Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-31
TEXT OF THEREFORE,
What the Court Of Inquiry Says
About the Maine Wreck.
DUE TO no FAULT OF TIE OFFICERS.


the cOuTu Vi inquiry.
United States Ship Iowa, First Rate, Key
West Fla Monday, March 81. 1893 After full
and mature consideration Of oil the testimony
before it. the court finds as follows:
|, That the United States battleship Maine
arrived In the harbor Of Havana, Cuba. upon
the !5th day Of January, 1898 and was taken tc
buoy No. 4. In from 81 TO six fath0ms Of water,
by the regular government pilot
The United States consul general OF Havana
had notified the authorities at that place the
previous evening Of the intended arrival Of the
Maine
2 The state Of discipline on board the Maine
was excellent; and all orders and regulations
in regard to the care and 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 in any one Of the maya
zines or 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 amount
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
al hos codn nj aiv1ut ad
In the destruction OF the Maine. The dry
gun cotton primers and detonat0rs we're
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 obviate danger Special orders in re-
gard to this had been given by the commanding
officer Varnlshes dryers, alcohol and other
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
shell rooms four were empty namely; B3, H
b. BIG AIS had been In use that day and Al6
was full of New River coal. This coal had been
carefully inspected before receiving 1t on board.
The bunker In which 1t was slowed was access-
Bile on three sides ut oil times, and the fourth
side at this time on account OF bunkers ia and
BE being empty This bunker, Alo, had been
has 1o, ht La ri pni n n
duty The fire alarms In the bunkers were In
working order and there had never been d case
of spontaneous combustion Of coal on board
the Maine,
The two after-boilers OF the ship were In use
at the time Of the disaster. but for auxiliary
purposes only, with comparatively low pres
sure of steam and being tended by q 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
had been reported secure for the
night, at eight o'clock, by reliable persons,
through the proper authorities to the COM
handing officer At the time the Maine was
DESTROYED the ship was quiet and, therefore,
least liable TO accident caused by movements
from those on board
8 The destruction of the Maine occurred Of
9.4O D. nj of the 18th day Of February, 1893 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 were two explosions Of distinctly DIFF
ferent character, with very short but distinct
interval between them, and the forward part
OF the ship was lifted To marked degree at
the time of the first explosion The first ex-
posion was more In the nature OF report,
like that Of u gun, while the second explosion
was more open, prolonged and OF greater vol
ume. This second explosion was in the opn-
ion Of the court, caused by the partial explo-
sion of two or more Of the forward magazines
of the Maine
4 The evidence bearing on this being prin-
cipaly obtained from divers, did not enable
the court to form definite conclusion as to the
condition Of the wreck, although 1t was estab-
lished that the after part OF the ship was prac-
tically intact and sank in that condition 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 pot side Of the protec-
tive deck which extends from about frame SO
to about frame Al was blown up aft and
over to port The main deck from about frame
80 to about frame Al was blown up aft and
slightly over to starboard, folding the forward
part of the middle superstructure over and on
ton of the 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,
4. At frame n the outer shell of the shin
from n point llH feet from the middle line Of
the shlp and six feet above the keel when In Its
normal position, has been forced up SO as to be
now about four feet above the surface of the
wafer, therefore about "A feet above where 1,
would no Ind the shin sunk uuiniured. The
outside bottom Mating is bent into reversed
v shane the after wing of which, about II
feet broad and 40 feet in length from frame 1,
To frame p5. il doubled back upon itsel
against the continuation Of the same platinl
extending forward.
Al frame IA tho vertical keel is broken II