Captain Sigsbee then went into details re- garding the precautions in force, and espe- cially in relation to quarter watches, which, he said, had never been rescinded. ' One of the cutfers was in the water at the time of the accident and’ one of the steam launches was riding at the starboard boom. The cap- said that the night was qulet and warm, at he remembered hearing distinctly thé of the bugle at tattoo, which was very pleasant. Stars were out, the sky, however, being overcast. The Maine at the time of the _explosion was heading approximately northwest, pointing toward the shears. He was writing at his port cabin table at the time of the explosion and was dressed. He then went into a description of (he ex- plosion when he felt the crash. He character- ized it as a bursting, rending and crashing sound or roar of immense volume, largely me- tallic in its character. It was succeeded by a metallic sound, probably of falling debris, a trembling and 'lurching motion of the ve: sel, then an impression of subsidence, at- tended by an eclipse of electric lights and in- tense darkness within his cabin. He thought immediately that the Maine had been blown up and she was sinking. He hurried to the starboard cabin, but chanzed his course to the passage leading to the syperstructure. Then | he detailed the manner of meeting Private | Anthony. which is much the same as has been published. s Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright was on deck when Captain Sigsbee emerged from the passageway. and turning to the orderly he asked for the time, which was given at 9:40 p. m. Sentries were ordered placed about the ship and the forward magazine flooded. He called for perfect silence. The surviving offl- cers were about him at the time on the poop. Fe was informed that both forward and after magdzines were under water. Then came faint crics and white floating bodies in the water. Toats were at once ordered lowered, but only two were found available, the gig and whale- boat. They were lowered and manned by offi- cers and men, and by the captain’s directions they left the ship and helped to save the wounded jointly with other boats that had ar- rived on the scene. Fire amidships by this time was burning flercely and the spare am- munition in the pit of the house was explod- ing. At _this time Lieutenant-Commander Wain- wright sald he thought the 10-inch magazine | forward had been thrown nup into the burning mass and might explode. Everybody was then | airected to get into the boats over the stern, | which was done, the captain getting inta the #iz and then proceeding to the City of Wash- | in ington, where he found the wounded in the dining’ salon being carefully attended by the officers and crew. He then went on deck and observed the wreck for a few minutes and gave directions to_have a muster taken on board the City of Washington and other ves- sels and sat down in the captain’s cabin and dictated a telegram to the Navy Department. Various Spanish officlals came on board and expressed sympathy and sorrow for the acci- dent. The representatives of General Blanco and of the admiral of the station were among the Spanish officials who tendered thelr sym- pathies. About four or five men were found that night who survived. By the time Captain quarter deck it was his impression that an overwhelming explosion had occurred. When he came from the cabin he was practically blinded for a few seconds. His only thought was for the vessel and he took no note of the phenomenon of the explosion. In reply to the direct question of whether any of the maga- zines or shell rooms were blown up the Cap- tain sald it was extremely difficult to come to any conclusion. The center of the explosion was beneath and a little forward of the con- ning tower on the port side. In the region of the center or axis of the explosion was the six-inch reserve magazine, which contaned very little powder, about 300 pounds. The ten- inch magazine was In the same general region, but on the starboard side. Over the ten-inch magazine In the loading room of the turret and in the adjoining passage a number of ten- inch shells were loaded. According to Cap- tein Sigsbee it would be difficult to conceive the explosion involved the ten-inch magazine because of the location of the explosion and that no reports show that any ten-inch shells were hurled Into the air because of the ex- plosion. The captain went into details as to the location of the small ammunition. He said that he did not beleive that the forward magazine blew u- The location of the gun Cotton was aft, under the cabin. The gun cotton primers and the detonators were always kept in the cabin. He stated that he had ex- amined the wreck himself, conversed with other officers and men, but as the Spanish authorities were very much averse.to an in- Sigsbee reached the vestigation except officially on the grounds, | as stated by the Spanish Admiralty, that the honor of Spain was involved, he “forbore to examine the submarine portion of the wreck for the cause of the explosion until the day the court convened. He the discipline of the ship was excellent e marine guard was in_excellent condition. The report of the -al department shows that about one man @ quarter per day were on the sick list ng the past vear. In engineer's de- th ment the vessel was always ready and