Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-04-04

and safety of the ship were strictly
slowed away in accordance with in
structions, 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 Sc
cure that evening at 8 p. m.
''The temperatures of the magazines
and shell 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 wardroom, and
neither caused nor participated in the
destruction Of the Maine.
"The dry gun cotton primers and
detonators 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 OBJ
viate danger. Special orders in re-
gard to this had been given by the
commanding officer. Varnishes, dry
ers, 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 destruction
Of the Maine. The medical stores
were slowed under the wardroom, and
remote from the scene of the explo-
sion. No dangerous stores of any
kind were stored below in any of the
other storerooms.
THE coal bunkers were inspected. Of
those bunl1ers adjoining the forward
magazines and shell rooms. four were
had been in use that day and A16 was
full of lew river coal. This coal had
been ca efully inspected before receiv-
ing it on board. The bunker in
which it was slowed was accessible on
three sides at all times, and the fourth
ers B4 and BIG being empty. This
bunker 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 coo1 on hoard tho Maine
''The two after boilers of the ship
were in use at the time of the disaS-
ter, but for auxiliary purposes only,
with comparatively low pressure of
steam, and being tended by reliable
watch. These 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 re-
ported secure for the night, at p. NJ,
by reliable persons, through the prop
er authorities, to the commanding Of
ficer. At the time the Maine was de-
stroyed the ship was quiet and, there
fore, least liable to accident caused
by movements from those on board.
''The destruction of the Maine oc-
Cured at $40 D. m. on Feb. Is in the
harbor Of Havana, Cuba, being at the
time moored in the same buoy to
which she had been taken upon her
arrival. There were two explosions of
distinctly different character with a
very short but distinct interval be-
tween them, and the forward part OF
the ship was lifted to marked de-
gree at the time to the first explosion.
"The first explosion was more like
that of a gun; while the second ex-
plosion was more open, prolonged
and of greater volume. The second
explosion was, in the opinion OF the
court, caused by the partial explosion
of two Or more of the forward maya
zines of the Maine.
''The evidence bearing on this being
principally obtained from divers, does
not enable the court to form a definite
conclusion as to the condition of the
wreck, although 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,
established by the testimony: