The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-03-30

The State MIrch q.

at 9 p. m-Discipline Perfect.
The report is made up of eight
pants, as follows:
1. The court finds that at the
time of the explosion the battleshlp
Maine was lying in five and one-half
to six fsthoms Of water.
2. The discipline aboard the ship
was excellent; everything slowed &C
cordipg to orders--ammunitiop, guns
stores, etc. The temperature OF the
magazines at s 2. m. was normal ez-
cept in the 10inch magazine, and
that did not explode.
8. The explosion occurred at $40
o'clock on the evening OF February
Is. There were two explosions, with
a very short interval between them;
the ship lifted on the first explosion.
4. The court can form no definite
opinion of the condition of the wreck
from the divers evidence.
5. Technical details of wreckaee
from which the court deduces that
a mine was exploded under the ship
on the port side.
6. The explosion was due to no
fault of those on board.
Z. Opinion of the court stating that
the explosion of the mine caused the
explosion of the two magazines.
8. The court declares that it can
not find evidence to fix responsibility.
The report is unanimous and is
signed by all the members OF the
court. It does not refer to the exist
ence or non existence in the harbor
of Habanna, except in the finding,
that mine was exploded under the
ship, and the opinion that the explo-
sion of the magazines was caused by
the explosion of mine.
The report as a whole is formal,
dispassionate recital of facts, and
bears the stamp OF that strict official
ism which marks naval procedure. 1t
is brief, not exceeding 1900 words,
and among the eight parts goes to
the greatest length under the second
heading, which deals with the discip-
line and order of the ship. This the
court specifies with extreme minute,
ness, the least detail of the manage,
ment of everything on board being
given. The normal temperature OF
the large forward magazines at s
o'clock. only an hour and forty min
utes before the explosions, disposes
of the question of accidental combus-
ton within these magazines. While
the court holds that these magazines
did not explode from internal causes
they nevertheless are OF the opinion
that the explosion of the mine under
the port side of the ship caused the
explosion of the two magazines. This
will explain the remarkable destruc-
ton wrought, the explosion thus
being shown to have combined the
force Of the mine without and the
two magazines within.
The explosions which the court
finds to have occurred with q very
short interval between them, is an
additional detail, showing that two
forces operated in causing the de
struction. The finding that the ship
lifted on the first explosion indicates
an external source and one of tremend-
Gus power to be able to lift battle
ship of thousands of tons.
The character OF the wreckage,
technically described in the fifth part
of the report, from which the court
deduces that mine was exploded
under the ships OF the port side,
sustains the view taken by some e1-
perts shortly after The disaster that
the force of the explosion was exerted
from polt to stsrboard.
The feature of the report of deep,
est interest to the navy, is the COM
plete exoneration OF Capt. Sigsbee
and all on board, contained in the
second finding, setting forth the per-
feet order and discipline prevailing
on the ship, and that directly stated
in the sixth finding, which declares
the disaster to be due to no fault Of
those On board.
The inability of the court to find
evidence to fix the responsibility, as
stated in the eighth part, makes the
report SO guarded in expression of
blame that neither Spain nor the
Spanish are mentioned throughout.
THE PRESIDENTS POLICY.
Washington, March 26 President
Mckinley talked freely with his con-
gressional visitors today both in re-
gard to bis plans for the future and
his o,>oroo;oi;on of tbo e;t,o{;op 1pit1,