Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-04-02
THEMAIUEREPOR
President Sends the Famous
Document to Congress.
A MINE DESTROYED THE SHIP
There Was No Lax Discipline on
Board the Vessel.
CAPTAIN sIGsBEB EXoNERATED.

There Were Two Explosions, Says the
Report, the First of Which Lifted
the Big vessel-The Investigators
Unable TO Fix the Responsibility For
the Disaster-The Presidents Mes
sage to Congress on the Report.
The following is the full text of the
report of the court of inquiry appoint
ed to investigate the disaster to the
Maine at Havana:
United States Steamer Iowa, First
Rate, Key West, Fla, Monday,
March q. 1898.
After fun and mature consideration
of all the testimony before it, the court
finds as follows:
l. That the United States battleship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, on the 25th day of January, 1898,
and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from
five 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
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 in ac-
cordance with prescribed instructions,
and proper care was taken whenever
ammunition 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 open
ed, 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 s p. m. The tenn
peratures of the magazine and shell
room were taken daily and reported.
The only magazine which had an UNI
due amount of heat was the after ten
inch magazine, and that did not ex-
plode at the time the Maine was de-
stroyed.
The torpedo warheads were all stow
ed in the after part of the ship under
the ward room, and neither caused
nor participated in the destruction of
the Maine.
The dry gun cotton primers and de-
tonators were slowed in the cabin aft,
fla Of hn Gxy-
plosion.
Waste was carefully looked after on
board the Maine to obviate danger.
Special orders in regard to this had
been given by the commanding officer.
Varnishes, dryers, alcohol and other
combustibles of this nature were stow
ed on or above 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
slowed below in any of the other store
rooms
The coal bunkers were inspected daily.
OF those bunkers adjacent to the for
ward magazines and shell rooms four
were empty. namely, 8, B 4, 5, b 8.
AS had been in use that day, and
A 16 was full of new river coal. This
coal had been carefully inspected be-
fore receiving it on board. The bunker
In which 1t was slowed was, accessible
on three sides at all times, and the
fourth side at this time on account of
bunkers B 4 and B 6 being empty. This
bunker A 16, had been inspected Mon
day By the engineer officer on duty.
The fire alarms in the bunkers were
in working order and there had never
been a 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 a
comparatively low pressure Of steam
and being tended by a reliable watch.
These boilers could not have caused
the explosion of the ship. The four
5 forward boilers have since been found
s by the divers and are in a fair con-
dition.
on the night of the destruction of
the Maine everything had been re-
3ported secure for the night at s p. m.
by reliable persons, through the proper
authorities, to the commanding Of
fcer At the time the Maine was de-
stroyed the ship was quiet, and there
fore least liable to accident caused by
movements from those on board.
8. The destruction Of the Maine oc-
turred at $40 p. m. on the 18th day of
February, 1898, in the harbor Of Ha-
vana, Cuba, she being at the time
noored to the same buoy to which she
81 had been taken upon her arrival
There were two explosions of dis
inctly different character with a very
hort but distinct interval between
hem and the forward part Of the
hip was lifted to marked degree at
= he time of the first explosion.
The first explosion was more in the
nature Of a report. like that Of gun,
While the second explosion was more