Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-04-01
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

l
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
The president on Monday sent the fol
lowing message to congress:
ITO the Congress of the United States
| For some time prior to the visit OF tn
Maine to Havana harbor our consula
representatives pointed out the. advan
! taxes to flow from the visit of nationa
ships to tho Cuban waters. in accustom
ing the people to the presence of our flat
as the symbol Of good will and OF oul
ships in the fulfillment Of the mission O
protection to American interests, ever
though no immediate need therefor mtSh
exist"
MAINE SENT TO HAVANA.
Accordingly, on the oath OF January
last, after conference with the Spanish
minister in which the renewal OF visits
OF our war vessels to Spanish waters was
discussed and accepted, the peninsular au
thorties at Madrid and Havana were ad
vised of the purpose of this government
to resume friendly naval visits at Cuban
ports and that In that view the Maine
would forthwith call at the port of Ha.
vana. This announcement was received
by the Spanish government with appre'
citation Of the friendly character OF the
visit Of the Maine and with notification
Of intention to return the courtesy oy
sending Spanish ships to the principal
ports of the United States. Meanwhile
the Maine entered the port of Havana on
the 25th of January, her arrival being
marked with no special incident besides
the exchange Of customary saluteS and
ceremonial visits
1.-THE Maine continued in the harbor OF
Havana during the three weeks following
her arrival. No appreciable excitement
attended her stay. On the contrary, a
feeling Of relief and confidence followed
the resumption of the long interrupted
friendly intercourse. So noticeable was
this immediate effect Of her visit that the
consul general strongly urged that the
presence Of our ships in Cuban waters
should be kept up by retaining the Maine
ut Havana, or in the event OF her recall,
by sending another vessel there to take
her place."
BLOWING UP OF MAINE.
AT forty minutes past in the evening
Of the 18th Of February the Maine was
destroyed by an explosion, by which the
entire forward part of the ship was utterly
wrecked. In this catastrophe two officers
and $50 Of her crew persisted, those who
were not killed outright by her explosion
being penned between decks by the tam
gle of wreckage and drowned by the i'm
mediate sinking Of the hull. Prompt as
sistance was rendered by the neighborins
vessels anchored in the harbor aid being
especially given by the boats of the Span
ish cruiser Alphonso XII. and the Ward
limo steamer City Of Washington. which
lay not far distant The wounded were
generally cared for by the authorities OF
Havana. the hospitals being freely opened
to them, while the earliest recovered
bodies Of the dead were inferred by the
municipality in public cemetery In the
city. Tributes. of grief and sympathy were
offered from all official quarters of the
island. The appalling calamity fell upon
tho people Of our country with crushing
force and for brief time an intense ex-
element prevailed, which in a community
less Just and self-controlled than ours,
might have led to hasty acts of blind re-
sentiment"
CALMNEss OF OUR PEOPLE.
This spirit, however, soon gave way to
the calmer processes of reason and to the
resolve to investigate the facts and await
the material proof before forming judg-
ment as to the cause, the responsibility
and, II the facts warranted, the remedy
due. This course necessarily recommend
ed itself from the outset to the executive.
for only in the light Of dispassionate-
~ ascertained certainty could it determine
the nature and measure Of its full duty
followed Is in all cases Of casualty or dis
aster to national vessels of any maritime
state. A naval court of inquiry was at
once organized, composed of officers we'll
qualified by rank and practical experience
to discharge the onerous duty imposed
upon them. Aided by a strong force of
wreckers and divers the court proceeded
to make a thorough investigation on the
spot, employing every available means for
the impartial and exact determination OF
the causes of the explosion. Its opera
tons have been conducted with the ut
most deliberation and judgment and. while
independently pursued, no source OF In
formation was neglected and the fullest
opportunity was allowed for a simultan-
eous investigation by the Spanish author
tiles. The finding Of the court Of inquiry
was reached. after twenty-three days of
continuous labor, on the 2lst of March.
and having been approved on the 22d by
the commander-in-chief Of the United
States naval force on the North Attain
tic station was transmitted to the execu-
tive" =.
SUMMARY OF COURTS EVIDENCE.
ut Is herewith laid before the con-
grsss, together with the voluminous tes-
ttmony taken before the court. Its pur-
port Is, In brief. as follows:
"'When the Maine arrived at Havana she
was conducted by the regular government
pilot to buoy No. 4, to which she was
moored in from nve and one-half 10 six
fathoms of water. The state of disci-
pline on board and the condition of her
magazines, boilers. coal-bunkers and stor-
age compartments are passed in review,
with the conclusion that excellent order
prevailed and that no indication Of any
cause for an internal explosion existed
In any quarter. At o'clock in the even
Ing Of Feb. Is everything had been report
ed secure and all was quiet. At $40 the
vessel was suddenly destroyed. There
we're two distinct explosions. with brief
Interval between them. The first lifted
the forward part Of the ship perceptibly
% attributed by the court to the partial
explosion of two or more Of the forward
magazines"
- WAS FROM THE OUTSIDE.
1.-The evidence of the divers establishes
that the afterpart OF the ship was prac-
tically intact and sank in that condition
q very few minutes after the explosion.
The forward part was completely demo-
lshed. At frame II the outer shell of the
ship, from point eleven and one-half
feet from the middle line Of the ship and
six feet above the keel when in its nor
NAL position has 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 the ship
sunk uninjured. The outside bottom
plating is bent into a reversed W shape.
the after wing Of which, about fifteen
teet broad and thirty-two feet in length
from frame II to frame 25), is doubled
back upon itself against the continuation
OF the same plating extending forward.
"'At frame Is the vertical keel is broken
in two and keel bent into an angle SINH
lar to the angle formed for the out
side plates. This break Is about six feet
below the surface OF the water and about
thirty feet above its normal position. in
tho 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 IL and somewhat
on the port side of tn ship
CONCLUSION OF REPORT.
ssThA conclusions OF the court are: That