The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-03-31
report of the court of inquiry

| report of the court of inquiry:
United States steamship Iowa, first
rate, Key West. Monday, March 21.-Af-
ter fun and mature consideration of all
| the testimony before it, the court finds
as follows
l. That the United States battleship
Maine arrived at the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, on the 25th 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
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 accord
ance with prescribed Instructions, and
proper care was taken whenever am
munition was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one of the
magazines or shell rooms which was not
permitted to be slowed there.
The mazagines and shell rooms were
always 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 even
ing at p. m.
The temperature of the magazines and
shell rooms were taken daily and re-
ported. The only magazine which had
an undue amount of heat was the after
10-inch magazine, and that did not ex-
plode at the time the Maine was de-
stroyed.
The torpedo war heads were all slowed
in the after part of the ship, under the
ward room, and neither caused nor par
ticipated in the destruction of the Maine.
The dry guncotton primers and -deto
majors were slowed in the cabin aft, and
remote from the scene of the explosion.
Waste was carefully looked after on the
Maine to obvjate danger Special or
ders in regard 70 this had been given by
the commanding officer.
Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other
combustibles of this nature were slowed
on or above the main deck and could not
have had anything to do with the de-
struction Of the Maine.
The medical stores were slowed aft
under the ward room and remote from
the scene of the explosion No danger
Gus stores of any kind were slowed be-
low in any of the other storerooms.
The coal bunkers were inspected daily.
OF those bunkers adjacent to the for
| ward magazines and shell rooms, four
were empty, namely "B3, B4 Be, Be-
"A15" had ben in use that day and
A I q ~ ID ttrn, hi q
coal had been carefully inspected be-
fore receiving it on board. The bunker
in which it was slowed was accessible
| on three sides at all times and the fourth
side at this time on account of bunkers
"B4' and Be being empty. This bun
ker, "A16," 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 the Maine.
The two after boilers OF the ship were
| in use at the time of the disaster, but for
auxiliary purposes only. with COM
| paratively low pressure of steam and be-
| ing tended by reliable watch. These
| boilers could not have caused the ex-
| plosion of the ship. The four forward
| boilers have since been found by the div
ers, 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 8 clock by relia-
| BILE persons, through the proper authori-
I ties, 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.