al- res; ve. He pajd a tribute to the and said that a quieter, better natured men he had never known on board any he had served. He had no the behavior of any man ter and considered their in_which to find with at the time of the dis conduet admirable On his examination by the court Captain Sigshee sald that the highest temperature that he could observe was 112, but hat was in the after magzazine. the temperature in the forward magazines being considerably lower. There was no loose powder kept azine. All the coal bunkers were ventilated through air tubes examined weekly by the chief engineer, and were connected electri- cally to the annunciator near his cabin door. The full. The forward coal bunker on the star- board side was half full, and was being used at the time of the explosion. Captain Sigsbee being recalled stated' that he had _detalled Lieutenant-Commander ~Wain- wright. Lieutenant Holman and Chief Engi- neer Holman, all of the Maine, to obtain in- formation in relation to any outsiders who might have seen the explosion. Captain Sigsbee also gave as his opinfon that If coal bunkers A-16 had been so hot as to be dangerous to the Rix-inch reserve magazine, this _condition uld have been shown on three sides where the bunker was exposed, and that men con- stantly passing to and fro by it would have necessarily noticed any undue heat. Captain Sigsbee was recalled and_examined | as to_the ammunition on board the Maine. He stated that there were no high explosive gun cotton, detonators or other materfal in maga- zines or shell rooms which the regulations pro- hibited. He testified been placed on torpedos nince he had co.zmand of the ship. POWELLSON was called jurt. He testified that he from V. N the third had been present on the Maine every day the arrival of the boat Fern and during a great deal of the diving. In reply to a question to tell the court all about the conditions of the wreck he said the forward part of the ship forward of the after smokestock had been to all appearances com- pletely destroyed. The conning tower lay in a position opposite the door leading to the superstructure aft and to starboard, inclined at about 110 desrees to the vertical, with the top of the conning tower in board.” Continu- ing, he described with close detall the condi- tlon under the main deck on the port side. The fixtures were completely wrecked, while fixtures in the same position on the star- board side were in some cases almost intact The port bulkhead between the main and berth_deck at the conning tower support had been blown aft on both sides, but a great deal more on the port than on the starboard sid The fire room hatch, immediately abatt of the conning tower had been blown in three di- aft, to starboard and to p The protective decks and the conning tower sup- ports were bent in two directions, the plates on the starboard <ide being bent up and on the port side bent down. reply to an inquiry whether he meant rence to their original positions, En- stgn Towellson replied affimatively. The beams supporting the protective deck, a few inches abaft of the armored tube, to port of midship line, was bent up to starboard of the midship In with et line. Just forward of the conning tow un- derneath the main deck two beams met at right angles: one beam was broken and push- ed om port to starboard. A grating was found on the poop awning just forward of the after searchlight The plece of side plating just abaft of the starboard turret was visible. This plate was hent outward and then the forward end bent upward and folded backward upon ftseir. This plate was severed from the rest of the plating below the water line. This plating below the water line had been pushed out to starboard The gratings of the engine room hatch were blown off. A composition strainer was picked up from the bottom, on the starboard quar- ter, at a polut about opposite the poop capstan and about thirty feet from it. The chief en- gineer thought the trainer was from the fire- men’'s washroom. There was not a strainer the ship's side. Near the plece of outide plating which was referred to above, he said there = were pleces of red shellacked planks. On these planks was bolted a com- position track two Inches wide and an inch thic Ensign Powellson asked if the court meant for | him to_say anything about what the divers reported, or just what he saw. The judge-advocate replied that he would like to have him state any important discoveries which might lead the court to draw some con- ision as to the cause, and if a diver gave such information, to state the diver’s name. Before doing so the judge-advocate asked witness to state if the forward and after part of the ship were in line. Ensign Powellson replled that as far as he could judge, they were not. The end where the explosion oc- curred seemed to be pushed from port to star- board from five to ten degres he should judge, with the apex to the starboard. The divers reported to witness that at a point where the ten-inch shell room should be they dis- covered the ten-inch shells regularly arranged, but the ship sank down so low that some of the shells were in the mud. Gunner Morgan reported that in walking on the bottom he fell into a hole on the port side and went down In the mud. He also re- ported, as far as he could judge, everything seemed to be bent upward in the