The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-04-01
AS FORECASTED.
Court Of Inquiry Says Maine Was
Wrecked by Outside Agency.
Conclusive Evidence That = submarins
Nine on thePOrts side OF the ship Caused
the AwfuI DIsastsr-KespOnsi-
billy Not Fixed.

WASHINGTON, March 29.-The fal-
lowing is the full text Of the report OF
the court Of inquiry:
United States ship Iowa, First Rate. Key
West, Fla. Monday. March p, Is92-After fun
! and mature consideration OF ali the testimony
before ii. the court finds as follows
l. That the United States battleship Mama
arrived in the harbOr OF Havana, Cuba. upon
the 18th day OF January, 1898. and was taken 10
buoy No. 4, In from 81 TO six fathoms Of water,
/ By the regular government pilot
The United States consul general at Havana
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 70 the care and safety Of the ship
we're strictly carried out
All ammunition was slowed away in accord
ance with instructions, and proper care was
taken whenever ammunition was handled
zines or shell rooms which was not
/ permitted to be slowed there The magazines
! and shell rooms were always locked after hav-
/ ing been opened; and after the destruction OF
i the Maine the keys we're found in their proper
place in the captains cabin. everything having
! been reported secure that evening at eight
| O'Clock The temperatures Of the magazines
| and she'll rooms we're 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-heads were all
! slowed In the after part Of the ship. under the
/ ward room and neither caused nor participated
/ in the destruction Of the Maine The dry
gun cotton primers and decorators were
| slowed in the cabin aft and re-
mote from the scene OF the explosion The
/ waste was carefully looked after on board the
! Maine to ObYiate danger. Special orders in re-
/ gard to this had been given by the commanding
officer Varnishes. dryers, alcohol and other
/ cOmbustibles Of this nature were slowed on
In hn~ Hrs1H
/ anything 70 Go with the destruction OF the
/ Maine The medical stores were slowed aft,
under the ward room and remote from the
1 scene Of the explosion No dangerous stores
/ Of any kind were stored below in any Of the
| other storeroOms
/ The coal bunkers were inspected OF thoss
/ bunkers adjoining the forward magazines and
/ shell rooms four were empty. namely: B3, B4
/ B5, Be AIS had been in use that day and AI6
/ was fun Of New River coal This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving it on board
/ The bunker in which IL was slowed was aecessi-
/ bic on three sides at all times, and the fourth
side at this time, on account Of bunkers 81 and
! E6 being empty This bunker. Ai6, had been
] inspected that day By the engineer oflcer on
| duty The FIRE alarms in the buukers were In
/ working order and there had never been q case
| OF spontaneous combustion Of coal on board
i the Maine
! The two after-boilers Of the ship we're 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 a reliable
/ watch These boilers could not have caused
1 the explosion 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 eight o'clock, by reliable persons,
/ through the proper authorities to the com
| manding officer At the time the Maine was
| DESTROYED. the ship was quiet and, therefore,
| least liable 10 accident caused by movements
/ from those on board
! The destruction OF the Maine occurred at
| $50 D. M Of the I5th day OF February. 1898. IN
the harbOr Of Havana. Cuba. being at the time
/ mOOred TO the same buoy to which she had been
/ taken upon her arrival
/ There were two explosions Of a distinctly Diff
ferent character. with q very short but distinct
I interval between them. and the forward part
OF the ship was lifted 10 marked degree AZ
/ the time Of the first explosion The first ex-
| plosfon was more in the nature OF a report.
like that Of a gun, while the second explosion
/ was more open prolonged and % greater vol
ume This second explosion was. in the Opin-
ion Of the court. caused By the partial eEplO-
sion Of two or more OF the forward magazines
Of the Maine
| L The evidence bearing Or this. being prfn-
| cipally obtained from divers, did not enable
] the court to form definite conclusion as TO the
condition Of the wreck although IL was estab-
lished that the after part OF the ship was prac-
| tically intact and sank in that condition very
| few minutes after 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 protec-
| tive deck which extends from about frame 90
20 about frame II was blown up at and
/ over 70 port The main deck from about frame
I 30 to about frame a was blown up aft and
| slightly over to starbOard. folding the forward
/ part OF the middle superstructure over and on
TOP OF the after part This was IN the opinion
Of the court, caused by the partial explosion Of
two OF more Of the forward magazines Of the
| Maine
5. At frame Il the outer shell Of the ship,
| from point Ii5z feet from the middle line OF
the ship and six feet above the keel when in its
normal position. has been forced up 50 as 70 be
now about four feet above the surface Of the
water; therefore about - feet above where Il
would be had the ship sunk uniniured The
outside bottom plating is bent into Z reversed
| V shape. the after wing Of which. about i
/ feet broad and - feet in length 0frOm frame II
| 70 frame 81 IS doubled back upon itself
| against the continuation o. the same plating
| extending forward
At frame IS the vertical keel is broken in
two and the fat keel bent into an angle SINH
| lar to the angle formed By the outside bottom
/ plating This break is now about six feet be
/ low the surface OF the water and about 30 feet
I above its normal position
In the opinion Of the court this eject could
have been produced only BY the explosion OF
mine situated under the bottom Of the ship at
about frame Is
& The court finds that the loss Of the Maine.
due to fault OF negligence on the part OF any Of
| the Odicers or members Of the crew Of said YES
sci
:. In the opinion OF she court. the Maine was
destroyed BY the explosion Of . submarine
mine. which caused the partial explosion Of
two OF more q her forward magazines
6 The court has been unable 20 obtain eve
dence fixing the respousfbilftY for the destruc-l
ton Of The Maine upon any person OF persons
" T Sampson. captain e s. n. president
A Mark. Lieutenant commander. z s s[s
Judge advocate
The testimony taken before thu
court Of inquiry and sent with the re-
port makes a pamphlet Of 100. 900 words
and covered IS days Every witness
who was known to have any infOrma-
ton that could throw any Light upon
the great disaster was called TO give
his testimony.