Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1898-03-28
TOOK the usssl rroeeaufs.

the nature and measure of its full duty
In the matter.
Took the Usaal rrocedufs.
The usual procedure was followed. as
In all cases OF casualty or disaster 70
national vessels of any maritime state.
A naval Court Of Inquiry was at once
organized, composed of officers well
qualified by rankand practical expert
ence to discharge oner0ns dutyimposed
upon them. And by a strong force of
wreckers and divers the court pro-
ceeded to make thorough inyestiga-
tion on the spot, employing every.
available means for an impartial and
exact determination of the causes of
the explosion. Its operations have,
been conducted with the utmost
deliberatfpn and judgments and while
independently pursued, no course of
information was neglected and! liz
fullest opportunity was allowed for q
simultaneous investigation by the
Spanish authorities.
Findings Of the Court. asf e..s
The finding of the court of inqairy
was reached, after twenty three days
continuous labor, on the 2Ist day of
March, and having been approved on
the 22nd, by the -in-chief
Of the United States naval force on the
North Atlantic station, was transmitted
to the executive. 1t Is herewith laid,
before congress together with the
voiumnious testimony. .taKen peIores the
court, J,s,
When the @Maine' arrived at Havana
she was conducted by a reeular COY.
ernments pilot to. buoy Nod, tQ N49dff
she was moored in five and half to six
fathoms of water The state of dis
cipline on board and the condition Of
her magazines, boilers, coal .bunkers
and storage compartments, are passed
in review, with. the conclusion that
excellent order prevailed ana that no
indication for any cause of an internal
explosion existed in any quarter.
= sle' The eFatefuLEvening. ,..,,
|. Alb O'clock on the evening of Feb
ruary l5tlI, everything had been re-
ported secure and all was quiet. AT
forty minutes past 0 o'clock theisvessel.
was suddenly destroyed. There were
two. distinct explosions with brief
interval between them. It first lifted
the forward part of the ship verr per-
ceptibly; the second, which was more
prolonged, is attributed by the court
to partial explosion of two or more
of the forward. MAGAZINES The evil
dence of the divers establishes that
the afterpart of the ship was practi-
cally intact and sank In that condition
a very few minutes after the explosion.
The forward part -seem pietely de-
molished.l Upon the evidence, the
concurrent finding of the court is as
follows: sfff s.
Injuries Sustained. ...s2 i.
"At frame seventeen, the oater shell of
the ship,from point eleven and a half
feet from the middle line bf the ship
and six feet above the keel when in it's
normal position, had been forced up SO
as to be now about four feet above The
surface of the water; therefore, about
thirty four feet above where it would
be had she sunk uninjured.' The out.
side bottom plating is bent into a
reversed "V";shape, the after wing of
which, about fifteen. feet broad and
thirty.two feet in length (rom frame II
to frame 25) is doubled back upon itself
against the continuation of the same
plating extending forward. AT frame
eighteen the vertical keel is broken In,
two and the keel bent into an angle
silimar to the angle formed by the outs
side plates. This break lis about six
feet below the surface of the water and
about thirty feet above its normal posiz
ton. In the opinion of the court this
effect could have been produced only by
the explosion of q mine situated under
the bottom of the ship, at about frame
eighteen and somewhat on the port
side of the ship"
Conclusions of the Court. 2 gtS
The conclusions of the court are /
That the loss of the Maine was not
in any respect due to default or neg =
ligence on the part OF any of the officers
or members of her That the shi p
was destroyed by an explosion of a sn b.
marine mine, which caused the parti al
explosion of two or more ofher forward
magazines; y and that no evidence has
been oktainable in fixing the respon :.
sibihty for the destruction srOf the
"Maine' upon any person or persons. !, I
have directed the finding of the Court
of Inquiry and views of this govern.
ment thereon to be communicated to
the government of I. her majesty, the
Queen, and do not permit myself to
doubt that the sense of justice of the
Spanish nation will dictate course Of
action suggested by honor and the
friendly relations between the two
governments. 1t is the duty of the ex
ecutive to advise Congress of the result
and in the meantime, a deliberate con-
eidaration ia invnke cd