The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-03-31
Key West, Fla. Monday, March u.


1898. .-.-.... ~
After full and mature consideration
of all the testimony before it, the court
finds as follows: ..>-
/. That tho United States battlesh1p
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
CuDa, 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 notified the authorities at
that place, the previous evening, Of
the intended arrival of the Maine. .:.
2. 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 car
ried out.
All ammunition was slowed away in
accordance with instructions, and
proper care was taken whenever am
munition was handled. ..s .-., -
Nothing was slowed in any one OF
the magazines or shell rooms which
was not permitted to be slowed there.
Captain Had the Keys.
The magazines and shell rooms were
always locked after having been
opened; and after the destruction OF
the Maine the keys we're found in their
proper place in the captains cabin,
everything having been reported se-
cure that eve at p. m. IL.
The temperatures of the magazines
and shell rooms were taken daily and
reported. The only magazine which
had an undue amount of heat was the
after 10.inch magazine and that DID
! not explode at the time the Maine was
destroyed. The torpedo war heads
were all stored in the after part OF the
ship under the ward room and neither
caused nor participated in the destruo-
ton of the Maine.
The gun cotton primers and deton-
aters were stored in the cabin aft and
remote from the scene of the explosion.
| The waste was carefully looked after
on board the Maine to obviate danger.
Special orders in regard to this had
/ been given by the commanding officer.
! Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other
com bustiles of this nature were slowed
on or above the main deck and could
not have had anything to do with the
destruction of the Maine. ....s 10: ..
The medical stores were slowed ait
under the ward room and remote from
the zone of the explosion. ' .
/ No Dangerous Stores Around. "
No dangerous stores Of any kind were
slowed below in any of the other store
rooms. 49,: ..' . ...--
The coal bunkers we're inspected. OF
those bunkers adjoining the forward
magazines and shell rooms, four We're
empty, namely B3, B4, Be-, B6 "Ai6a
had been in use that day, and "Ai6"
was full of New River coal. This coal
had been carefully inspected before re-
ceiving it on Loard. The bunker in
which it was slowed was accessible ON
three sides at all times and the fourth
side at this time on account OF bunkers
"B4" and '"B6" 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 case of spontaneous combustion
of coal on board the Maine.
Only Two Boilers in Use.
The two after boilers of the ship were
in use at tie time of the disaster, but
for auxiliary purposes on y with COM
paratively low pressure OF steam, ana
being tended by reliable watch These
boilers cou d not have caused the ex-
plosion Of the ship. The four forward
boilers have since been found by the
divers and are in fair condition. ss.
,,.L+ Of thn Inct 0f
the Maine verything had been report
ed secure for the night at 8 p. M, by
reliable persons, through the proper
authorities, to the commanding officer.
At the time the Maine was destroyed
the ship was quiet and therefore least
liza BILE to accident caused by movements
from those Oh board. ...,.s
Two Distinct Explosions.
8. The destruction of the Maine oc-
Cured at $40 p. m, on the 18th day OF
February, 1898, in the harbor OF Ha-
vana, Cuba, being at the time moored
to the same buoy to which she had
been taken upon her arrival. .' .'. $50.
There were two explosions of dis
tinctly different character, with a very
short but distinct interval between
them, and the forward part of the ship
was lifted to a marked degree at the
time Of the first explosion. ...' ~.
The first explosion was more in the
nature of report, like that of gun;
while the second explosion was more
open, prolonged, and of greater volume.
The second explosion was, in the
opinion of the court, caused by the par
tial explosion of two or more Of the
forward magazines of the Maine. .."'
Condition OF the Wreck. "
4. The evidence bearing on this, be.
ing principally Obtained from divers,
did not enable the court to form def
nate conclusion as to the condition Of
the wreck, although it was established
that the after part of the ship was prac-
tically intact, and sank in that condi-
ton a very few minutes after the de-
struction of the forward part. "'.1
The following facts in regard to the
forward part of the ship are, however,
established by the testimony: -.
| That portion of the port side of the
protective deck, which extends from
about frame 80 to about frame Al, was