The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-04-01
THE COURTS REPORT.
Statements of Capt. Sampson and
His Associates Based on Tes-
timOny Taken.

The following IL the full text of the re-
port oe the court of inquiry:
United States Steamship Iowa, First
Rate.-Key West, Fla, Monday, March q,
1S9S.-After full and mature consideration
OF all the testimony before 1t, the court
finds as follows:
1. That the United States battleship Maine
arrived in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, on
the 25th day of January, $685. and was taken
to buoy No. 4, in from five and half to six
fathoms of water by the regular govern
ment pilot. The United States consul gen.
eral at Havana had notified the authori
ties at that place the previous evening Of
the intended arrival of the Maine.
Discipline Was Excellent.
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 &C
~ar5n nea 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 cap
tain's cabin, everything having been re"
Temperature Was Normal.
The temperatures Of the magazines and
shellrooms were taken daily and reported
The only magazine which had an undue
amount Of heat was the after ten-inch mag
azine, 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 participated
In the destruction Of the Maine.
The dry gun cotton primers and deton-
ators were slowed in the cabin aft and
remote from the scene Of the explosion.
The waste was carefully looked after on
board the Maine 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
or above the Maine deck and could not
have had anything to do with the destruc-
ton of the Maine.
The medical stores were slowed aft I'M
der the ward room and remote from the
scene of the explosion.
No dangerous stores of any kind were
slowed below in any of the other store
rooms.
Coal BunIxers Inspected.
The coal bunkers were inspected. OF
those bunkers adjoining the forward mag
azne and shell rooms four were empty,
namely q 3, b a., 3 and b 6. A Is had
been in use that day, and A 16 was full
Of New River coal. This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving 1t on
board. The bunker In which 1t was slowed
was accessible on three sides at all times,
and the fourth side at this time on ac-
count of bunkers Il and B being empty.
This bunker, A 16, had been Inspected
that day by the engineer officer on duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were In
working order, and there had never been
a case of spontaneous combustion OF coal
on board tho Maine.
After Boilers Only I'm Use.
The two after boilers Of the ship were ir
use at the time Of the disaster, but for
auxiliary purposes only with O compare
lively low pressure of steam, and being
tended by q reliable watch. These boilers
could not have caused the explosl9 g Of tine
been found by the divers, and are In a fair
condition.
On the night of the destruction OF the
Maine everything had been reported Sc
cure for the night at eight p. m. by re-
liable persons, through the proper author
tiles. to the commanding officer. At the
time the Maine was destroyed the ship was
quiet, and therefore least liable to accident
caused by movements from those on board
Were Two Explosions.
s,The destruction Of the Maine occurred
| af,9:40s& IN an -fhes1 bttsinv Of sbSgiary,