The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-03-31
munition was handled.

the magazines or shell rooms which
vas not permitted to be slowed there.
Captain Had the Keys.
The magazines and shell rooms were
always 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 been reported Sc.
cure that eve at p m.
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 1O-inch magazine and that did
not explode at the time the Maine was
destroyed The torpedo war heads
were all stored in the after part of the
ship under the ward room and neither
caused nor participated in the destruc-
ton of the Maine.
The gun cotton primers and deton-
aters were stored in the cabin aft and
remote from the scene of the explosion.
The waste was carefully looked after
on board the Maine to obviate danger.
Special orders in regard to this had
been given by the commanding officer.
Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other
com bustiles 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 We're slowed aft
under the ward room and remote from
the zone of the explosion.
No Dangerous Stores Around.
No dangerous stores of any kind were
slowed below in any of the other store
rooms.
The coal bunkers were inspected. Of
those bunkers adjoining the forward
magazines and shell rooms, four were
empty, namely B3, B4, Be-, B6. Gals"
had teen in use that day, and "Al6"
was full of New River coal. This coal
had been carefully inspected before re-
ceiving it on toard. The bunker in
which it was slowed was accessible on
three sides at all times and the fourth
side at this time on account OF bunkers
'sB4" and "B6" being empty. This
bunker "Al6' had been inspected that
day by the engineer officer on duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were
in working order, and there had never
been a case of spontaneous combustion
Of coal on board the Maine.
Only Two Boilers in Use.
The two after boilers of the ship were
in use at the time of the disaster, but
for auxiliary purposes only with COM
paratiyely 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 in fair condition.
On the night of the destruction OF
the Maine everything had been report
ed secure for the night at p. m, by
reliable 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.
Two Distinct Explosions.
3. The destruction of the Maine oc-
Cured at $40 p. H., on the 10Th day OF
February, 1898, in the harbor OF Ha-
vana, Cuba, being at the time moored
to the same buoy to which she had
been taken upon her arrival.
There were two explosions of dis
tinctly different character, with very
short but distinct interval between
them, and the forward part of the ship
was lifted to a marked degree at the
time of the first explosion.
The first explosion was more in the
nature of a report, like that OF gun;
while the second explosion was more
open, prolonged, and of greater volume.
The second explosion was, In the
opinion of the court, caused by the par
tial explosion of two or more of the
/ forward magazines OF the Maine.
Cond ton of the Wreck.
!. The evidence bearing on this, be-
ing principally obtained from divers,
did not enable the court to form def
nate conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck, although it was established
that the after part of the ship was prac-
ticallv intact, and sank in that condi-
ton a very few minutes after the de-
struction 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 30 to about frame Al, was
blown up aft and over to port. The
main deck from about frame 30 to
about frame Al was blown up aft and
slightly over to starboard, folding the
forward part of the middle superstruc.
ture over and on top of the after part.
This was, in the opinion of the court,
caused by the partial explosion Of two
or more Of the forward magazines Of
the Maine.
Thirty-four Feet Out of Place.
5. At frame II, the outer shell of the
ship, from point liz feet from the
middle line OF the ship and feet above
the keel when in its normal position,
has been forced up SO as to be now
OH tha c11rfa of no