The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-04-06
TIE OFFICIAL REPORT
OF TEE BOARD OF INQUIRY IN ThS
MAINE DISASTER.
TIE Cour; Ends That the Battleship Was
Destroyed By the Explosion CT . Subma
zinc Nine, Which Caused tho Explosion
~ fI,AH.t u 49, ZIrnr.

The {oIlowinc IS the full text OF the
report ott3e court of inquiry, sub
nittsd to congress Tuesday:
United States Batt!eship Iowa, Key
West, Fla, Marcb p, 1898. After
:2ll ana mature consideration Of all
ths testimony before it, the court finds
as follows:
1. Ihat the United States oattleship
Maine arrived IN the harbor OF Hava-
rs, Cuba, on the 25th day of January,
eighteen hundred and ninety eight,
aud vas taken to buoy No. 4, IN from
fva Gnd 9 half TO six fathoms OF water,
by the regular government pilot.
The United States consul general at
Havana, mad notified the authorities
at that place, thu previous evening, Of
the intended arrival of the Maine.
3. 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 was strictly car.
ried out. All ammunitions was stow
ed il accordance with prescribed in
structlons, and proper care was taken
with which ammunition was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one of the
ms2azines 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
placei in the captains cabin, everything
having beea reported secure that even
ing at s o'clock. The temperature 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 maya
zine, 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 detonators were sto wed in the
cabin aft, and remote from the scene
OF the explosion. Waste was carefully
looked after on board the Maine to OBJ.
viate danger. Special ordersin regard
to this had been given by the COM
manding officer. Varnishes, dryer,
alcohol and other combustibles Of this
nature wsre slowed on or above the
msin deck, and could not have had
anything to do with the destruction OF
the Maine. The medical stores we're
slowed aft under the ward room and
remote from the scene of the explo-
sion. No dangerous stores OF any
kind we're slowed below in any of the
other storerooms. The coal bunkers
were inspected daily. OF those bunk
ers adjacent to the toward magazines
and shell rooms, four were empty,
namely: B 5. b B5. B. 6. % 15'
had been in use that day and "a 1t"
was full Of new river coal. This coal
had been carefully inspected before
receiving it on board. The bunkers IN
which it was slowed was accessible on
three sides at all times and the fourth
side at this time on account of bunk
ers "B 4"and "B 6" being empty.
This bunker, "a 49," had been IN,
soected that day By the officer on duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were
in working order, and there had never
been q case of spontaneous combustion
of coal on board OF the Maine.
The two after boilers Of the ship
were in use at the time OF the disaster,
but for auxiliary purposes only, with
g 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 divess ard are in fair condi,
lion.
On the night of the destruction OF
the Maine every thing had been report
ed secure for the night, at 8 p. M, oy
reliable persons, through the proper
authorities to the commanding officer:
At the time the Maine was destroy ed
the ship was quiet, and therefare least
lisbla to accident caused by movement
from those on board.
8. The destruction OF the Maine oc-
CURED ct $40 p. m., on the 18th day
of February, 1898, in the harbor OF
Havana, Cuba, she being at the time
uoored to the same buoy to which she
had been taken upon her arrival. There
were two explosions OF distinctly
different character, with very short
but distinct interval between them,
aud the forward part Of the ship was
lifted to marked degree at TIE tine
OF the first explosion. The first ex-
plosion was more in the nature OF a
report, like that of gun, while the
second explosion was more open, pro
longed, and of greater volume. This
second explosion was in the OPINION
of the court, csused by the partial ex-
plosion of two or more OF the forward
magazines of the Maine.
/. The evidence bearing upon this,
being principally obtained from div
ers, did not enable the court to form a
definite conclusion as to the condition
of the wreck, although it was estao-
lished that The after part OF the snip
was practically intact and sank IN
tina: condition in very few minutes
after the destruction OF the forward
part. The following facts in regard
to the forward part of the ship are,
however, established by the testimony.
That portion OF the port side OF the
protective deck, which extends from
about frame 80 to about Il was blown
up, aft and over to the port. The
main deck from about frame 81 to
about frame II were blown up and
slightly starboard folding the forward
part of the middle superstructure over
and on top of the after part. This
was, IL the opinion OF the court,
caused by the partial explosion OF two
or more of the forward magazines OF
the Maine.
5. At frame II the outer she'll OF the
ship from point III feet from the MD
ole line Of the ship and six feet above
the keel when in its normal position,
Gas been forced up so SIS to be now
about four feet above the surface CT
the water, therefore about "a feet
above where it would be had it sunk
uniDjored. The side bottom planting