The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-09

1898. Was the fighting ship blown up
and sunk by an external explosion?
DSVhO was the person or persons that
caused the ships destruction and
cruelty brought death to ESQ officers
and men? These were the questions
to which the people of the United
States demanded that the government
find the true answers.
The naval board of inquiry an
swered the first It reported to
George Won L. Meyer, secretary of the
navy. its finding after the raising Of
the ship and an exhaustive study of
the wreck Its answer confirmed the
one made by the now historic naval
board of inquiry called on the eve of
the Spanish American war That
board had the honor first to report
that the Maine had been blown up by
an explosion outside of the ship,
submarine mine most probably.
This also was the finding in the re-
port fled yesterday. On that first
board of inquiry were such men as
CAPTAIN Sampson. Captain Chadwick
and Lieutenant Commander Potter, all
of the squadron then engaged in drills
in the Gulf of Florida. with headquar-
ters at Dry Tortugas. and Lieutenant
Commander Mari, sent from Washing
ton as judge advocate
Who Was Responsible?
blew up the Maine has never been
answered. nor was it solved yesterday.
The public must wait Probably it will
never know. For all excepting the
fact of the external explosion was
locked I'D in the archives of the navy
department The board deemed It best
not to make public any further details
of its findings. Indeed, there is no as
surance that it went so far as to settle
the question of the identity of the per-
-1,., or hi
sthe placing Of the mines and the sub
Suuent destruction of the ship.
Secretary Meyer announced that
there might be a further stateme lent on
the report of the board after It had
bes5 considered by the president. One
member of the board was of the opin-
ion that the report never would be
published In full, but would be kept
in the confidential archives of the
navy departm ent. The declaration
used in the outside explosion, indicates
q belief that a mine and not dirigible
torpedo was the instrument of destruc-
ton
the destruction of the Maine. A mine
charge with sufficient gunpowder to
blow in the bottom OF the snip must
have weighed several hundred pounds.
To plant such a mine and lay the cleo
trio connections necessary for its dis
charge would have required the serv-
fcas Of a number of men,
'eThe board finds that the injuries to
the bottom of the Maine were caused by
the explosion of a charge OF low torn II
Exclusives exterior to the ship between
frames 2S and 81. strake B. port side.
T'his resulted IN igniting. and exploding
fba contanty of the sfx-inch reserve
,Se,1azf1e Aim said contents includ-
,jinT a large quantity of black powder
TTbe more or less complete explosion Of
the contents OF the remaining forward
TnsSsz51e followed. The magazine ex-
pIosion resulted in the destruction of the
vessel
The battleship Maine, sent to Cuban
waters fo protect the property OF Aner1-
cans. was destroyed early in the evening
Of February is, 1898, in Havana haroor,
7undreds of American sailors were blown
to death ana many of the bodies were
ret recovered until fragments OF their