The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-28
The REPORT.
Findings of the Naval Court OF
Inquiry
Appointed to Investigate the
Loss of the Maine.
NOTHING BUT A MINE
Could Have Produced the Con-
ditiOnS
Which the Court Found Upon
Investigation.
The First Official Publication
of the Findings.

Washington, March 28-The follow
ing is a full text of the report of the
court of inquiry:
United States Ship Iowa. First Rate.
Key West, Fla, March q, 1S9S.-Af-
ter full and mature considerable of all
the testimony before it, the court finds
as follows:
L That the United States battIship
Maine arrived in the harbOr of Havana,
Cuba, on the 25th day of January, 1898,
and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from
t1Ve and half to six fathoms of water,
by the regular government pilot. The
United states consul general at Hava-
ma had notified the authorities at that
place the previous evening of the in
tended arrival of the Maine.
?. 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 carried
out.
All ammunition was slowed away in
accordance with Instructions, and pro-
per care was taken whenever ammuni-
ton was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one of the
magazines or shell rooms which was
not permitted to be slowed there.
The magazines and shell rooms were
always locked after having been open
ed; and after the destruction of the
Maine the keys were round IN their
proper place, in the captains cabin, ev-
erything having been reported secure
that evening at 8 p. m.
The temperature of the magazines
and shell rooms were taken daily and
reported. The only magazine which had
an undue amount of heat was the after
ten inch magazine, and that did not ex-
plOde at the time the Maine was de-
strOyed
The torpedo war heads were all stow
ed in the after part of the ship under
the ward room, and neither caused nor
participated in the destruction of the
The dry gun cotton primers and deto-
majors were slowed in the cabin aft
and remote from the scene of the ex-
plOsiOn.
The waste was carefully looked after
on aoard the Maine to obviate danger.
Special orders in regard to this had
been given by the commanding officers
VarniSheS, dryers, alcohol and Other
cOmbustibles of this nature were stow
ed on or above the Maine deck and
could not have had anything to do with
the destruction of the Maine.
The medical stores were slowed aft
under the ward room and remote from
the scene of the explosion
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 were
empty, namely BIS, B4, B5, B.6. AIS
had been in use that day and A.16 was
full of New river coal. This coal had
been carefully inspected before receiV-
ing it on board. 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 B.4,
and BIG, being empty. This bunker,
A 16, 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 a case of spontaneous combustion
of coal on board the Maine.
The two after boilers Of the ship were
in use at the time of the disaster, but
for auxiliary purposes only, with a COM
paratively low pressure of steam, and
being tended by a reliable watch These
boilers could not have caused the ex-
plosiOn of the ship. The four forward
boilers have since been found by the
divers, and are in a fair condition
On the night of the destruction of the
Maine everything had been reported
secure for the night, at p. m, by re-
liable persons, through the proper auth
critics to the commanding officer. At
the time the Maine was destroyed the
ship was quiet and therefore least LA
Bile to accident caused by movements
from those on board.
Third-The destruction of the Maine
occurred 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.
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 a report, like that of a gun;
while the second explosion was more
open prolonged and of greater volume.
This second explosion was in the Opin-
ion of the court, caused by the partial
explosion of two or more of the forward
MAGAZINES of the Maine.
4-The evidence bearing on the con-
dition of the wreck being principally
obtained from divers, did not enable
the court to form definite conclusion
as to the condition of the wreck. al
though it was established that the after
Dart of the ship was practically intact
minutes after the destruction of the
forward part.
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 40, was
blown up aft. and over to port. The
main deck from about frame 80 to
about frame Al, was blown aft, and
slightly over to starboard, folding the
forward part of the middle Superstruc-
ture over and on top of the after part.
This was, in the opinion of the court
caused by the partial explosion of two
or NOR of the forward magazines of
the NJ me.
ship, from a point eleven and one half
feet from the middle line of the ship
and six feet above the keel, when in its
normal 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 q