Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-28
REPORT on THEMA|nE
Complete Abstract Of the Docu.
ment That Has Been So
Eagerly Awaited.
TAKEN FROM THE REPORT ITSELF
Containing the Facts Established BY
the Court Of Inquiry from
the Evidence.

Discipline Of the Ship vindicatcd In Every
Partlcular-ForwardS Magazines All Ex-
plodcd, tho Cause Thereof Being the
Firing OF . Mine Under the Vessel
Lifting Of the Ship on the First Explo-
sion-ConditiOn OF the Wreck Cannot BE
Stated from the Divers Evidence.
Washington, March eS.-lAssociated
Press Abstract of Court Of Inquiry Re-
port. Copyright, 1898, by the Associated
Press.l-The Associated Press presents
herewith a complete abstract Of the re-
port of the court of inquiry which in
vestigated the wrecking of the battle
ship Maine. This abstract is made from
the report itself, access to which was
obtained yesterday despite official Sc
crecy unparalleled in the handling OF
official papers. The report is made Up
of eight parts. as foll!ws:
First-The court finds that at the
time Of the explosion the battleship
Maine was lying in five and one-half to
six fathoms of water
Second-The discipline aboard the
ship was excellent; everything slowed
according to orders-ammuniticn, guns,
stores, etc. The temperature Of the
magazines at s p. m. was normal ex-
cept in the after ten-inch magazine,
and that did not explode.
Ship Lifted on First Explosion.
Third-Tho evn,Ncion NJ GA
o'clock on the evening of Feb Is. There
were two explosions, with a very short
interval between them. The ship lifted
on the first explosion.
Fourth-The court can form no def
mite opinion of the condition OF the
wreck from divers evidence.
Fifth-Technical details of wreckage
from which the court deduces that anime
was exploded under the ship on the
por. side.
Sixth-The explosion vas due to no
fault of those on board.
Seventh-('pinion of the court stating
that the explosion of the mine caused
the explosion of two magazines.
Eighth-The court declares that it
cannot find evidence to fix the RESPONSE
bility.
Gives the Most Spsce to Discipline.
The report is unanimous and is signed
by all the members of the court 1t does
not refer to the existence or non-exist-
ence of mines in the harbor of Havana,
except in the specific finding that a
mine was exploded under the ship and
the opinion that the explosion Of the
two magazines was caused by the ex-
plosiOn of mine. The report as a whole
is a formal, dispassionate recital of
facts. and bears the stamp of that
strict oficialism which marks naval
procedure. 1t is brief, not exceeding
eighteen hundreds words, and among
the eight parts goes to the greatest
length under the second heading which
deals with the discipline and order of
the ship.
Disproves Accidental Combustion.
This the court specifies with extreme
minuteness, the least detail Of the salts
factory condition Of everything on board
being given. The normal temperature
OF the large forward magazines at s
o'clock-only an hour and forty minutes
before the explosion-disposes of the
question Of accidental combustion with
In these magazines. The court is Of the
opinion that the explosion of a mine I'M
der the port side Of the ship caused the
explosion Of the two magazines. This
will explain the remarkable destruction
wrought, the explosion thus being
shown to have combined the force of
mine without and two magazines with
In. The two explosions which the court
finds to have occurred. with a very
short interval between them, is an addi-
tional detail showing that two forces
operated In causing the destruction.
That Lifting of the Ship.
The finding that the ship lifted on
the first explosion indicates an external
source, and one of tremendous power to
be able to lift battqeship of thousands
of tons. The feature of the report of
deepest interest to the navy is the COM
plete exoneration OF Captain Sigsbee
and all on board. The inability Of the
court to find evidence to fix RESPONSE
bility, as stated in the eighth part.
makes the report so guarded in expression
OF blame that neither Spain nor the
Spanish are mentioned throughout.