The Ravalli Republican., 1898-03-30
tAHSTRACT OF TIE REPORT.
The Maine Was Blown Up From Outside
By a Submarine Mine.

| The Maine Was Blown Up From Outside
| By a Submarine Mine.
Washington, March 27.-The as
socatcd Press presents herewith
complete abstract OF the report Of
the court OF inquiry which inycst-
gated the wreckage Of the battleship
Maine. This abstract is made from
the report itself, access to which
was obtained today despite official
secrecy unparalleled in the handling
Of official papers. The report is
made up of eight parts, as follows:
First-The court finds that ut the
time Of the explosion the battlcship
Maine was lying in five and one-halt
to six fathOms or water.
Second--Tle discipline aboard the
SHIP was excellent; everything stored
according to rdcls-ammunltions
guns, stores. etc. The temperature
OF the magazines at s p. M, was nor
NAL, except in the after lO-incll mag
azine, and that did not explode.
Third-The explosion occurred at
9:4O o'clock on the evening Of Feb
ruary Is. There were two explosions,
with 4 very short interval between
them. The ship lifted on the first
explosion.
Fourth-Thc court can form no
definite opinion OF the condition Of
the wreck from the divers evidence.
Fifth-Thc technical details Of
Wreckagc, from which the court de-
duces that a mine was exploded under
the ship on the port side.
SiXth--The explosion was due to
no fault Of those on board.
Sevcnth-Opinion Of the court,
stating that the explosion Of the
mine canscd the explosion Of two
magazines.
Eighth--The court declares that
it cannot find evidence to tx respon-
sibility.
The report is unanimous and is
signed by all the members OF the
court. 1t does not refer to the cXs-
tcncc or non-cxistcncc Of the mine
I in the harbor Of Havana except in
the specific finding that Ii mine was
exploded undcr the ship and the
opinion that the explosion Of the
two magazines was caused ny the
explosion Of Il mine. .
Tile report as whole is a formal,
dspassionatc recital Of facts and
bears the stamp Of that strict Off
cialism which marks naval procedure.
It is brief, not exceeding 1880
words, and among tue eight points:
goes to the greatest length under
the second heading which deals with
The dcciplinc and order Of the ship.
This the court specifies with extreme
minutencss, the least detail OF the
satisfactory condition Of everything
on board being given. The normal
temperature of the large forward
magazines a oclock-only an hour
and forty minutes before the ex-
Observation-Disclosures Of the question OF
accidental combustion within these
magazines.
While the court holds that these
magazines did not explode from in
tcrnal causes they nevertheless are OF
the opinion that the explosion OF the
mine under the port side Of the ship
caused the EXPLOSION Of two maga-
: zines. This will explain the re-
markablc destruction wrought, the
explosion thus being shown to have
combined the force Of a mine with
out and the two magazines within.
The two explosions which the court
lind to have occurred, with very
short interval between them, is an
additional detail showing that tive
forces operated in causing the de-
struction.
The tindlng that the ship lifted
, on the first explosion indicates ar
external source, and one Of tremcn
dous power, to be able to lift a bat
tlcship OF thousands Of tons. Tho
character of the Wrcckagc, techni
cally described in the fifth part o
the report, from which The court
deduccs tllat a mine was exploded
> under the ship on the port side,. srs
: tains the view taken by some cXpcrt
( shortly after the disaster, that TIL
); force OF the explosion was exertet
= from port to starbOard.
The feature Of the report Of deep
est interest to the navy is the com
/; plete exoneration Of Captain Sigsbe'
9 and all on board, containing in th'
: second Knding, setting forth tn
: perfect order and discipline prevail
: ing On the ship and more drectl
T stating in the sixth finding, whicl
declares the disaster to be due to n
fault of those on board.
y The inability of the court to fin
: evidence to fix responsibility a
: stated in the eighth part makes tn
u report SO guarded in expression q
n blame that neither Spain nor til
o Spanish are mentioned throughout.
The Holland Il Success.
II l1, u