Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-04-02


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
?. 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.
e All ammunition was slowed away In accord
ance with instructions, and proper care was
taken whenever ammunition was handled.
Nothing was slowed In any one Of the maga-
zines or shell rooms which was not ermitted
tO be slowed there.
The magazines and shell-rocms were always
locked after baving been opened; and after the
destruction Of the Maine the keys were found in
thcr proper place in the captains cabin, every
Thing having been reported secure that evening
a. 8 p. IN.
The temperatures OF the magaziI es and she'll
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 explode at the time the Maize was de-
stroyed
The torpedo warheads were all slowed in the
after part OF the ship, under the ware room and
neither caused nor participated in Tic destruc-
tion OF the Maine
The dry gun cotton primers and detonaters
were slowed in the cabin aft, and remote from
the scene OF the explosion.
The waste was carefully looked after on board
the Maine to 0byate danger. Special orders In
regard 10 this had been given by the com'aand-
inGofilccr
Narni hes dryers, alcohol and other ON
| bustib.ei 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 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 bunliers were inspected OF those
| 5unkcrs ad Joining the forward magazines and
| shell rooms four were empty, namely B3 ia,
| B5, B6
Alb had been in use that day, and Al6 was
| full OF n w River coal This coal had been
| carefully inspected before receiving it on board.
| The bunker in which it was slowed was accessi-
| bic on three siles ~ al times, and the fourth
| side at tn time, on account OF bunkcrs 81 and
I}6 being empty. This bunker Al6, had been
| Inspected that day by the engineer officer on
| duty.
The fire alarms in the bunlicrs wer, in work.
| ing order, and there had never been case Of
| spontaneous combustion OF coal on board the
| Maine.
The two after boilers of the shin were in use
at the time OF the disaster, but for auxiliary
purposes only, with a comparatively low pres
sure OF steam, and being tended by reliable
| watch.
These boilers could not have caused the O. =
ploslon of the ship. The four forward boil }
have since been found by the divers and are an
| Il fair condition.
On the night Of the destruction OF the Maine
| everything had been reported secure for the
night at p m, by reliable persons. through
the proper authorities, to the commanding on-
Ger. At the tim the Maine was DESTROYED the
ship was quiet AMI, therefore least liable to
accident causel by movements from those on
board
| EXPLOSIONS.
3. The destruction of the Maine occurred at
$40 p, m, on the fifteenth dly of February.
1898 in the harDor of Havana, Cuba. being at the
time moored at the same buoy to which she had
been taken upon her arrival.
There were two explosions Of a distinctly
different character, with very short but dis
tinct interval between them, and the forward
part of the ship was lifted to a marked degree al
the time OF the first explosion
The first explosion was m )re in the nature Of
q report like that of gun; while the second
explosion WAS more opsn, prolonged. and OF
greater volume. This se,ol explosion was, in
the opinion Of the court, caused by the partial
explosion Of two or more OF the forward maya.
zines OF the Maine.
CONDITION OF THE WRECK.
L. The evidence bearing on this, beln prin-
cipally obtained from divers, did not enable the
court to form u definite conclusion us to tha
condition OF the wreck, although it was cstab.
l,shed that the after part Of the ship was prlc.
tically intact, and sank in that condition very
few minutes after tn te3tru .tion OF the for.
ward part.
The following facts in regard to the forward
part of the ship are, however, established by
the testimony
The portion OF the port 81 lie OF the protective
deck, which extends from about frame 81 Il
about frame Il, was bl)wl up aft, and over tc
port The main deck from alb )ut frame 30 tc
about frame ii. was blown up aft. ami sligltly
over to starboard, folding the forward part OF
|; the middle SuporstructurG over and on top OF
the after part
, This was, in The opinion of the court cause.
by the partial explosion OF two or m prc of tn,
, .orward magazines OF the Maine.
, B. At frame II the ontcr shell of the shin
, from p int eleven and nehalf feet from tn
middle line of the ship. AMI six feet above TN
, keel, when in it, normal position has hea'
, forced up so as to be nov about four feet ahoy
the surface Of the water; therefore about thr
, ty-four feet above where 1t would be hal tn
, ship sunk unin1urcd The outside bottom
plating is bent into reversed V shape tn
: after wing Of which, about fifteen feet btoa
, and thirty-two feet in length (from frame Il t
, frame ~, is doubled back upon itself ugains
| =, Of I bp
, | forward.
At frame IS thevcrtical keel is broken In tw
and the fiat keel bent into an angle similar I
the angle formed by the outside bottom plating
The break is now about six feet below the sur
face OF the water and about thirty feet abov
, its normal position,
In the opinion Of the court this effect coult
have been produced only by the explosion of
| mine situated under the bottom OF the ship Il
| about frame Is, and somewhat on the port sid
A OF the ship.
/ g. The court finds that the loss OF the Maint
on the occasion named, was not in any rcSpeC
due to fault or negligence on the part of any
: the officers or members OF the crew of said yes
SELL,
, Z. In the opinion of the court the Maine wa
/ destroyed by the explosion of n submarine min
& which caused the partial explosion of two
9 more OF her forward magazines. 4
8. The court has been unable to obtain ev
a dence fixing the responsibility for the destrut
tion OF the Maine upon any person or person
n w. I. SAMPSON.
: Captain U. S. N, President
A. MARK,
n Lieutcnant-C Commander, U. s. N, Judge AdvC
:, cate.
If The court, having finished the inquiry 1t WI
4, ordered TO make, adjourned ut II u. m, TO ava
the action OF the convening authority.
n w. Il, SAMPSON,
, Captain, U. S. N President
m A. MARlX
NJ Lieutenant Commander, U. S. N, Judge ADV,
~ cate.
UNITED STATES FLAGSHIP NEW York,
,o March -, 1873.
~ OFF KEY WEST. FLA.
!, The proceedings AMI indn,S of the court
- inquiry Ia the above case ara approved.
~ M. SICARD,
:" Rear Admiral Commander n-Chief Of q
J., United States Naval Force on the North
!" lantc Station
ie Under Serious Charges.
GREENcAsTIE. Ind, March 2s.-Cla
D. encc Snyder. aged ss years, a son of c
of Councilman Lewis Snyder, an old al
wcll-knOwn citizen of this city, is