OCR Text |
Show MAINE EXPLOSION FROM THE INSIDE Opinion of Gon. Wm. H. Bixby, Ohiof of Engineers, Who Has Inspected In-spected the Wreck. WASHINGTON. July 5. The loss of the battleship Maine was caused by the explosion of her three magazines. No such effect as that produced upon the vessel could have been caused by an explosion from without. Such Is the opinion of General William H. Blxby. chief of engineers. U. S. A., who has returned from a personal inspection inspec-tion of the work of raising the Maine. General Blxby said that a portion of the deck over the magazines was blown upward and laid backward 'and there were numerous conditions of the hulk which proved that no explosion from the outside could have caused tho same result. re-sult. "What the primary cause of the explosion ex-plosion was," said General Blxby. "never will be learned." General Blxby does not believe the bodies of those who lost their lives will be found In the Maine. He says thcy are probably burled 200 feet or more from the wreck In the mud. While inspecting the work General Blxby prodded around the bow of the vessel. He found by his soundings that at least two-thirds of the bow. were absolutely ab-solutely wrecked. The sides had been practically blown away and were burled in the mud. This, he said, showed conclusively con-clusively that the wreck of the Maine was caused by an explosion within the vessel. |