The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1911-12-15
Maine REPORT
PROVES Wreck
FROM OUTSIDE
President Sends Findings of
Board on Battleship Disaster
TO Congress
Charge of Low Grade Explosive
Displaced Upward" Ex-
terror of Ship
Gases Generated and Expanded
in Inclosed Chamber
Before Rupture

ASHINGTON, Dec. 14.-Presi-
n dent Taft today sent to con-
wv gress a brief formal message
transmitting the fuiI text OF
the report of the investigating board
which found that the battleship Maine
was blown up In Havana harbor by an
external explosion. The board was
headed by Admiral yreeland of the
navy. and included Colonel William NJ
Black of the corps of engineers of the
army
The board began work on the ex
posed wreck at Havana November 20,
and found that the injuries to the bot
tom of the Maine were caused by the
explosion of charge of low form Of
explosive exterior to the ship. between
frames IS and 81. on the port side.
!. This resulted in ignition and exploding
the contents Of the six inch reserve
magazine.
The more or less complete explosion
Of the contents Of the remaining for
ward magazines followed
Strake Dished Upward
The board in ;ts report emphasized
that it found that what is called the
port cardboard strake-a continuous
line Of planking running from stem to
stern-was "dished upward as much as
"a inches from a straight line;" that
another strake. technically called &C.
was displaced upward and Inward for
100 sqeare feet ane that part of the
inner bottom plating was displaced
upward and left approximately six
feet above It's original position.
Tho destruction wrought by the two
."explosions of distinctly different char
acter" was found TO be much more ex-
tensive than had been anticipated"
Exterior Explosion Shown
The report. in technical terms, de-
scribed how plates were crumpled. how
some portions of what had once been a
great battleship were turned inside out
and how parts of the bottom works
generally were displaced.
The debris of one FOUNDER, six
FOUNDER. six inch and ten inch am
munition was found widely scattered
through the wreck the report said
p THE location of much of this material
bore little relation to its original stow
age condition. Powder tanks were
torn asunder or crushed and fattened
The condition of the vertical keel
and fat keel at frame IS was ascribed
by the court of inquiry of 1898 to the
direct effect of an explosion exterior
TO the ship in that vicinity"
Gases Generated in Hull
Because of its better opportunity for
a detailed examination of this wreck
age. now fully exposed, the present
board concluded that the external ex-
plosion which ignited the magazines
was not In the vicinity of this frame IS.
The protective deck and hull OF the
ship" the report said, formed an. in
closed chamber in which the gases were
generated and partially expanded be-
fore rupture"
The bow portion of the Maine was
:: fpund pointed to port, nose downward
in the mud, and lying on its starboard
side. The upper part of that portion
of the ship in the vicinity of the for
ward magazines was swept away. Only
about one-haf Of the bottom was left
in position.
The Maine explosion occurred almost
years ago. In that disaster two
officers and 264 of her crew perished.
The report, perfunctorily. was or
Sered printed and referred to the naval
affairs committees Of the two houses