Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-31
A MODEL DOCUMENT.
Fun Text Of the Report OF Maine
Board of Inquiry,
WHAT CAUSED The EXPLOSION.
The Board Finds IL WAS OccasIOned
b. Floating Wine. RespOnst-
Il billy for the Disaster il
Not Fixed.

Washington, March 29.-The fol-
lowing is the full text of the report
OF the courr Of inquiry
United States ship Iowa, First Rate,
Key west, Fla, Monday, March 81,
48y8.--After full and mature consd-
erntiOn OF all the testimony before it,
the court finds as follows:
l. I hat the United States battle
ship Maine arrived in the harbor Of
Havana, Cuba, upon the twenty-ffth
day OF January. 1898, and was taken
too buoy No. 4. in from five and a
half 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
tle intended arriv Of the Maine.
2. The state of discipline on board
the Maine was excellent and all or
ders and regulations in regard to the
care and safety of the ship were
strictly carried out.
MI ammunrion was slowed away
in accordance with instructions, and
proper care was taken whenever am
munitiOn was handled.
Nothing was slowed in any one of
the magazines or shell 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, everything having been re-
ported secure that evening at 8
o'clock.
The temperatures of the magazines
and shell 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 destroyed.
The torpedo waI-heads were all
slowed in the after part of the ship,
under the ward room and neither
caused nor participated in the de-
Structlon of the Maine.
The dry gun cotton primers and
uOlOllulOIS were SlONtl Ill lllC NdDlu
aft and remote from the scene of the
explosion.
The waste was carefully looked af-
ter on board the Maine to obviate
danger. Special orders in regard to
this had been given by the command
ing officer
Narnishes, dryers, alcohol and 9TH
err 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 and 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 bunkers adjoining the for
ward magazines and shell rooms four
were empty, namely: B3, ia, B5, BIG.
A15 had been in use that day and A16
was full of New River coal. This
coal had been carefully inspected be-
fore receiving it on board. The bum
ker in which it was slowed was ac-
ceSSibe on three sides at all times,
and tine fourth side at this time on
account of Bunllers ia and B6 being
empty. This bunker, A16, had been
inspected that day by the engineer
officer ON duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers
were in working order and there had
never been a ease of spontaneous
combustion of coal on board the
Maine.
The two after-boilers of the ship
were in use at the time of the dsas-
ter. but for auxiliary purposes only,
with a comparatively low pressure
of steam and being tended by a relia-
bic watch. These boilers could not
have caused the explosion of the snip.
The four forward boilers have since
been found by the divers. and are in
a fair condition.
On the night of the destruction of
the Maine everything had been re-
ported secure for the night, at
o'clock, by reliable persons. through
the proper authorities, to the com
handing officer. AZ the time the
Maine was destroyed, the ship was
quiet and. therefore, least liable to
accident caused by movements from
those on board.
3. The destruction of the Maine
occurred at $40 p. m. of the 18th day
of February, 1885, in the harbor of
Havana, Cuba, being at the time
moored to the same buoy to which
she had been taken upon her arrival
There we're two explosions of a dis
tinctly different character. with a
very short but distinct interval be-
tween them, and the forward part of
the ship was lifted to marked de-
gree at the time of the first explosion.
The first explosion was more in the
nature of report, like that of a gun,
while the second explosion was more
open. prolonged and of greater vol
Ums. This second explosion was, in