The Chipley banner. (Chipley, Washington County, Fla.) 1893-1943, 1898-04-02
FULL TEXT OF THE
MAINE COURTS REPORT

! ident Mckinley.
The following is the full text of the
report of the court of inquiry:
KEY WEST, Monday, March 81.
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 harb' of Havana,
Cuba, on Jan. 25, 1898, and was taken
| to buoy No. 4, i'll from 8 - TO 9 fathomj
of water, by the regular government
pilot
The United States consul general at
- Havana had notified the authC. tiles at
that place the previous evening OF the
intended arrival OF the Maine.
O. 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 ."
AL ammunitions were slowed in ac-
cordance with prescribed instructions,
and proper care was taken with which
ANIMATION 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 en-
tered, and after the destruction of the
Maine the keys were found in their
proper place in the captains cabin,
everything having been reported secure
that evening at s p. IN.
The temperature of the magazines and
shellrooms were taken daily and re.
ported. The only magazine which had
an undue amount of heat was the after
10-inch magazine, and that did hot ex-
plode at the time the Maine was de.
stroyed.
The torpedo warheads were all slowed
in the after part of the ship under the
wardroom, and neither caused nor par.
ticipated in the destruction of the
Maine
The dry gun primers and decorators
were slowed in the cabin aft, and re-
mote from the scene Of the explosion.
Waste WINS carefully looked after on
board the Maine to obviate danger.
Great Care Exercised.
Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other
combustibles Of this nature were slowed
on or above the main deck and could not
have had anything to do with the do.
struction of the Maine,
The medical stores were slowed aft
under the ward room and remote from
the scene of the explosion; no danger
GUS stores OF any kind were slowed be-
low in any of the other store rooms.
The coal bunkers were inspected daily.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were in
working order, and there had never
been n case of spontaneous combus.i ton
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 COM
paratlvely low pressure OF steam, and
being tended by 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 IL fair condition.
On the night of the destruction of the
Maine everything had been reported Sc
cure for the night, at 8 p. m, by relia-
BILE persons, through the proper authori-
ties to the commanding officer. At the
time the Maine was destroyed the ship
was quiet, and therefore least liable to
accident caused by movements from
those on board. ..-.
3. The destruction of the Maine &C.
CURED at $40 p. IN, on Feb. 10. 1898, in
the harbor of Havana, Cuba, she being
at the tipe moored to the buoy to which
she had been taken on her arrival.
Were Two Explosions.
There were two explosions of dis.
tlnctly different character, with very
short but distinct interval between them,
and the forward part Of the ship was
lifted to q marked degree at the time of
the first explosion.
The first explosion was more in tho
nature of report, like that of q gun;
while the second explosion was more
open, prolonged and Of greater volume
This second explosion was in the opiu-
ION OF the court caused by the partial
explosion of two or more of the forward
magazines Of the Maine.
4. The evidence bearing upon this,
being principally obtained from divers,
did net enable the court to form def.
mite conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck, although it was est,hls shed
that the after part Of the ship WAS ID nc.
tically intact and sank in that C, ndition
III a very few minutes after the destruc.
tion 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 Al was blown up, aft
and over to the port. Tho, main deck
from about frame 30 to a! ont frame Al
We're blown up and slightly starboard
folding the forward part of the middle
superstructure over and on top of tho
after part.
THIS was, in the opinion of tho court,
caused by the partial explosion of two
or more of the forward magazines of the
Maine
5. At frame II the outer she'll Of the
ship from a point III feet from the
middle of the ship and feet above the
keel when i'll its normal position, has
been forced up so as to be now about 4
feet above where il would be had it
sunk uninjured. The side bottom plat
ing is bent into reverse in the V shape,
the after wing of which, 10 feet broad
and SO feet in length from frame II to
2j), is doubled backnpon itself against
the continuation of the plate extending
forward.