vicinity of this hole. He also reported that the plates seemed to have been pushed over to the star- board and then bent down. Ensign Powellson then saild that a powder tank that he saw appeared to be an empty tank, broken by the explosion, as it was not badly dented and merely ripped the length of the seam. The ten-inch tank was badly bat- tered out of any concefvable shape. Continuing, the witness said the divers, w to the night before he was then on the stand, had not been on the outside of the ship. The mud was too deep for them to walk on the bottom. “*What i the condition of the starboard tur- "> witness was asked. knowledge, it has not been found " was the reply. Fe understood something had been found under the place where the turret formerly was, but its exact character had not been de- termined. ““About what impression is produced pon your mind?’ Ensign Powellson was askel. “From the ship alone, or of the appearance of the wreck?"" “Fither from such reports or the which you believe to exist.” ““The mpression produced upin me,” replied the witness, “is that an explosion taok place well to port of midship line and at a point in_the length about opposite the couning tower."" Witness then replied to further questicns that his opinion was based upon the sbserva- tion of things above water. He gave ) weight to Morgan's statement about falling into a hole on the port side, because Morgan might have been mistaken all the t!me. Referring to his notes made of things on the Maine, sign Powelison said that the arch of thi gine room, telegraph and the shaft of the steering gesr coming down through the armored fube {tr.ret) was bent from port to starboard. The port side of the protected deck was covered with a greasy deposit, the starboari side be- in= comparatively free from it The forward smoke pipe between the main and superstructure decks did not show any signs of the internal pressure of gases. On the main deck forward of the conning tower, where the fore and aft angle bulb was located. the planking was blown off on the only remaining plate of the main deck on the port side, while the wood was still attached to that part of the starboard side between the conning tower base and the turrets. What witness saw would indicate that the pressure lifted the protes- tive deck on the port side and the protec- tive deck on the starboard side held fast and hent that deck downward. Witness here 2x- hibited two sketches to the court showing a diagram of various parts of the sunken ship and explained them to the court. The witness' evidence about the strip on the starboard side of the outside plating of the ship, which was foided and rolled backward was recalled to him. Powellson said he could see the plate bent outward as If it was only two feet under water where the break co- curred. Witness had taken soundings and had found five fathoms of water on both sides of the Maine down to the mud. Taking a_four- teen pound lead line and dragging wita a wherry for obtructions on the port side, drag- ging close to where he thought the water ways would he found, he found no obstru:- =onditton | tions whatever. On the starboard side he found obstructions for twenty feet where he had rea- soto believe the waterways had originally een. In answer to puestions Powellson sald there in the mag- | forward coal bunker on the port side was | that no war heads had | RRRURIRVRIVRERRIL % FEARS OF RIOT ATHAVANA & NEW YORK, March 28—A Washington special to the Her- ald says: Havana's quiet is in danger of being disturbed by an- other outbreak such as occurred in the Cuban city just before the late second-class battleship Maine dropped a.nchQr in its har- bor. Consul-General Lee cabled to the State Department to-day that the sltuation was critical. There is danger of further riots growing out of the intense anti- American feeling among the ‘Weylerites. In the light of General Lee's dispatches the administration authorities are now quite as much concerned about the situa- tion in Havana as they are over the fear that Congress will at- tempt to force the hand of the President. It is now regarded as one of the danger points of the situation. The Navy Depart- ment is keenly on the alert. The State Department transmitted Consul-General Lee's message to Secretary Long and he at once informed Captain W. T. Samp- son, commander-in-chief of the fleet at Key West, of the char- acter of its contents. Captain Sampson is in direct communication with Consul- General Lee and at the slightest sign of trouble a message from the Consul-General to the naval officer will result in the arrival of a man-of-war in Havana har- bor within four hours. EREEERERREEREAEEA IR g e8ss SomspnEtes 5 s F EREREGANERNRRRRSS was rothing left of the port plating at all. He | dragged along the outside to see{fanything had fallen out, and fovnd nothing. Witness thought the ship on the port side was entirely goue | | opposite a point indicated in a dlagram hand- ed to the court It was entirely blown up. This concluded Ensign Powellson's testimony on the third day. Ensign Powellson was re- called on the sixth day, when he said since his last testimony he had ‘read a book of specifi- cations from the Maine. Refreshing his mem- Grv from these records he said the plate on the protective deck were only one inch thick, welghing forty pounds per square foot. i