Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1898-03-29
OFFICERS ARE EXONERATED
discipline Was Excellent and
Conditions on Board We're
Satisfactory.
No Evidence Found Sufficient
to Fix Responsibility for
the Disaster.

The Associated Press abstract Of the
court of inquiry report. Copyright,
1898, by the Associated Press].
WASHINGTON, March 28.-The Asso-
slated Press presents herewith com.
pete abstract of the report Of the court
Of inquiry which investigated the
wrecking of the battleship Maine.
The abstract is made from the report
itself. The report is made up Of eight
parts, as follows:
First-The court finds that at the time
Of the explosion the battleship was lying
In five and one-half to six fathoms OF
water.
Second-The discipline aboard the ship
was excellent; everything slowed accord
Inc to orders-ammunition, guns, stores,
etc. The temperature of the magazines
atS Sp. m. was normal, except in the after
l0inch magazine, and that did not ex-
plode.
Third-The explosion occurred at $40
o'clock on the evening of Feb. 10. There
were two explosions, with a very Shcrt in.
teryal between them. The ship lifted on
first explosion.
Fourth-The court can form no definite
opinion of the condition of the wreck from
the divers evidence.
Nfth-Technical details Of wreckage
from which court deduces that mine
was exploded under the ship on the port
side
Sixth--The explosion was due to no
fault of those on board.
Seyenth-Opinion of the court stating
that tho explosion of the mine caused the
explosion of two magazines.
Eighth-The court declares that it can
not find evidence to fix the responsibility.
Formal and Dispassionate.
The report is unanimous and is
signed by all the members OF the court.
1t does not refer to the existence or
non.existence Of the mine in the harbor
OF Havana except in the specific finding
that a mine was exploded under the
ship and the opinion that the explosion
OF the two magazines was caused by
explosion Of q mine.
The report as q whole is q formal, dis
Passionate recital of facts and bears
the stamp Of that strict officialism
which marks naval procedure 1t is
brief, not exceeding 1900 words, and
among the eight parts goes to theSreat-
est length under the second heading
which deals with the discipline and or.
Der Of the ship. This the court speci.
nes with extreme minuteness. the least
detail of the satisfactory condition Of
everything on board being given. The
normal temperature of the large for.
ward magazines at = o'clock -only an
aour and forty minutes before the ex.
pioaon-disposes of the question OF
accidental com bustion within these
magazines. While the court holds that
these magazines did not explode from
internal causes, they nevertheless are Of
the opinion that the explosion OF the
mine under the port side Of the ship
caused the
Explosion Of the Two Magasines.
this will explain the remarkable de.
suuction wrought, the explosion thus
oelng shown to have combined the force
OF mine without and two magazines
within. The two explosions, which the
court finds to have occurred, with .
very short interval between them, Is
an additional detail showing that two
!orces operated in causing the destruc.
won. The finding that the ship lifted
Oh the first explosion indicates an ex.
.ernal source and one Of tremendous
power to be able to lift q battleship Of
thousands Of tons. The character Of
.ae wreckage, technically described in
.1e nth part Of the report, from which
%s court deduces that q mine was ex.
ploasd under the ship on the port side,
sustains the view taken by some ex.
pefts shortly after the disaster that the
sorce OF the explosion was exerted from
port TO statboard,
xes inability pt tho court 70 hhd evis