The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1898-03-29
ean BanIy Don't Let Up the Fight Biks

UUT U6l6llS0S dllQ W.
pitals being freely opened to them.
Tributes of grief and sympathy were
offered from official quarters al the
same time.
The appalling calamity fell upon
the people with crushing force, and
for brief time intense excitement
prevailed, which in community less
just and self controlled than ours
might have led to hasty acts Of blind
resentment. This spirit, however,
soon gave way to calmer processes Of
reason and to resolve to investigate
the facts and await the material proof
before forming judgment as to the
cause and responsibility and il the
facts warranted the remedy due.
This course necessarily recon-
mended itself from the outset to tire
executive, for only in the light of a
dispassionAtely obtained verdict could
he determine the nature and measure
full duty in the matter. The
procedure followed, as in all
bf casualty or disaster to national
ls Of any maritime state. A naval
Qf inquiry was at once organized
of officers well qualified by
practical experience to dis
ageps duty imposed upon
Va strong force of
ourt proceed
gestigation on
Employing every available
me- Ahslmpartial and exact de-
sermfdation have been conducted with
the utmost deliberation and judge
ment, ands while independently pur-
sued, no source Of information was
neglected, and the fullest opportunity
was lowed for simultaneous inves
gation by the Spanish authorities.
findings Of the court of inquiry
reached after twenty three days
~ continuous labor, on the 2Ist Of
March, and having been approved on
the 22d by the Aief Of
the Upited sta Of the1
North Atlantic ere trans
mited 10 the executive ft is herewith
laid before congress, together wlththe
vOluminous testim ony taken before the
court.
TIE purport is in fritf as follows:
~When the Name arrived IN Hs-
vaua she Was conducted BY lhe rqgular
government pilot to buoy No. 4, to
which she was mi ored in from five and
one-half to six faihoms of water. The
state-oi discipline ON board and The
eobditIon Of her magazines, bnlers,
coal bunkeFs and storage compart-
m ms were passed in review, with The
conclusion that excellent order pre-
vailed and no indication OF any eau. e
for explosion was expected in
any
III The evening Of Feb
ruary 10, everything had been re
ported as Sc, ure and all quiet. Al 40
minutes past O'clock the vessel Was
suddenly destroyed. There wore two
distinct explosions, with brief inter.
val between them. The rstlifted the
forward part OF the ship perceptihiy,
the second, which was more open and
Arolouged and of greater volume.
bas attributed by the court to a par
2Lial explosion of two or more forward
magazines. The evidence of the div
ers establishes that the after part of
the ship is practically intact, and sank
in that condition very few minutes
after the explosion. The forward
part was completely demolished.
"In the opinion of the court, this
effect could have besn produced only
by the exploslon of mine situated
under the bottom of the ship at about
frame Is, and somewhat on the port
side Of the ship. The conclusions Of
the court are: The loss Of the Maine
is not due in respect to negligence Of
any officer or men Of the crew; that
the ship was destroyed by the explo-
SION OF submarine mine, which
caused partial explosion Of two OF
more OF her forward magazines, and
that no evidence had been obtainable