isign Powellson, wishing to give some tes- | ‘ny regardins the condition f the wreck, Gunner's Mate Olsen, the diver, was admitted in order that he might correct’ any erroneous Statement, the two having worked together. Powel .on said that on February 23 Diver Wil- | | £on reported to him that on comiag up from | | bolow he had followed the forward and uft wings of the V-shave, made by .he hottom | plating at frame 15, and sald the forward | | wing of the V the plates ran down on a_very | steer. ‘slan and then turned uades and out under the starboard side; that justabove where | the plates turned to 0 under the starboard side he found two dents as if the plating had Leen bulged Ir between the frames from out- The court asked the size of these two ide in. nts. | “Powellson replied that they were about two | and a half feet long and bulged in about six inches. He further testified that Olsen again went down and a n came to the surface at 11 o'clock, saying Hat keel Olser d reported that the keel was sloping dcwnward about 45 degrees and to | port, with the after part of the keel upper- most. He sald he had explored the after wing of the V ard had found a semicircular hole abont twe feet helow the rivet holes «ll around ic. He tald ttat a semicircular hole was about {wenty feet frcm the top from the V made by the bottom pleting. He said the plate pre- | sented a jagged appearance, as if It had been | torn, and that a crack had extended from the bottem edge ol the semicircular hole to a distance of about eight inches, and that the Vlates alout the hole were bent away from the green side of the plating. Powellson con- tinued, Oisen tcld him he had found a hole cut 11'a plate twenty-five feet from the ungie of the V, and exhibited a sketch showiug that the ki line was found by him sloping down about 6 below the horizontal and to port. The point where he had found the keel was | alvut twenty foet under water. He had not followed the kesl at that poiat, as the plating between was wedged and ovened out so that e bad nething t0 suptort him. 1 Powellson safd Oisén testiffied that about twenty feet from the siuice valve he found -an opening In the ship's side. He had 1oun boarding near the sea suction in apartment Al0, about 21 feet from the siuice valve, in an almost vertical position, although it was orig- | inally horizontal. 1 he thought he had found the “If you consider the section of the ship be- tween frame 18 and 33." continued Powellson, ‘and consider that part of the bottom luating between frame 18 and frame 15 is bent out a | right angle, and then that the whole section is turned forward 90 degrees, ou will nicture | the position in which the lates ~ now found. This plating could either have bean shoved out from the after side or it could have | been pushed in from the forward side. The | | only indication as to how this as dpne is the | wooden boarding. If the after part of the plating had been pushed out irom the inside the boarding would have been broken n‘l‘ ;!:0 angle which the plates make. If the forward | part of the plating had been pushed in, the | boards would have been pulled away from the | after, plating as is the case with “the plmesi now. The Judge Advocate asked Powellson how he | looked upon Olsen’s testimony in view of his | knowledge of the Maine and the drawings of | the vessel. He roplicd that he regarded Jt as | extremely accurate. | The Judge Advocate asked Powelison what | he deduced from ail this testimony recered | from the diver that forenoon, together with what information as he had hid before, | elison replied that he thought occurred on the port side somewhere about frnm_e 18, center of impact. The ship yielded ?’l !,\Bl)lnd atllso l.; 15, l;x’u‘l it was pretty’ hard o say exactly where the impac to say exactly wi pact came. Frame ‘“‘How do you account for the immense dam- age done abreast ¢ the reserve magazine where there is nothing left, whereas between Pow the explosion frames 16 and 15 you have fo plates? Powellson was asked. "o Jamased “My idea,”” he replied, that after the ship was raised up at frame IS, the one or all of them, after that werem:f;lz:x‘:j'l for some powder tanks that I have seen. f think were exploded, while others I have seen | were not exploded. ' I saw u coffee can that | was brought up this morning which was s badly battered as most of the powder cases that came up. It looked in very much the | same condition. “When you say some of the powder tanks in your opinion, exploded, and some had not, do you refer to 6-inch tanks only, or 2-incl tanks n]so?"bo “I refer to both, as I have seen a 6-in that "was very Iittle ripped open. amd T one this morning that had been’ first opened | and flattened out, with evigences of burnt | powder in it. I saw one 10-indh tank that was scarcely battered at all, and only the head of it gone. 1 also saw 10-inch tanks with the packing which looked like powder unburnt, so that in my opinion some, but not all, of the 10-inch and 6-inch charges were exploded " Powellson said four or five tanks had besn brought “up that morning, but he did not see all of them. The only ‘one he remembered seelng was exploded and burned out so that the case formed almost a plain surface. The 10-inch tank had its head removed, but it had preserved its approximate shape. When questioned further as to what he re- garded as the cause of the injuries, Powellson said: *'On the bottom, where the frame was thrown up, it would Seem to me that force was communicated some distance through the Water, because it was lifed up instead of be- ing battered in.