The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-28

81 ould be kept up by retaining the Maine
at Havana or, In toe event Of her recall,
~ sending another vessel there To take
her place.
At ~ minutes past 8 O'Clock i'm the
8vening of t, 18th OF February the Maip o
was destroyed by an explosion, by which
the entire Tor aHrd part Of the snip was
utterly wIecsei. La the catastrophe two
officers and s64 of her crew perisaed. those
who were not killed outrignt by the tx
pIosi0n being peEned bttween Cecks by
the tanRle OF wreckage and drowned b
the immediate sinking of tie hull.
Prompt assistance was renuered b7 the
neigh boring se. sells amer oret in thu har-
Dor, aid neing especially given by the
spanish cruiser ALI honso MI and the
Ward line ste1mer City Of Washington.
which lay cot far distant.
1.-The wounded were generously cared
for b. the authorities OF Havana, the hos
pitfalls being freely opened to them. while
the earliest recovered bodies Of the dead
We're inferred by ths municipality In o
pu blic cemetery In the city. Tributes Oh
grief aaa- sympathy wese otsrea from all
OF the quarters of the island.
The appalling calamity fell upon the
people Of our country with crushiLg force,
and for brief ime an intens5 excits-
ment prevailed, which in q community
less just and self-eontrollsd than ours
sentiment. This spirit, however, soon
gave way to the oalmer process at reason
and to the resolve to INVESTIGATE the facts
and await material proof before forming
a ludRn ent as to tie cause, the response
bility and the facts wsrrantsc, the rem
edy due. Itis course necessarily recon-
mcndeu itself from the outset 10 the ex-
ecutive. for cnlv In the light Of dir.as-
siopateiy sscertained certainty will IL de-
termi inc the nature and measure OF Ito
full DUTY In the matter.
The usual procedure was foil owed, 30 In
all casss of casualty or disaster to ration
al vessels OF any maritime stats. A naval
court OF inquiry ives at once orRanizeo,
composed Of officsrs well qualified By
rank anu practical experience to discharae
the one-ous duty imposed upon than.
Aiued by n strong force Of wreckers and
divers the court proceeded to make =
thorough Investigation on the spot, en-
ployinH every avatlable Ia means for tno
impartial anu exact determination OF the
causes Of the explosion.
Its operations have besD conducted
with the utmost delibsration audd judR-
ment, and while INDEPENDENTLY pursued,
no source Of information was neglected
and the fullest opportunity was Above
for simultaneous investi cation by the
Spanish authorities.
The finding of the court of inquiry was
reached after % days OF continuous la
Dor on the 2lst OF March instant and
hasing been approved on ths 22d BY the
commander in chief of the United Stntes
naval force on tie North Atlantic sta
tion, was transmitted to the executive
1t is herewith laid before the Congress,
together with the voluminous testimony
taken tefore the court
It's purport Is. In brief, ss follows:
When tie Maine arrived at HavaIfa she
was conducted by the regular government
pilot 10 buoy No. 4. to which she was
moored In from five and oEe-hslf to six
fathoms of water.
1'hs state Of discipline on board and the
condition Of her magazines, boilers. coal
bunkars and storaG, departments are
seed in review with the conclusion that
excellent order PREVAILED aud that no In
dlcation of any cause for an internal ex-
plosion existed In any quarter.
At 3 o'clock In the evening OF February
10Th everything had been reported secure
and all was quiet,
At 40 minutes past o'clock the vessel
was suddenly destroyed. There were two
distinct explosions with brisf interval
between them. The first lifted the for.
ward part CT the ship very Iercsptfbly;
the second, which was more open. pro-
Iopged ana OF greater volume, Is attrib-
utsd py the court TO partial explosion OF
two or more Of the forward magazines.
The evidences of tbe divers established
that the after part Of the ship WINS prac-
tically iutact and sank In that condition