The herald., 1898-03-29

By the regular government pilot. Tne
United states Consul General had notified
the authorities at that place the previo'as'
evening OF the intended arrival Of the
Maine
DISCIPLINE ON BOARD
second-Thes state OF discipline on board
the Maine was excellent. and all orders ard
reguiations in regard to the areiand safety
Of the ship were strictly carried out. ALI
ammunition was slowed away in accord
arce with Instructions. and proper care was
taken whenever ammunition was handled.
Nothing was stored In any one Of the mag
axinss or shell rooms which was not per-
mitteti to be slowed there. The magazinss
and shell rooms were always locked after
having been opened; and after the dcstruc-
tion of the Maine the ksys were found In
their proper place In the Captains cabin,
everything having been reported secure
that evening, at o'clock. The temporal
lures 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.
ana thatsdtds not explode at the time the
Maine was destroyed. The torpedo war
heads were all slowed in the after part Of
the ship. and neither caused nor parsici-
pated in the destruction Of the Maine. The
dry gun-cotton primers and dstonators
were slowed in the cabin aft apd remote
from the seat 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 tho
commanding officer. Varnishes, dryers
alcohol and other combustibies ofsthis' ia
tire were slowed on or above the mn!n
deck. and could not have had anything 10
do vith,the destruction Of the Maine. TIE
medical stores were slowed aft. under the
ward room and remote from the scene OF
the explosion. No dangerous stores OF any
kind were slowed below In any Of the other
store-rooms The coal bunkers were in
snected. OF those bunksrs' adjoining the
forward magasines and shell rooms, four
were empty, namely:
B. 8, B. 4, B. and B. &
Ak had been used that date and A was
full of new river coaL This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving 1t on
hoard, The bunker in which 1t was stored
was accessible on three sides at all times
and the fourth side at this time. on ac-
count of bunkers B and B being empty.
This bunker, A Is. had been inspected that
day by the engineer officer on duty. There
had never been case OF spontaneous COM
bustion of coal on board the Maine.
The two after boilers of the ship were in
use at the time Of the disaster. but for
auxiliary purposes only, with a compara-
lively low pressure Of steam, and being
tended by q reliable watch. These boilers
could not have caused the explosion Of the
ship. The forward boilers of the ship have
since been found by the divers. and are in
fair condition.
On the night of the destruction Of the
Maine, everything had been reported Sc
cure for the night at pm. by reliable per-
sons, through proper authorities, to the
commanding officer. At the time the
Maine was destroyed the ship was quiet,
and therefore the least liable to accident
BY movements from those on board.
THE DISASTER
Third-The destruction Of the Maine oc-
CURED at $40 p. m. on February Is. 1895. In
the harbor Of Havana, Cuba, being at the
time moored In the vicinity of the same
buoy to which she had been taken upon her
arrival.
There were two explosions of a distinctly
different character, very short but dis
tinct interval between them, and the for
ward part of the ship was lifted to a
marked degree at the time Of the first
explosion.
The first explosion was moro in the ma
ture of a report, like that of gun, while
the second explosion was more open. pro-
1fo rk1~, al, g.
ond explosion was. in the opinion Of the
court, caused by the partial explosion of
two or more Of the forward magazines of
the Maine.
CONDITION OF THE WRECK
Fourth-The evidence bearing on this.
did not enable the Court to form a definite
conclusion as to the condition Of the
wreck, although 1t was established that
the after part of the ship was practically
intact, and sank in that condition very
few minutes after the destruction Of the
forward part.
The following facts in regard to the for
ward part of the ship are, however, estab-
lished by the testimony:
That portion Of the protected 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 tht
forward part of the middle superstructure
over and on top of the lower 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.
Fifth-At frame Is. the outer shell of the
ship, from point eleven and one-half
feet from the middle line of the ship and
six feet above the keel when In its nor
NAL position, has been forced up so as TO be
about four feet above the surface Of the
water, therefore about thirty-four feet
above where it would be had the ship
sunk uninjured. The outside bottom plat
ing is bent into reversed ''v- shape. the
after wing of which, about fifteen feet
broad and thirty-two feet in length (from
frame II to frame 25) is doubled back upon
itself against the continuation of the same
plating extending forward.
From eighty, the vertical keel is broken
in two, and the fat keel bent into an angle
similar to the angle formed by the outside
bottom plating. This break is now about
six feet below the surface of the water
and about thirty feet above it's normal
position. In the opinion of the Court, this
effect could have been produced only by
the explosion of mine situated under the
bottom of the ship, at about frame 18, and
somewhat on the port side of the ship.