- It Was a force that was cushioned in some way, because the diver tells me there was a bulge In the plates between the two frames, and such a force as that would be a cushion pressure. So the plates in that part of the ship having been broken In the explosion may have occurred aft, and the frames forward of the transverse armor being weaker than they are aft, the ship might have been 1ifted up there by this cushion pressure from further, aft. "It struck me,” continued Powellson, speak- ing of the same part of the vessel, “that the mine there could not have been very close to those plates that were lifted up, because, as 1 ‘say, the plates are not so much damaged or bent in the form of a V and raised up a ver- tieal distance. It seems to me that the mine was somewhat removed and the pressure came through the waters which produced that cush- fon-sort of pressure. : Ensign Powellson was recalled on Februaf 25 and showed the plans of the Maine from Which he had identifled the bottom plates that were blown up thraugh the upper deck. The finding of these plates on top of the iwreck, clear above water, Was among the first. and most important points of evidence clearly dis- Proving the possibility of an internal explo- sion. After minutely describing the bottom Plates, with their green ceiling of paint and Other ‘marks by which they were \dentified, Powellson stated that they must have been blown up 38 or 39 feet to reach thelr present position. Tiesides the bottom plates, Powellson found some peeves from the botfom compartment | Todged In the angle of the bottom plates that protruded above the water. The berth deck over this bottom compartment was also on top of the wreck and 20 feet forward of the niates Swhile this section of the main deck has dis appeared. The diver who had been working for Powelison on this investigation informed him that he had found the ammunition for the gixinch maguzine pushied over to the star- ard side. - Ensign Powelson was recalled on the eleventh gay an Jescribed the reports made fo him e divers, which wi erws direct] testified to before the board. 2y Olsen to “March 5, testified Powellson, ““T sent down the piece of keel, the vertical keel, | broken tanks split on the seams. | he established stations at the mainmast, | port crane, | frem these bases he would get the bearings | der water’ estimates by. the divers. | a | room on board the night of the He said: “T heard a loud report and every thing became dark. The electric lights wert | | Just as he had taken his eves off her to move | | out of the water. | of the first detonation that had lifted her bow | make further explorations of the ten- inch magazine. He went down to where the | keel became horizontal at frame 23, walked aft | about twenty-five feet and climbed over & It of wreckage consisting of plates and bulkheads tanding upright. These upper ends were rag- ged and he crawled over them to what ho thought was a part of a boiler. He could not give definite ‘details, but he thought it was a boiler. A little after this he walked out to port clear of the ship in the mud. He was at this time forward of the break of the shij at frame 41. Returning about ten feet, he found wreckage. He examined this plate and found it curved, as if it was a part of the ship. It pointed toward the starboard bow, but it was 0 dark he could not distinguish the color. All the edges of the plating were rough. The com- partment seemed to be three and a half or four feet wide. Jorward from this point he found a six-inch tank. It was intact It proved to be a full tank. He found a lot of In one tank at the cover, which has holes in it, k2 found a lot of mud, which was brought up and which looked like dissolved powder. There was’ any quantity of similar mud in the same place. The mud around the tanks was black, that of the harbor gray. Powellson was recalled on March 15, and ex- plained how he got the data for his sketches, which played such an_ important part in the work of the court. He said he sent divers down at various points along the line of the keel as it lay broken and twisted on the harbor bed. Then he got in a boat and located the poiits on the keel by a lead line. In the wreck the and the smokestack and so forth, by angles of his lead line as it rested on the keel and other points of the wreckage under water. Thus he was able to plat a may of the wreck both above and below water that was mathematically correct. By comparing th.s with the original plans of the vessel it was possible to tell just how much and in what direction any part of the Maine had been dis- torted by the explosion without relying on un- PRIVATE WILLIAM ANTHONY of the United States Marine Corps, whose coolness at the time of the explosion in reporting to Cap- tain Sigsbee has become the theme of admira- tion throughout the world, was the next wit- ness. He testified that he had the first watch from § to 12 o'clock on the night of the explosion. There was drill that day, and it was not necessary to open the magazines. In response to questions, Private Anthony told his story: “I was standing on the main deck