The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1898-03-31
OCCURRENCES THEREIN
FOR A WEEK,
1NHANDSO FCONGRESS
"A MESSAGE ACCOMPANIES THE
REPORT.
Proof of q Submarine Mine Given
in the Findings Of the Court or
Inquiry No Evidence Found as
to the Responsibility.
Message to Congress.

Except on the occasion Of the inaugural
ton of a president, no such crowd as
surged through the corridors and stormed
the galleries for admission have been seen
at the national capitol for a quarter OF a
century. Public interest over the report
of the Maine court of inquiry was at a
white heat. People began to assemble by
by daylight Monday, and at 3 O'Clock,
three hours before the time for the houses
of congress to meet, the public galleries
were crowded and long lines of disappoint-
ed persons stretching down the stairwayS.
Many distinguished persons were in the
reserved galleries. There was nearly as
much excitement on the floors of the two
houses as in the galleries. In the house,
as soon as the preliminary business was
disposed of, the report of the Maine court
of inquiry, accompanied by a message
from the president, was read. There was
an Outburst of applause when the message
was concluded. 1t was referred without
debate to the committee on foreign affairs.
The president after reciting his reasons
for sending the big battleship to Havana,
bifS ChpIOSlOH, WHICH tOOh lC ltC VI "
Of the United States bravest men, con-
cludes his message as follows:
There were two distinct explosions, with
a brief interval between them. The first
lifted the forward part of the vessel very
perceptibly; the second, which was more
pronounced, is attributed by the court to a
partial explosion of two or more of the
forward magazines. The evidence of the
divers establishes that the after part Of the
ship was practically intact and sank in
thai condition a very few minutes after
the explosion. The forward part was
completely demolished. Upon the evil
dence of concurrent external cause the
finding Of the court is as follows:
Frame IL of the outer she'll of the ship,
from a point liz feet from the middle
line of the ship, and six feet above when
i'm normal position, has been forced up so
as to be now about 4 feet above where it
would be had the ship sunk %uninjured.
The outside bottom plating is bent into a
reversed "V" shape, the after wing of
(which, about Is feet broad and 81 feet in
length from frame IL to frame 25l, is
doubled back upon itself against a contin-
nation of the same plating extending for
ward.
At frame Is the vertical keel is broken
i'm two and the keel bent into an angle
similar to the angle formed from the out
side plates, This break is about 6 feet be-
low the surface of The water and about 30
feet above its normal position.
In the opinion of the court this effect
could have been produced only by an eX-
plosion of a mine situated under the bot
tom of the ship, at about frame Is and
somewhat On the port side of the ship.
The conclusions of the court are:
That the loss of the Maine was not in
any respect due to the fault or negligence
of any officers or the crew.
That the ship was destroyed by the eX-
plosion of a submarine mine, which caused
the partial explosion of two OF more of her
forward magazines; and
That no evidence has been obtainable
fixing the responsibility for the destruc-
ton of the Maine upon any person or per-
sons.
| have directed the finding of the court
of inquiry and the views of this govern
ment thereon to be communicated to the
government of her majesty the Queen of
Spain, and [ do not permit myself to doubt
the sense Of justice of the Spanish nation
will dictate a course of action suggested
by honor and the friendly relations of the
two governments.
1t was the duty of the executive to ad-
wise congress of the result, and in the
meantime deliberate consideration is in
yoked.