Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-04-01
REPORT OF THE COURT

Text OF the FindinEs Of the Maine Board
of Inquiry.
The following is O full text of the re.
port Of the court Of inquiry:
United States steamship Iowa, LIST rate.
Key West, Fla, Monday. March II,
1898.
After full and mature consideration
Of all the testimony before it, the court
finds as follows:
!. That the United States battleship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
CUBA, on the 26th day Of January, 1893,
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 aud 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.
nunition was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one Of
the magazines or shell rooms which
was not permitted to be slowed there.
Captain Had the Keya.
The magazines and shell rooms were
always locked after having 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 90.
cure that eve at 8 p m.
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 destruc.
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
combustiles 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.
The medical stores were slowed aft
under the ward roon 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.
The coal bunkers were inspected. OF
those bunkers adjoining the forward
magazines and shell rooms, four wae
empty. namely Bs. B4, B5, B6. "Alb"
had been in use that day, and "Alf"
was full Of New River coal. This coal
had been carefully inspected before re-
ceiving it on toard. 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 "B8" 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.
Osly Two Boilers IN Use.
The two after boilers Of the ship were
in use at the time Of the disaster, but
for auxiliary parposes only with com.
paratively low pressure Of steam, and
being tended by reliable watch. These
boilers could not have caused the ex.