Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-28

together with the voluminous testimony
taken before the court.
Its purpose is. in brief, as follows:
When the Maine arrived at Havana she
was conducted by the regular government
pilot to buoy No. f. to which she was
moored in from five an6 one-half to six
fathoms of water.
| The state Of discipline on board and the
condition of her magazines, boilers, coal
blnkers and storage compartments are
passed in review. with the conclusion that
excellent order prevailed and that no indi-
cation of any cause for an internal ex-
p'oston existed in sny quarter.
At o'clock in the evening of February
Is everything had been reported secure and
all was quiet.
At forty minutes past nine o'clock the
vessel was suddenly destroyed.
There were two distinct explosions, with
a brief interval between them. The first
lifted the forward part of the ship very
perceptibly; the second, which was more
open, prolonged and of greater volume. is
attributed by the court to the partial ex-
plcsion of two or more of the forward
magazines.
The evidence of the divers establishes
that the afterpart of the ship was prac-
tically intact and sank in that condition a
very few minutes after the explosion. The
forward part was completely demolished.
Upon the evidence of a concurrent exter-
nal cause the finding of the court is as
| follows:
"At frame II the outer shell of the ship.
| from d 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
f1-,,- foot o1,nx,a hn n
| therefore about thirty-four feet above
where i: would be had the ship sunk I'M
| injured.
The outside bottom plating is bert into
| reversed shape the after wing OF
which, about fifteen feet broad and thirty
two feet in length Crom frame IL to frame
% is doubled back upon itself against the
continuation of the same plating extending
| forward.
At Frame IS the vertical keel is broken
| in two and the fiat keel bent into an an
| gle similar to the angle formed by the
outside bottom plates. This break is now
about six feet below the surface Of the
water and about thirty feet above its nor
NAL position.
In the opinion of the Court this effect
could have been produced only by the ex-
| pic SIGN 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 fault or negligence on
| the part of any of the officers or members
of her crew.
| That the ship was destroyed by the ex-
| plosion of a submarine mine, which caused
| the partial explosion of two or more of
ar,1 hat l.
| derce las been obtainable fixing the re-
| sponsbility for the destruction of the Maine
upon any person persons.
| 1 have directed that tie finding Of the
| Court of Inquiry and the views of this
| Government thereon be communicated to
| the Government of Her Majesty, the Queen
| Regent and / do not permit myself to
| doubt that the sense of justice of the Span
| ish nation will dictate a course of action
| suggested by honor and the friendly rela-
| tions Of the two governments.
| 1t will be the duty of the Executive to
| advise the Congress of the result, and in
| the meantime deliberate consideration Is
invoked WILLIAM MCKINLEY.
| Executive Mansion, March Is. 1898.
| In re- Explosion of the U. S. B. S. Maine"
Before a Court of Inquiry, Key West,
| Florida
| U. S. S. IOWA, LIST Rate, Key West, Flor
ida, Monday, March p, 1895.
After full and mature consideration of all
| the testimony before it, the court finds as
follows:
| 1. That the United States battle ship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
| Cuba. on the twenty-fifth day of January,
| eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and
was taken to Buoy No. 4, in from five and
1 os;x, f,tb Of fer Y q H.
| lar Government Pilot.
The United States Consul General at Ha-
vana had notified the authorities at that
place, the previous evening, of the intendei
| arrival Of the Maine.
| . The ctate of discipline on board the
Maine was excellent; and all orders and
| regulations in regard to the care and safe
| ty of the ship were strictly carried out.
| All ammunition was slowed in accordance
| with prescribed Instructions, and proper
| care was taken whenever ammunition 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 al
| ways 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 peen re-
ported secure that evening at pm.
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 ten-inch
| magazine, and that did not explode at the
time the Maine was destroyed.
The torpedo war-hcads were all slowed
in the after part Of the ship under the
| ward room, and neither caused nor partici-
| pated in the destruction Of the Maine.
The cry gun-ootton primers and detona-
| tors were slowed in the cabin aft and re-
| mote from the scene of the explosion.
! Waste was carefully looked after on
board the Maine to obviate danger. Spe-
cial orders in regard to this had been
| given by the commanding officer.
Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other COM
bustibles of this nature were slowed on
| or above the main deck. and could not
have had anything to do with the destruc-
| ton of the Maine.
| The medical stores were slowed aft un-
der the ward room and remote from the
scene of the explosion.