Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-04-01
BOARD OF INQUIRY.


of her visit that the consul general
strongly urged that the presence Of our
ships in Cuban waters should be kept
up by retaining the Maine at Havana or
in the event Of her recall, by sending
other vessels there to take her place.
At 40 minutes past . in tho evening
Of the 10Th of February the Maine was
destroyed by an explosion. by which
the entire former part Of the hull was
utterly wrecked. In this catastrophe
Q officers aud eco of her crew perished,
those who were not killed outright by
her explosion being penned between
decks by the tangle of wreckage and
drowned by the immediate sinking Of
the hull. Prompt assistance was rem.
dered by the neighboring vessels ON.
chored in the harbor, aid being especi.
ally given by the boats Of tho Spanish
cruiser Alphonso XII and the Ward
line steamer City Of Washington,
which lay not far distant. The
wounded were generously cared for by
tho authorities Of Havana, the hospi.
tails being freely opened to them, while
the earliest recovered bodies Of the
dead were inferred by the municipality
in public cemetery in the city. Trib.
utes Of grief and sympathy were Of
fered from all official quarters Of the
island.
Intense Excitement Resulted.
The appalling calamity fell upon the
people Of our country with crushing
force, and for brief time an intense
excitement prevailed, which, in q COM
munity less just and self.contro!led
than ours. might have led to hasty acts
in resentment This spirit. however,
soon gave way to the calmer processes
Of reason and to the resolve to investi.
gate the facts aud await the material
proof before forming judgment as to
the cause, the responsibility, and, if the
facts warranted, the remedy due. This
course necessarily recommended itself
from the outset to the executive. for
snly in the light Of a disr:sst ~.
ascertained certainty could i; { !, :.
mine the naturea and measure OF its lull
duty in the matter.
The usual procedure was followed, as
IA tA4k Ct1O0b VI Vo0uuAty VI uAD1otCk w
national vessels Of any maritime state.
A naval court Of inquiry was at once
organized. composed Of officers we'll
qualified by rank and practical expe.
rience to discharge the onerous duty
imposed upon them. Aided by strong
force Of wreckers and divers the court
proceeded to make q thorough investi-
cation on the spot, employing every
available means for the impartial and
exact determination Of the causes
Of the explosion. Its operations have
been conducted with tie utmost
deliberation and Judgment, and
while independently pursued no source
Of information was neglected and the
fullest opportunity was allowed for q
Simultaneous investigation by the
Spanish authorities.
The finding of the court Of inquiry
was reached after % days Of continuous
labor, on the 21st of March and having
been approved on the 22d by the com.
mander.in.chief Of the United States
naval force on the North Atlantic sta
ton, was transmitted to the executive.
Findings Of the Board.
It is herewith laid before the con.
gress, together with the voluminous
testimony taken before the court. Its
purport is in brief as follows:
When the Maine arrived at Havana
she was conducted by the regular gov.
ernment pilot to Buoy No. 4, to which
she was moored in from five and one.
half to six fathoms at water.
The state Of discipline on board and
the condition Of her magazines, boilers
coal bunkers and storage compartments
are passed in review with the conclu.
sion that excellent order prevailed, and
that no indication Of any cause for an
internal explosion existed in any quar-.
ter. At 8 o'clock in the evening Of Feb.
Is everything had been reported secure
and all was quiet.
At 40 minutes past 8 o'clock the YES.
sci was suddenly destroyed.
There were two distinct explosions,
with q brief interval between them.
The first lifted the forward part Of the
ship very perceptibly; the second.
which was more prolonged, il attrib.
uted by the court to the partial explo.
sion Of two or more of the forward
magazines.
The evidence Of the divers establishes
that the after part of the shin was prac.