just out- side the door on the larboard side. I first | noticed a trembling and buckling of the decks | and this prolonged roar—not a short report, | but a prolonged roar. The awnings were | spread and where the wing awning and the | quarterdeck awning should join there was a space of at least eighteen inches. I looked out and saw an immense sheet of flames, and then I started toward the captain.” “Did you notice any perceptible list to the ship at the first shock?” At the first shock the ship instantly—that is, ‘the quarterdeck, where 1 was standing— dipped forward and to port just like that (In- dicating it). It apparently broke in the middle like that (indicating) and surged forward and then over to port.” Witness sald the upshoot of the flames he saw was well forward. “It must have been forward of the superstructure. I could see the debris going up with it. 1 do not know what it was, but I saw firebrands going up. ““‘Was it on the port or starboard side “It looked more to port than it did to star- board. It looked llke it covered the whole ship. It was an immense glare that illumined the whole heavens for the moment, as much T could see for the awnings. Did you see any water with it? T did not notice that, sir. I started for the cabin at once.’ This closed the brave inarine CHAPLAIN JOHN CHIDWIC testimony. was In his | occurrence. out. and there was a crashing sound of things | falling. I rushed on deck and got to the Caf- tain’s poop, where I saw the captain giving his orders. After trying to cheer up the men who were crying out in the water for help I was ordered by Lieutenant Jungen to go into a | boat, which I did. He rowed around the ship and picked up one man. Then at the cap- tain’s instance we pulled for the ship City of Washington.' Asked how manv shocks he felt, witness sald he remembered only one. | SIGMUND M. ROTHSCHILD, one of passengers on the City of Washington, w: eve witness to the explosion. In company with | his friend, Louis Wertheimer, who was aboard the City of Washington on-the night of Feb- | ruary 15, as she sailed into Havana harbor, | he was on the stern of the Washington, | which lay_astern and on the port side of the | Maine. The vessels were about a hundred vards apart. Rothschild said he was naturally | interested In the Maine and had taken a po- | sitlon where he cowwu get a good look at her. his chair, there was a_sound like a cannon | shot in the darkness. He immediately looked toward the Maine. He saw the forward end of the vessel rise, he thought, a couple of feet | An instant later came a sec- | ond distinct explosion. ” This seemed to burst from the interfor of the vessel forward in a dull flame, and the air! was instantly filled with flving debris. The vessel lurched back in the water after the force and quickly began to sink forward. In less | than a minute her bow had disappeared. The | wreck took fire and burned for two hours. | There ere single reports that kept wup throurh all that time, and the fixed ammuni- | tion was reached by the flames, but these were nat to he confused with the two big explosions that had destroved the Maine. There was no doubt about the separation of the first two explosions, an interval of two seconds at least separating them. The much discussed section of cement that fell on the deck of the Washington was two inches thick and weighed thirty pounds. The engineer of the Washington showed it to me. Pieces of fron e in some of the Washington's boats and delayed the work of rescue. Other wreck- age was hurled clear over the Washington. The boats of the Spanish warship Alfonso XII, he said, were prompt to go to the rescue, | and were alded by the searchlights. CHIEF GUNNER'S MATE OLSEN of the United States steamship lowa told how he had been sent to Havana for the purpose of doing diving duty on the wreck. He had de- scended four times, making about eight or nine hours of, total examination. Olsen told how on his first descent he went over the for- ward part of the ship. To use his own ex- pression, he said: "I found the wreck all blowed up. I found a lot of grate bars down there.” Asked 1f he imagined himself looking for- ward, he stated that he did. Going over the plates he struck into a lot of 6-inch shells with the lings on them. Going to the right, witness stated he found a lot of wreckage. It seemed to have been blown over the starboara. Olsen stated that he put his hands into the cracks and brought out several 6-pounder shells. The next time he went down Olsen testified he went outside the ship, forward of the crane on the port side. He followed the bottom along and found that the ship’s side was blown out- board, and alongside the crane it could be walked on. At the part where she was blown up com- pletely,’ witness said, “part of her bottom plates are turned up. Then you follow the bot- tom from there up and the plates are blown outboard. At the top and underneath the bot- tom they are blown inboard and bent in. About three feet forward of that spot there was a plece of iron lying along the bulkhead. The Skin of the inside of the double bottoms is curled like a sheet of paper inboard from stem fo stern. Amidships on the same place there is an armor plate, one plate complete, the-top of the plate standing up. The plafe is in- clined over the starboard completely. It stands Up with the thick part