The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-29
BRIEF AND FORMAL
THE REPORT or TBE MAINE COURT
OF INQUIRY.
Complete Abstract--The Battleship Was
Wrecked by tho Explosion OF . Sub.
marine Mino--ResponsibiI-
lty Not Fixed.

Washington, March 27.--The AS
sociated Press presents herewith u
complete abstract of the report Of
the Court of Inquiry which investi
gated the wrecking of tho battleship
Maine. This abstract is made from
the report itself, access to which was
obtained today, despite official so
crecy unparalleled in the handling
of official papers. The report is
made up of eight parts, as follows:
l. The Court finds that at the
time Of the explosion the batueship
Maine was lying in five and one half
to six fathoms Of water.
2. The discipline aboard tho ship
was excellent; everything slowed &C.
cording to orders-a guns,
stores, etc.
Tho temperature of tho magazines
at 8 p. m. was normal, except in the
after ten.inch magazine, and that
did not explode.
3. The explosion occurred at 0:40
o'clock on the evening of February
Is. There were two explosions, with
very short interval between them.
The ship lifted on the first explo-
sion.
4. The court can form no definite
opinion Of the condition Of the wreck
from the divers evidence
MINE WAS EXPLODED.
S. Technical details of wrcckago
from which Court deduces that a
mine was exploded under the ship
on the port side.
q. The explosion was duo TO no
fault Of those Oh board.
7. Opinion of tho Court stating
that the explosion Of the mino caused
the explosion Of the two magazines.
8. Tho Court declares that il can
net find evidence to fix responsible
ty.
The report is unanimous and is
signed by all the members OF the
Court. 1t does not refor to the or
istence or non. existence Of mir es in
the harbor of Havana, except in the
finding that a mine. was exploded
under tho ship and the opinion that
the explosion Of the two magazines
was caused by the explosion of u
mine.
FORMAL AND DISPAsSIONATE.
The report, as a whole, is a formal
dlspassionate recital of facts, and
bears the stamp of that strict Off
cialism which marks naval procedure.
1t is brief, not exceeding 1900 words,
and among the eight parts goes to
the greatest length under tho second
heading, which deals with tho discip-
line and order Of the ship. The nor
NAL temperature of the large forward
magazines at 8 o'clock, only IN hour
and forty minutes before the explo-
sions, disposes of the question of
accidental combustion within the
magazines. While the Court holds
that these magazines did not explode
from informal causes, they neverthe-
less of the opinion that tho explosion
OF the mine under tho port of the
ship caused the explosion Of the two
magazines. This will explain the re-
markable destruction wrought, the
explosion thus being shown to have
combined the force Of q mine with
out and two magazines within.
The explosions which the Court
finds to have occurred, with a very
short interval botweed them, 10 an
additional detail showing that two
forces operated in causing the do
struction. The finding that tho ship
lifted on tho first explosion indicates
an external source and one OF tro.
mendous power to bo ablo to lift a
battlcship OF thousands of tons.
The character OF the wreckaoe,
technically described in the fifth
part of the report, from which the
Court dcduccs that a mino was ex-
plodod under the ship on the port
side, sustains tho view taken by sone
experts shortly after tho disaster,
that tho force Of tho explosion was
excrted from port to starboard.
sIGsBEE ExoNERATED.