Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-04-01
.1HE MAINE REPORT.
FINDINGS OF THE COURT
SENT TO CONGRESS.
Hut tho Responsibility for the Disas-
ter Is Not Piaced-As Had Been
Anticipated, the Wreck of tho
Maine Was Occasioned ny
q Floating Mine

the Maine court of inquiry:
1. That the United States =. battle ship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, upon the twenty fifth day OF January,
1898, and was taken to buoy No 4, in from
five and a half to six fathoms of water, by
the regular government pilot.
The United States consul general at Ha-
vana 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 away in ac-
cordance with Instructions 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 al
ways 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 secure that evening at
o'clock
The temperatures of the magazines and
she'll rooms were taken daily and reported.
The only magazine which had an undue
amount of heat was the after ten-inch
magazine and that did not explode at the
time the Maine was DESTROYED.
The torpedo war; heads were all slowed
in the after part OF the ship. under the
ward room, and neither caused nor partici-
pated in the destruction of the Maine.
The dry gur cotton primers and deton-
ators were slowed in the cabin aft and re-
mote from the scene of the explosion.
The waste was carefully looked after on
board the .,aine to obviate danger. Spe-
cial orders in regard to this had been given
by the commanding officer.
Varnishes dryers, alcohol and other COM
bustibles of this nature were slowed on
board the main deck and could not have
had anything to do with the destruction of
the Maine
The medical stores were slowed aft
under the ward room and remote from the
scene of the explosion.
No dangerous stores of any kind were
stored below in any OF the other store
rooms.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were in
working order and there had never been
case of spontaneous combustion of coal on
board the Maine.
The two after boilers of the ship were in
use at the time of the disaster, but for aux
lliary purposes only, with comparativ
low pressure of steam aud being tended by
a reliable watch. Those boilers could not
have caused the explosion 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 reported secure
for the night, at O'clock by reliable per-
sons, through the proper authorities, to the
commanding officer. At the time the Maine
was destroyed, the ship was quiet and.
therefore, least liable to accident caused
by moveme nts from those on board.
3. The destruction of tp- Maine occu, ced
at 9:4O p m. of the 18th day of February,
1898 in the Harbor of Havana, Cuba, being
at that time moored to the same buoy to
which she had been taken upon her arrival
There we're two explosions of a distinctly
different character, with very short but
distinct 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 more in the ma
ture of a repor. like that of gun, while
the second explosion was more open, pro-
longed and of greater volume. This second
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:
4-The evidence bearing on this being
principally obtained from divers did not
enable the court to form a definite cOnclu-
sion as to the condition of the wreck. al
though it 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 port side of the pro-
tective deck which extends from about
frame 81, to about frame Al was blown up
e IsaI,t . tnf AID Gold tVtr
the forward part of the middle super
structure 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.
s. At frame IT. 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 normal position,
has been forced up so as to be now about
four feet above the surface of the water;
therefore about thirty-four feet above
where it would be had the ship sunk unin-
jured. The outside bottom plating is bent
into reversed shape, the after wing of
which, about fifteen feet broad and thirty
two feet in length from frame IT to frame
25), is doubled back upon itself against the
continuation of the same plating extending
forward.
At frame eighteen the vertical keel Is
broken in wo, and the fiat 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 tue wa
ter, and about thirty feet above its normal
position.
In the opinion of the court this effe ct
could have been produced only by the ex-
plo,io of a mine situated under the bot
tom of the ship at about frame eighteen
and somewhat on the port side of the ship
6 The court finds that the loss of the
Maine, on the occasion named, was not in
any respect due to fault or negligence on
the part of any of the officers or members
of the crew of said vessel
Z. In the opinion of the court the Maine
was destroyed by the explosion of sub
marine mine, which caused the partial eX-
plosion Of two or more OF her forward mag
azines.
g The court has been unable to obtain
evidence fixing the responsibility of the de-
struction of the Maine upon any person or
persons
Kloudiko Gospel Band.