of the plate down. It is inclined forward and over the starboard. LOUIS WERTHEIMER, a tobacco dealer of New York, Who was a passenger on the steamer City of Washington, in Havana har- bor the night of the blowing up of the Maine, the moment of the explosion was in the stern of the Washington and was looking directly at fhe battleship when- the explosion occurred, "I heard a report,” said Wertheimer, ‘‘and at an interval of anywhere from five to fifteen Seconds following the first report came a great explosion. In the burst of flame which fol- lowed I clearly and plainly saw the vessel rise in the water, apparently about three yards out, then settle down before the light of the explosion went out. The whole thing was over %o quickly that I cannot hazard a guess as to the length of the tim: , CAPTAIN FRANK STEVENS, of the City of Washington, testified that he was stand- fng amidships of his ship where he could look toward the Maine when she was blown up. e heard a dull, muffied explosion and com- motion as though it was under the water, fol- lowed instantly by a terrific_explosion, light- ing up the sky with a dull red blaze and fill- ing the air with missiles which fell around him. He felt a trembling of the ship at the fast of the explosions on the Maine. There was a decided Interval between the first and second Moige of the explosions. He was not stand- ing where he could see the Maine lift. LIEUTENANT - COMMANDER RICHARD WAINWRIGHT testified that the regulations in regard to the paints and inflammables and other precautions were strictly carried out on hoard ship. Every possible care was taken to avold aceldent. All visitors were scgutinized before being allowed to come on board the ship. Nobody was allowed unaccompaiied. Special lookouts were required at night. No unauthorized boats were allowed to app.sach the ship. There was fine discipline, obelient crew, “quiet men.” He was in the captaia s office at the time of the explosion. He f:it a very gevere ‘shock and heard the noise of falling objects on deck. He thought the ship was be- ing fired on. He was told by the captain to see that the boats were lowered. He saw a few men, mostly officers. He saw no reason to flood the magazine, becausg the water was coming up. He saw fire forward. Boats be- gan to crowd around the wreck. He induced the boats to take the wounded to uuferent ves- Sels. He ordered a list taken of the saved and wounded. There was excellent discipline after the explosion. Orders were followed with fhe promptness of a drill. He was at the wreck at daylight the following morning. He fook a gig with Lieutenant Hood and a few men and attempted to board the wreck. ‘He was warned off by an_ armed poat's crew of Spanfurds and then pulled acyaad the wreek. There was still some burning frigmerts. On_ the sixteenth day Commani: Wain- wright said: “‘Nearly all th: pywier ehows sigre of having been subjes-ed to cutside pres: sares, as if pressed against the powder incide, a4 tlelr ends are also crushed fn. I saw twc six-loch tanks that were opened at the seams and were pressed down flat, as if by the ex- erticn of considerable force. CONGRESS HEARS MR. McKINLEY Message of the President Presented to Senate and House. Among the Representatives and Pecople Assembled There Was Most Significant Silence. ® poses to introduce at the meeting o next week. When the Senator was consider the subject. He says he b tee will favor such a proposition. Senator Frye of Maine, who is gether at once, and helding it in s PPEEREPEEPOOEEOOOO® [oJooXoJoJoXOIOROROJOROJORORONCIORO) WASHINGTON, March 28.—A scene of intense interest was presented in the Senate to-day when the President's message transmitting the findings of the Maine Court of Inquiry was re- ceived. the doors and the attendance of Sena- tors was quite as large as it has been at any time during the present session. Eager to ascertain the full findings of the court, scores of members of the House after the adjournment of that body, had hurried to the Senate cham- ber and the floor was crowded with them. When the reading of the President’s message was begun, silence was' so marked all over the chamber that one might have heard a pin fall. Through- out the reading of the message and the findings of the court there was not the slightest demonstration. At 12:01 Executive Clerk Pruden car- ried to the Senate the President’s mes- sage transmil\ing‘&e long and much- desired report of téé Court of Inquiry. As Major Pruden was recognized by the Vice-President there was a hush in the -chamber, a majority ¢f the spec- tators expecting that the message and report would be read to the Senate im- mediately. Routine business, however, was taken up for a time. At 12:17 Morgan of Alabama demand- | ed the reading of the President’s mes- sage. Instantly there was a hush in the chamber. Vice-President Hobart at once laid the message before the Sens ate, and its reading was begun The closest attention was given by every person within hearing. At the conclusion of the reading of the message Davis of Minnesota, chair- man of the Committee on Foreign Re- lations, amid a buzz of whispered con- versation, rose and requested that the findings of the Court of Inquiry be read. At the conclusion of the reading Da- vis moved that the message of the President, the findings of the Court of Inquiry and the