Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-04-02
4 SUBMARINE NINE
Oansed the Destruction Of the Maine
and Her Grew.
THE INQUIRY BOARD soREPoRTs

Explosion OF Two or Her FORWARD
observation-disclosures Fix Responsible
fty-President's Message to Congress
Washington. March 2S.-Following is
the full text of the report Of the court
of inquiry appointed to investigate the
disaster to the Maine at Havana:
United States Steamer Iowa, First
Rate, Key West, Fla, Monday,
March Il, 1898.
After full and mature consideration
of all the testimony before it, the court
finds as follows:
1. That the United States battleship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, on the 18th day of January, 1898,
and was taken to buoy No. A. in from
five to six fathoms of water by the
regular government pilot.
The United States consul general at
Havana had notified the authorities
at that place, the previous evening, of
the intended arrival of the Maine.
2. The state of discipline ON board
the Maine was excellent, and all orders
and regulations in regard to the care
and safety of the ship were strictly
carried out.
All ammunition was slowed in ac-
and proper care was taken whenever
ammunition was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one of the
magazines or shell rooms which was
not permitted to be slowed there.
The magazines and shell rooms were
always locked after having been open
ed, and after the destruction of the
Maine the keys were found in their
Mo fI,a IT,
Everything having been reported secure
that evening at 5 p. m. The tenn
peratures of the magazine and shell
room were taken daily and reported.
The only magazine which had an I'M
due amount of heat was the after ten
inch magazine. and that did not ex-
plode at the time the Maine was de-
stroyed.
The torpedo warheads were all stow
ed 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 de-
tonators were slowed in the cabin aft,
and remote from the scene of the ex-
plosion.
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
combustibles of this nature were stow
ed on or above the main deck and
could not have had anything to do
with the destruction of the Maine
The medical stores were slowed afr
under the ward room and remote from
the Scene of the exnlOSion
No dangerous stores of any lin5 NOV,
slowed below in anv of tba other storo
rooms.
The coal h,1nlxers were insnectad dolly
OF those bunkers adjacent n tho for-
ward rnaoazines and sbalI roor,s fo,,r
were emntv namely R9 R4Rs pe
Az had been in use that dav and
A 1s was fuIl of new river coal mis-
coal had been carefnlIv insnactea 10
fore receiving If on hoard The h,rlTer
IN 1ybicb n ,yos s+owad ,vas aooos.it.1.
on three sides of all times and az
fourth eide at +his t,n,a ~, account -
bunkers R4and RS he;no en,n+y Thi.
bunkar 1e bad haen insnanted M.
dov nv, the on o,i,oa, of4ica, ~, d,,t,
The fire alarms in tho b,,n1,ars ,,,a,.,
in worline order and there bod na,,a1
been a case of snontareous oon,hus+;or,
Of coal ON hoard the Maine
Tho two after boiIers 81 +ha r,,,,, 800.
IN use AZ tho tinoa of tho disas+ar 49,
FIR auvi,,arv r,,rnoses on11r ,,r,t,, ~
coronsro+ivsi,, Iow ,rass,,ra 80 -
ord hoire, +anded hr ,a1;otla 80.
Tbesa boiIars could ~ 49, ..'sa.
+be exn1osion 81 +ha sb,r nv 49,,
ror1yar6 boi1ars hove s;noe boan So
by the d;vare ond arc IN fa;r -.
dition
On the n;ob+ If tho das+r,,otio 80
+ba nr.ina oyer,,+bi,ar 49, La "
nor+ed seouro for tha n,rh+ 80
Nv reliable r,ersons tbro,,ah ~ ,, ~ ~.
authorities n tho con,1oondira af
fcer A. tho time tba M.ina ,ues ~
stroved the shin was o,1ia+ and +baro
fore least liable to accident ca,,sad h.,
movements from those on hoard
2 The destruction of the Naive 90
c,,rrea of a.Ao n M ON +bo 15+h 49,, 20
Fahruarv 1908 IN the borhor - IY
vana cuba Che being ~ tho +irao
moored TO the same buov to which she
had been taken unon her arrival
There were two exp1osions of die
tinctIv different character with a ,1ar,
short but distinct interval hat1yee,,
them and the forward mart of +ha
shin was lifted TO a marked dpOrao ut
the time of the first exnIosion
The first explosion was mora in tho
nature of a report. like that of er-
while the second exnlosion Voc 49,
open. prolonged. and of greater VOL
llne. This second explosion was I'm
the opinion of the court. caused nv the
partial explosion of two or more If
the forward magazines of the Maine
a. The evidence hearing unon This he
ing principally obtained from divers
did not enable the court to form def
mite conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck, although it was established
that the after part of the ship was
practically intact and sank in that
condition a very few minutes after the
destruction 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 80 to about frame Al was
blown up aft, and over to port. The
man 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-I
lure over and on top of the after part.
ms was IN the opinion OF the court,
caused by the partial explosion of two
OF more OF the forward magazines OF
the Maine