The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-04-02
THE FULL REPORT.
Findings of the Board of Inquiry as
to the Maine Wreck.
A Submarine Mine Was ths Awful Agent of
Devastation and DeAth-UnsbIs to
Fix RsspoHsibIIity-hIsin or.
HcerS Bla IA sleEG.

FIX h6SpoRsibility-MRin ar
hcers BlamslesS.
WAsHINaToN. March e9.-The fol-
lowing is the full text of the report of
the court of inquiry:
United States Ship Iowa, First Rate. Key
West. Fla. Monday. March 81. ss5-After rull
and mature consideration of ell the testimony
before 1t. the court finds as follows:
l. That the United States battleshlp Maine
arrived In the harbor of Havana. Cuba. upon
the 25th day of January. 1893. and was taken to
buoy No 4. In from SIS to six fathoms OF water.
by the regular government pilot
The United States consul general at Havana
had notified the authorities at that place the
previous evening OF the intended arrival OF the
Maine
. The state of discipline on board the Maine
was excellent: and all orders and regulations
in regard to the care anu 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 was slowed 10 any one OF the maga-
zines shell rooms which was not
permitted to be slowed there The magazines
and shell rooms were always locked after hav-
ing 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 secure that evening At eight
o'clock. The temperatures of the magazines
and shell rooms were taken daily and reported
The only magazine which had an undue smount
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
ward room and neither caused nor participated
in the destruction OF the Maine. The dry
gun cotton primers and detonators vera
slowed In the cabin aft and re-
mote from the scene OF the explosion. The
waste was carefully looked after on board the
Maine TO obviste danger. Special orders in re-
= -, Afr,rr
officer Varnishes. dryers alcohol and other
combuStibles OF this nature were slowed on
board 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 ana remote from the
scene OF the explosion No dangerous stores
OF any kind were stored below in any OF the
other Storerooms.
The coal bunkers were inspected. OF those
hunkers adjoining the forward magazines and
shell rooms four were empty. namely: Bs B4
B5. 30 AIS had been in use that day and Ai6
was full OF New River coal This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving It on board.
The bunker In which It was slowed was accessi-
BILE on three sides at all times. and the fourth
side at this time. on account OF bunkers B4 and
Bo being empty. This bunker, Aie, had been
inspected that day by the engineer oricer on
duty. The fire alarms in the bunllers were in
working order and there had never been q case
ef spontaneous combustion OF coal on board
the Maine
The two after-bollers OF the ship were in use
at the time OF the disaster, but for auxiliary
purposes only. with a comparatively low pres
sure of steam and being tended by a 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 reported secure for the
night, at eight O'Clock, by reliable persons,
through the proper authorities, to the COM
manding oficer. At the tune the Maine was
destroyed, the ship was quiet and. therefore,
least liable TO accident caused by movements
from those on board
The destruction OF the Maine occurred at
$40 p. OF the 18th day OF February. 1898. in
the harbor OF Havans, Cuba. being 1t the time
taken upon her arrival
There were two explosions OF distinctly diff
ferent character. with o very short but distinct
interval between them. and the forward part
OF the ship was lifted to marked degree at
the time OF the frst explosion The first ex-
plosion was more in the nature Of 9 report
like that OF gun. while the second explosion
was more open. prolonged and OF greater vol
ume. This second explosion was, in the Opin-
ion OF the court caused by the partial explo-
sion OF two or more OF the forward magazines
of the Maine.
The evidence bearing on this. being. prin-
cipally obtained from divers, did not enable
the court to form O definite conclusion as to the
liShed that the after part OF the ship was prac-
tically intact and sank In that condition 8 very
few minutes after 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 protec-
tive deck which extends from about frame 80
TO about frame 81 was blown up aft and
over to port The main deck from about frame
30 TO about frame ii was blown up aft and
slightly over to stGrboard. folding the forward
part OF tho middle supeTstructure over and on
top OF tho 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.
At frame II the outer shell OF the ship,
from point l1K feet from the middle line OF
the ship and six feet above the keel when In its
normal position, has been forced up so Rs to be
now about four feet above the surface OF the
water; therefore about 81 feet above where It
would be had the ship sunk uninjured. The
outside bottom plating Is bent into . reversed
v shape. the after wing OF which, about Is
feet broad and So feet la length urom frame IL
TO frame e5l. Ia doubled back upon itself
against the continuation OF the same plating
extending forward.
At frame IS the vertical keel is broken In
two and the fat keel bent into An angle SINH
lar to the angle formed by the outside bottom
plating This break Is now about six feet be-
low the surface OF the water aud about 30 feet
above It's normal position.
In the opinion OF the court this enect could
have been produced only by the explosion OF o
mine situated under the bottom OF the ship at
about frame IS
d The court nnds that the loss OF the Maine.
on the occasion named. was not In any respect
due to fault or negligence on the part or any OF
the or1cers or members OF the crew Of said ves-
sell
:. In the opinion OF the court the Maine was
destroyed by the explosion OF o submarine
mine. which caused the partial explosion OF
two or more OF her forward magazines
The court has been unable to obtain evil
deace liking the responsibility for the destruc-
ton OF the Maine upon any person OF persons
w. T. Sampson. captain u. s. N, president
A Mark. lieutenant commander. Y. s. n,
Judge advocate.
The testimony taken before the
court of inquiry and sent with the re-
port makes a pamphlet of 100, 900 words
and covered IS days Every witness
who was known to have any informa-
tion that could throw any light upon
the great disaster was called to give
his testimony.