Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-29
10, tln,nrA Anlr l,cf1 A1,n

gress, together with the voluminous
| testimony taken before the court.
Its purport is, in brief, as follows:
When the Maine arrived at Havana
she was conducted by the regular gov
ernment pilot to buoy No. 4, to which
she was moored in from five and one
half to six fathoms of water.
The state OF discipline on board and
| the condition of her magazines, boilers,
coal bunkers and storage compartments
are passed in review, with the conclu-
sion that excellent order prevailed, and
that no indication of any cause for an
| internal explosion existed in any quar-
| ter.
At o'clock in the evening of Feb. To-
everything had been reported secure,
| and all was quiet.
| At 40 minutes past o'clock the YES
sci was suddenly destroyed
| There were two distinct explosions
with brief interval between them. The
| first lifted the forward part OF the ship
! very perceptibly; the second, which was
more open, prolonged and of greater vol
ume, is attributed by the court to par
| tial explosion of two or more Of the
| forward magazines.
| The evidence of the divers establishes
that the after part of the ship was
| practically intact and sank In that con
dition a very few minutes after the
| explosion. The forward part was COM
| pletely demolished.
| Upon the evidence Of concurrent
external cause the finding of the court
| is as follows:
At frame II the outer shell of the
Snip, from point 111A feet from the
middle line of the ship and six fee
above the keel, when in its normal po'
! sition, has been forced up SO as tt
! be now about four feet above the sur
face Of the water; therefore about 3.
feet above where it would De had The
| ship sunk uninjured
The outside bottom plating is benz
into reversed V Shape "a" the aftel
wing of which, about 10 feet broad anC
80 feet in length Crane IT to frame 25)
! is doubled back upon itself against The
continuation of the same plating ex
| tending forward.
AT frame 18 the vertical keel is brok
en- in two. and the fat keel bent int
an angle similar to the angle formed By
the outside bottom plates. This breal
| is now about six feet below the surface
| of the water and about 80 feet above
| its normal position.
| In the opinion of the court, this effect
could have been produced only by the
explosion of a mine situated under the
bottom of the ship at about frame Is
and somewhat on the shore side of the
ship.
The conclusions of the court are:
That the loss OF the Maine was not
in any respect due to fault or negll-
gence on the part Of amy Of the officers
or members of her crew.
That the ship was destroyed by the
explosion of submarine mine, which
caused the partial explosion of two or
more of her forward magazines; and
that no evidence has been obtainable
fixing the responsibility fos the destruc-
tion Of the Maine upon any person or
persons.
L have directed that the finding of
the court of inquiry and the views of
this government thereon be commund-
Gated to the government of her majesty,
the queen regent, and do not permit
myself to doubt that the sense of Justice
of the Spanish nation will dictate a
course of action suggested by honor and
the friendly relations of the two gov
ernments.
1t Will be the duty of the executive
to advise the congress of the result. and
in the meantime deliberate considera-
ton is invoked.
(Signed)
William Mckinley.
Executive Mansion, March rs, 1893