I was enclosing my letter in its envelope when the explosion came. it was a bursting, rending, and crashing sound or roar of immense volume, largely metallic in character. . . . the electric lights, of which there were eight in the cabin where i was sitting, went out. then there was intense blackness and smoke. background information: a year after the sinking, the ship’s captain published his personal account of the event. why is this account a reliable source about the sinking of the maine? it was written by the ship’s captain. it was published based on secondhand information. it was written the same day as the event. it was written by an expert historian.