Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-04-07
THE COURTS REPORT
Verdict of the Men Who Invcsti-
gated the Maine Disaster.
Unanimous Oplnion That the Wreck waa
Caused by IA Submarine Mine-Maine'a
Onioers and Crew Completely
Exonerated.

United States ship Iowa, tlrst hhJe' hey
est Fla Monday, March 81, lS9S.-After full
pnd mature consideration of oil the testimony
fore IT, the court finds as follows;
That tho United States battleship Maine
lived In the harbor OF Havana, Cuba, upon
s5th day OF January, 1893, and was taken to
" No 4, In from 5ta to six fathoms OF water
nl he regular government pilot
40 United States consul general at Havana
ID. notified tho authorities ut that place the
Jlous evening OF the intended arrival OF inc
Maine
2 The state OF discipline on board the Maine
was excellent; and all orders and regulations
in regard co the care and safety OF the ship
were strictly carried out
All ammunition was slowed away In accord
nnCe with Instructions and proper care was
taken whenever ammunition was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one OF the maga-
zines or shell rooms which was not
permitted to be slowed there The magazines
and shell rooms were always locked after hav-
ing been opened; and after the destruction OF
the Maine the keys were found In their proper
place in the captains cabin everything having
been reported secure that evening at eight
O'Clock The temperatures Of the magazines
and shell rooms were taken daily and reported
Thc only magazine which had an undue amount
of heal 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
stOwed in the cabin aft and re-
mote from the scene of the explosion. The
waste was carefully looked after on board the
Maine to obviate danger Special orders in re-
gard to this had been given by the commanding
officer Varnishes, dryers alcohol and other
cOmbustibles OF this nature were slowed on
board the main deck and could not have had
anything to do with the destruction OF the
Maine The medical stores were slowed aft,
under the ward room and remote from the
scene of the explosion. No dangerous stores
of any kind were stored below in any of the
other storerooms
The coal bunkefs were inspected. OF those
bunSers adjoining the forward magazines and
shell rooms four were empty, namely: B3 B4
b. BIG Ais had been In use that day ana Al6
was full of New River coal This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving 1t on board
The bunker in which IT was slowed was accessi-
BILE on three sides at all times, and the fourth
side at this time on account Of bunkers ia and
BIG being empty. This bunker, Al6 had been
inspected that day by the engineer officer on
duty The fire alarms In the bunkers were in
working order and there had never been a case
of spontaneous combustion of coal on board
the Maine
The two after boilers OF the ship were in use
at the time Of the disaster, but for auxiliary
purposes only with q comparatively low pres
watch These hoilers conld NOT have caused
,tha ovr,oeion ~ tho chin Tbe four forward
yhoj,ors bo,e since heen found hv tho divors
and are in n fair condition
o,,orythina,bod heen renorted sacrre Tor tho
night, at eight o'clock, by reliable persons,
,a,Ssn,, oe1oor A. tho five tho NToIIo yos
,dostroved tho chin was oniet and therefore,
Ioost al. ~ occidont conse5 hv roovements
Sow. thoso ~, boord
a Tbe destruction NJ tho Maine occurred nj
.O.4o m ~ the 15tb day NJ Eebruorv 1903 In
the bnrhor ~ Havana CIuba being ot the limo
moored 70 Che same buov to which she had been
toi,en nnor ber arrival
M ara ,Uoro two ovnlosiors ~ q distrct1,, dis
> ferent character with n very short but distinct
interval between them and the forward nart
~ the shin woe Ifted to n marked dogree nh
. tho tir,o of tho arst evnIoeion u,be aret ev
,nIosion wos more In the nnture of n renort
iilTe tbot ~ a e,un while Tho sacond evnlosion
was moro omen nrolonred and Of greoter vol.
,,n,e mis- second evnlosion was in the onin-
ion NJ the court caused NV the martial exnlo-
sion of two or more NJ the forward mogo lines
of the Maine.
A The evidence heoring on tbis ho,rg min
cinolIv obtained from divers did not enahIe
the court to form n definite CONCLUSION no to the
condition NJ the wrec, although Il was estob-
Iisbed thot the after mart of the shin wac nrac.
ticallv intact and sanlT In that condition n verv
Jew minutes after the forward mart
Tbe foIloyino, focte In raoord m tho forum ri
mart If the shin are however,. establisbed hv
hotastirnorv.
"rbot nortion NJ tho mort eide of tho nrotao-
tive decr which extende from about frame m
- 20 about frame Al was hlowr IN at ana
over to MORT, The main Gecl, from about frame
On to about frame Al yvos blown nm or ond
sIio,,,r o,,or 70 etorhoord FoIdin, tha Sor,,or1
nat ~ tho middle Observation-Disclosures over onG an
Ton NJ tho after mart Tbis was n the oninion
NJ tbe co,,rt caused bv the martial evn,osion ~
tuo or moro NJ the forword ,nnga1inee ~ tho
NTojre
At frame II the outer she'll NJ tho shin
from n noint III feet from the middle line ~
tho enip and civ foot ohoyo tho l,eaI ,hen In tic
,ornoi nosition hos heen forced ~, co os 70 he
now about fonr feet above Tho surface % Tho
water; therefore about "a feet above where it
would be had the ship sunk uninjured. The
outside bottom plating is oent INTO reversed
hrood nnd 40 Feet IN ,ent ro, S tro 70
to frame 25J, is doubled back upon itself
against the continuation of the same plating
extending forward
o rrS ne eat sei hont Eeei Is UrGneh IN