Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-04-07

| pilot
The United States consul general at Havana
had notified the authorities at that place, the
previous evening, of the intended arrival OF tho
Maine
p 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 accord
ance with instructions. and proper care was
taken whenever ammunition was handled.
Nothing slowed in any one of the maya
zines or she'll rooms which was not Permitted
to be slowed there.
The magazines 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, every-
thing having been reported secure that evening
| at p. m
The temperatures of the magazines and she'll
| 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 de-
| stroyed.
The torpedo warheads were all slowed in the
| after part Of the ship, under the ward room and
neither caused nor participated in the destruc-
| ton Of the Maine.
The dry gun cotton primers and detonaters
| 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. Special orders in
regard to this had been given by the command
| ing officer.
| Varnishes. dryers, alcohol and other cou.
| bustibles of this nature were slowed on OF
| above the main deck and could not have had
! anything to do with the destruction of the
| Maine
The medical stores were slowed aft under the
| ward room, and remote from the scene of Eae
| explosion.
| No dangerous stores of any kind we're slowed
| below in any of the other store rooms
| The coal bunkers were inspected. OF those
/ no nd
shell rooms, four were empty, namely, B3, E4
B5, Be-
AIS had been in use that day, and A16 was
full of New River coal This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving it on board.
| The bunker in which 1t was slowed was accessi-
! Bile on three sides at all times, and the fourth
| side at this time, on account of bunkers B4 and
| BE- being empty. This bunker. A16, had been
inspected that day by the engineer officer on
| duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were in work.
| ing 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 comparatively low pres
sure OF steam and being tended by reliable
| watch.
These boilers could not have caused the ex-
pioston OF the ship. The four forward boilers
| have since been found by the divers and are n
| a fair condition
On the night Of the destruction Of the Maine
| everything had been reported secure for this
| night at p. m, by reliable persons. through
| the proper authorities, to the commanding off,
| Ger. At the time the Maine was DESTROYED the
| ship was quiet and, therefore, least liable to
| accident caused by movements from those on
| board.
EXPLOSIONS.
8. The destruction of the Maine occurred at
$40 p. m, on the fifteenth day of February
| 1885, in the harbor of Havana Cuba being at the
| time moored at the same buoy to which she had
| been taken upon her arrival.
| There were two explosions of a distinctly
| different character, with very short butadis-
| tinct interval between them, and the Toward
part of the ship was lifted to marked degree at
/ the time of the first explosion.
| The first explosion was more in the nature Of
| repOr like that OF a gun; while the second
| explosion was more open, prolonged. and of
| greater volume. This second explosion was in
the opinion of the court, caused by the partial
zines of the Maine.
CONDITION OF THE WRECK.
| 4. The evidence bearing on this being prin-
cipally obtained from divers, did not enable the
| court to form definite conclusion as to the
| condition of the wreck, although it was estab-
lished that the after part Of the ship was prac-
tically intact, and sank in that condition a very
| few minutes after the destruction of the for
| ward part.
| The following facts in regard to the forward
4 r, Y
| the testimony:
| The portion OF the polt side of the protective
| deck, which extends from about frame 80 to
| about frame IL, was blown up aft, and over to
| port The main deck from about frame 30 to
| about frame Al, was blown ND aft and slightly
| over to starboard, folding the forward part of
the middle superStructure over and on top of
| the after part
This was. in the opinion of the court, caused
| by the partial explosion of two or more of the
| forward magazines of the Maine.
5. At frame IL the outer shell of the shin
| from point eleven and One-half feet from the
| middle line of the ship. and six feet above the
| keel, when in its normal position, has been
| forced up to be about four feet above
the surface of the water; therefore about thir-
| ty-four feet above where it would be had the
ship sunk uninjureG. The outside bottom
plating is bent into a reversed shape the
after wing of which about fifteen feet broad
and thirty-two feet in length from frame IL to
frame 5), is doubled back upon itself against
the continuation OF the same plating extending
forward.
At frame IS thevertical keel is broken in two
and the fiat keel bent into angle similar to
the angle formed by the outside bottom plating.
The break is now about six feet below the sur
face of the water and about thirty feet above
its normal position.
In the opinion of the court, this effect could
have been produced only by the explosion of a
mine situated under the bottom of the ship at
about frame Is, aud somewhat the port side
OF the ship.
6. The court finds that the loss OF the Maine
on the occasion named, was not in any respect
due to fault or negligence on the part of any of
the officers or members Of the crew OF said ves-
sell
Z. Il the opinion of the court the Maine was
destroyed 0y the explosion of a submarine mine,
which caused the partial explosion of two OF
more of her forward magazines.
6. The court has been unable to obtain evil
dence fixing the responsibility for the destruc-
ton of the Maine upon any person persons.
w. T. SAMPSON.
Captain L. S. N, President.
A. MARK
acknowledgements, Q. s. N, Judge-Advo-
cate.
The court, having finished the inquiry it was
ordered to make, adjourned at II m to await
the action of the converting authority.
w. T. SAMPSON,
Captain, U. S. N, President.
A. MARK,
Observation-Disclosures U. S. N, Judge-Advo-
cate.
UNITED STATES FLAGSHIP NEW YORK,
March -. 1898.
OFF KEY WEST. FLA. !
The proceedings and findings of the court Oh
inquiry in the above case are approved.
NJ. SICARD,
Rear-Admiral. Commander-in-Chief of the
United States Naval Force on the North At