Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-04-01
WEEKLY TRIBUNE: FRIDAY, APRIL 8. 1895

UNE: FRIDAY, APRIL I,
In working order. and there nah 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.
paratively low pressure Of steam, and
being tended by q 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 8 p. m, by
reliable persons, through the proper
authorities, to the commanding officer.
At the time the Maine was destroyed
the ship wa quiet and therefore least
liable to accident caused by movements
from those on board.
Two Distinct Explosions.
s. The destruction of the Maine &C.
Cured at 9:40 p. ~, 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 a 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 O report, like that Of a 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.
Condition of the Wreck.
h 4. The evidence bearing on this, be.
ing principally Obtained from divers,
did not enable the court to form a def.
nate conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck, although it was established
that the after part of the ship was prac.
tically intact, and sank in that oondi.
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 80 TO
about frame Al was blown up aft and
slightly over to %starboard, folding the
forward part OF the middle superstruc.
ture over and OH top OF the after part.
This was, i'll the opinion of the court,
caused by the partial explosion of two
or more OF the forward magazines or
the Maine.
1hirty-four Feet Out of Place..
5. At frame II, the outer shell of the
ship, from a point l11a feet from the
middle line OF the ship and 6 feet above
tho keel when in its normal position,
has been forced up so as to la now
about i feet above the surface of the
water; therefore, about "a feet above,
where it would be had the ship sunk
uninjured. The outside bottom plating
is bent into u reversed "V'' shape, the
after wing OF which is about Is feet
broad and 80 feet i'll length (trom frame
II to frame s5), is doubled back upon
itself against the continuation OF the
pune plating extending forward.
At frame Is the vertical keel is brok.
ell i'll two AMI the fiat keel bent into al
angle similar to the angle formed by
the outside bottom plating. This break
is now about six feet below the surface
of the water, about 30 feet above lis
normal position. In the opinion of the
court this effect could have been pro.
duced only by the explosion of a mine
situated under the bottom of the ship
at about frame Is and somewhat on
the port side of the ship.
Z. The court finds that the loss Of
the Maine on the occasion named was
not in any respect due to fault of neg.
ilgence on the part of any Of the Of.
ficers OF members of the crew of said
vessel.
. Asl w I'D III SAUA6s -
z. In the opinion of the court the
Maine was destroyed by the explosion
of a submarine mine, which caused the
partial explosion of two OF more of her
forward magazines.
8. The court has been unable to OBJ
tain evidence fixing the responsibility
for the destruction of the Maine upon
any person OF persons.
". T. SAMPSON, Captain U. 8. N,
President.
A. MARK, Lieutenant Commander
U. 8. N, Judge Advocate.
The court having finished the in.
quiry it was ordered to make. ad.
journed at II a. M, to await the action
Of the converting authority.
W. 7. SAMPSON, Captain U. s. N.