The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-29
REPORT OF THE COURT.
Text of the Finding of the Naval In
VestigatOrs.

VesuBatOrS.
WASHINGTON, March 2s.-Following is
the full text of the report of the court OF
inquiry:
~. S. S. Iowa, Key West, Fla, March q.
After full and mature consideration of
all the testimony before it, the court finds
as follows
'First-That the United States battle
ship Maine arrived in the harbor Of
Havana, Cuba, on the 25th day of January,
1898, and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from
five and half to six fathoms of water by
the regular government pilot The United
States consul general at Havana, had no
titled the authorities at that place, the pre-
vious evening of the intended arrival of the
Maine.
''Second-The state of discipline on board
the Maine was excellent and all orders and
regulations in regard to the care and safety
of the ship were strictly carried out. All
ammunition was slowed in accordance with
prescribed instructions and proper care was
taken with which ammunition, was
handled Nothing was slowed in any one
of the magazines or shell rooms which
not permitted to be slowed there The mag
aZines and shell rooms were always locked
after having been entered. When opened
after the destruction of the Maine the keys
were found in their proper place in the cap
tain's cabin everything having been re-
ported secure that evening at p. m. The
temperatures of the magazines and shell
rooms were taken daily and reported. The
only magazine which had undue amount
of heat was the after ten-inch magazine,
and that did not explode at the time the
Maine was destroyed. The torpedo war
heads were all slowed in the after part of
the ship under the ward room and neither
caused nor participated in the destruction
of the Maine. The dry gun cotton primers
and detonators were slowed in the cabin aft
and remote from the scene of the explo-
sion. Waste was carefully looked after on
board the Maine to obviate' danger. Spe-
ciaI orders in regard to this had been given
by the commanding officer. Varnishes
dryers, alcohol and other combustibes of
this nature were slowed on or above the
main deck and could not have had any
thing to do with the destruction of the
Maine. The medical stores were slowed
aft under the ward and remote from
the scene of the explosion. No dangerous
stores of any kind were slowed below in
any Of the other store rooms. The coal
bunkers were inspected daily. OF these
bunkers adjacent to the forward magazines
and shell rooms, four were empty, namely
8, b A, 5, b g. A Is had been in use
that day and A 16 full of New River
coal This coal had been carefully inspected
before receiving it on board. The bunker
i'm which it was slowed was accessible on
three sides at all times and the fourth side
at this time on account of bunkers
and being empty. This bunker 16.
had been inspected that day by the engineer
officer on duty. The fire alarms I'm the
bunkers were in working order and there
had never been a case of spontaneous COM
bustion of coal on board the Maine. The
two after boilers of the ship were in use
at the time of the disaster, but for auxil-
iary purposes only, with comparatively
low pressure of steam and being tended by
a reliable watch. These boilers could not
have caused the explosion of the ship. The
four forward boilers have since been found
by the divers and in fair condition.
On the night of the destruction of the
Maine everything had been reported secure
for the night at 8 p. m. by reliable persons,
through the proper authorities. to the COM
manding officer. At the time the Maine was
destroyed the ship was quiet and therefore
least liable to accident caused by move
ments from those on board
'Third-The destruction OF the Maine oc-
Cured at $40 p. m on the 18th day Of Feb
ruary, 1898. in the harbor of Havana. Cuba,
she being at the time moored to the same
buoy to which she had been taken ON her
arrival. There were two explosions of a
distinctly different character. with very
short but distinct interval between them.
and the forward part of the ship was lifted
to marked degree at the time of the first
explosion. The first explosion was more In
the nature of a report like that of a gun,
while the second explosion was more open.
prolonged and OF greater volume This See
Continued ON Fourth Page1