testimony taken before the court be referred to the Commit- tee on Foreign Relations and ordered printed. It was so ordered. Lodge of Massachusetts introduced a resolution that 2000 additional copies of the message, findings and testimony be printed for use of the Senate. The resolution was agreed to. Senator Money then spoke of the Cu- ban situation. He said that the task he had set himself was perhaps one of supererogation, as Senators Proctor, Gallinger and Thurston had already presented to the Senate the conditions in Cuba as they had seen them. Their statements were concise, brilliant and eloquent, and while he did not hope to add much to the information they had furnished, he felt it his duty to speak, and to speak now. Money said he was willing to go to| any extent to feed the starving, clothe the naked and relieve the sick upon that unhappy island, but he was satis- fied no definite results could be ob- tained by the employment of such means alone. He said he was certain that while Weyler was a willing in- strument he was in fact only an in- strument in the hands of a higher power—a power that had deliberately determined upon a plan of starvation and extermination. The frightful and inhuman scheme had originated in the brain of Canovas, the all-powerful Prime Minister of Spain, who preceded Sagasta. “That plan of reconcentration and starvation and death ' declared Money, “was deliberately planned, with the definite and distinct purpose in view of he informed the President that he would not hesitate to declare war against Spain without regard to the Maine incident. Now Senator Mor- gan intends to make good his suggestion by offering a resolution declar- ing war against Spain, in committee Wednesday, and let the committee of the committee, says he is in favor of calling the committee to- Senate in favor of Cuban independence. The galleries were packed to | o¥olololololololololololorolololorolelololololojolclolojojojojofolofol g NEW YORK, March 28.—A Washington special to the Telegram says: Senator Morgan has prepared a declaration of war which he pro- f the Committee onForeign Relations invited to the White House last week elieves the majority of the commit- one of the most vigorous members ession until it submits a report to the . [c¥oXoJolcoJoJoJoJOXoXoJOJoIolOXO) NEW YORK, March 28.—A ‘Washington special to the Her- ald says: Senator Foraker of Ohio has determined not to wait for executive action in regard to the Cuban question any longer. Unless he can be persuaded by other Senators not to do so, he will to-morrow introduce in the [CXOJOLOJOJOXOXOIO) @ Senate a joint resolution recog- ® nizing the independence of Cuba. ©® He has been very impatient for ® many months and has only re- ® frained from trying to secure @® infmediate Congressional action looking to the termination of war in Cuba by the conviction that it would be impossible to get anything of the kind through the House, which had refused to consider Senator Morgan’'s bel- ligerency resolution. [CJOXOJOJOOFOROROJOYOJORORONROJOXO) destroying a population that Spain CEOPEEEEEPEEEPROFAIEEEEEYP OPOCEEEOOPB08 POEOOEO® cannot contr< —a people in whose breasts the desire for liberty is as strongly instilled as it was in the breasts of our forefathers. Mason of Illinois gave notice that he would to-morrow briefly address the Senate upon the President’s message. When the announcement of Repre- sentative Simpkins' death was received from the House, Hoar presented the usual resolutions, which were adopted. On Hoar's motion the Senate then ad- Jjourned. i Read in the House. WASHINGTON, March 28. — The reading of the President’s message in the House to-day was listened to with breathless interest by the members and the spectators in the galleries, which were crowded in like sardines in a box. On the floor there was almost as much excitement as in the galleries, al- though the full synopsis of the report, which was printed by the Associated Press, had taken the keen edge off the anxiety with which the members awaited the reading of the official find- | ing of the board. Upon the desk of the | late Representative Simpkins of Massa- chusetts, who died suddenly on Satur- day night, a wreath of Easter lilies, in< terwoven with tulip, erocus and lilles of the valley, cast an air of sadnesa over the vast assemblage. At exactly 12 o'clock the Speaker called the House to order. Amid the impressive silence that followed the | blind chaplain delivered a solemn pray- er which rang through the hall like a | warning. He referred to the storm clouds that hung above the country, | threatening to break at any time. He | prayed to God to interpose his power, | that these clouds might pass away; leaving us in peace and tranquillity. i And yet, if war must come,” he prayed, “in vindication of truth and | justice, mercy and right, help us to be | prepared with brain and heart and | brawn to meet it. To this end be with | the President and his Cabinet and all | officially connected with the affairs of | state.” Speaker Reed himself broke the large red sal of the envelope and handed it to the clerk, at the same time announc- ing in a clear, distinct voice: “A message from the President of the United States.” No Presidential message was ever listened to with' such breathless inter- est. 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