The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-28
REPORT IS MADE PUBLIC
FINDINGS OF COURT OF INQUIRY
 INTO MAINE DISASTER.

There Were Two Explosions With a Very
 Short Interval Between Them-The Ship
 Lifted on the First Explosion-Mine Was
 Exploded Under the Ship on the Port
 sion of Two Magazines-No Evidence to
 Fix Responsibility.
 "Copyright, 1898, by The Associated Press"
 Washington, March 27.-The Asso- ciated Press presents herewith com plete abstract of the court of inquiry which investigated the wrecking of the battleship Maine. This abstract is made from the report itself, access to which was obtained to-day despite of- flcial secrecy unparalleled in the hand ling of official papers. The report is made up of eight parts as follows:
 First-The court finds that at the time of the explosion the battleship Maine way lying in five and one-half to six fathoms of water.
 Second-The discipline aboard the ship was excellent; everything slowed ac- cording to orders-ammunition, guns, stores, etc. The temperature of the magazines at p. m. was normal ex- cept in the after ten-inch magazine, and that did not explode.
 Third-The explosion occurred at $40 o'clock on the evening of February 15. There were two explosions, with very short interval between them; the ship lifted on the first explosion.
 Fourth-The court can form no defi- mite opinion of the condition of the wrecking divers evidence.
 Fifth-Technical details of wreck age from which the court deduces that mine was exploded under the ship on the port side.
 Sixth-The explosion was due to no fault of those on board.
 Seventh-Opinion of the court stating that the explosion of the mine caused the explosion of two magazines.
 Eighth-The court declares that it cannot find evidence to fix responsibil- ity.
 The report is unanimous and Is sign ed by all the members of the court. It does not refer to the existence of non- existence of mines in the harbor of Havana except in the specific finding ' that a mine was exploded under the ship and the opinion that the explosion of the two magazines was caused by the explosion of mine.
 The report as a whole is a formal dispassionate recital of facts and bears the stamp of that strict officialism which marks naval procedure. It is brief, not exceeding 1,S00 words, and among the eight parts goes to the greatest length under the second head ! ing which deals with the discipline and order of the ship. This, the court spec Z flies with extreme minuteness the least 7 detail of the satisfactory condition of { everything on board being given. The normal temperature of the large for < ward magazines at o'clock only an < plosion, disposes of the question of &C., cidenta1 combustion within these mag \ azines. While the court holds that $ these magazines did not explode from < internal causes they nevertheless are of < the opinion that the explosion of the Z mine under the port side of the ship { caused the explosion of the two maga- < zines. This would explain the remark 2 able destruction wrought, Che explosion A thus being shown to have combined the @ force of the mine without and two magazines within. The two explosions
 which the court finds to have occurred
 with a very short interval between x them is an additional detail showing N that two forces operated in causing the z destruction. Finding that the ship lift
 ed on the first explosion indicates an
 external source and one of tremendous s power to be able to life a battleship of "A thousands of tons. The character ot
 the wreckage, technically described ir 1. the fifth part of the report from which < the court deduces that a mine was ex-
 ploded under the ship under the port { side, sustains the view taken by some ' experts shortly after the disaster that S the force of the explosion was exerte6 iN from port to starboard.
 i The feature of the report of the deep.
 est interest to the navy is the complete 4 exoneration of Captain Sigsbee and al ! < on board contained in the second find. ing, setting forth the perfect order anG discipline prevailing on the ship ant more directly stated in the sixth find
 ing which declares that the disaster tc be due to no fault of those on board
 The inability of the court to find evi
 dence to fix responsibility, as stated ir the eighth part, makes the report st
 guarded in expression of blame tha neither Spain nor the Spanish are men