Evening star., 1938-01-16
1PANAY AND MAINE IN HISTORY
America Remembers Both Ships Destroyed Ruhlessy by Alien
Forces in Times of Peace-Reports of Disasters Reveal
Features Which Link Two Vessels

the latter route, feeling my way along
and steadying myself by the bulkheads.
The superstructure was filled with
smoke and 1t was dark. Nearing the
outer entrance, met Pvt. (William)
Anthony, the orderly at the cabin
door at the time. He ran into me and,
as I remember, apologized in some
fashion, and reported to me that the
ship had been blown up and was
sinking"
CAPT. SIGSBEE then asked the sur.
vivors for silence, when he reached
an opportune spot. Flames broke out
and floating bodies could be seen and
faint cries were heard, coming from
the water. Then he gave orders to
abandon the ship, after conferring
with his officers. The spare ammuni-
ton was exploding and the situation
was dangerous.
The commanding officer went aboard
the liner City of Washington, which
was in the harbor, and found the
wounded in the saloon lying on mat
tresseS. He sat down in the captains
cabin and dictated message to the
Navy Department. Spanish officers
came aboard the liner and expressed
sympathy and sorrow for the accident.
Capt. Sigsbee sent this telegram to
Comdr. James M. Forsyth, U. S. N.
at Key West, Fla:
Tell admiral Maine blown up and
destroyed. Send lighthouse tenders.
Many killed and wounded. Don't send
war vessels if others available"
The news was relayed to Rear
Admiral M. Sicard, commander in
chief of the United States Naval Force
on the North Atlantic Station. In
another message, Capt. Sigsbee coun-
seled the American people to remain
calm.
Then came the official inquiry, held
on the lighthouse tender Mangrove in
Havana harbor, starting February 81,
1898. Capt. William T. Sampson,
commanding the battleship U. S. S.
Iowa, was president of the board;
Capt. French E. Chadwick, commando
ing the flagship U. S. S. New York,
and 1t. Comdr. William P. Potter,
executive officer Of the New York.
members. 1t. Comdr. Adolph Mark
was Judge advocate.
There were 20 officers and a crew
of 290 aboard the Maine, as well as
80 Marines-355 in ALL There were
266 lost and SO saved. That was the
tragic story the inquiry developed
some were killed and others drowned
in their hunks, caught in the tangle
of wreckage. The Spanish cruiser
Alfonso XII and the liner City of
Washington gave assistance.
CONCLUSIONS of the court were:
That the loss of The Maine was
| not in any respect due to fault or negli-
gence on the part of any OF the officers
or members of her crew.
THAT the ship was destroyed by the
explosion of a submarine mine, which
caused the partial explosion Of two
or more Of her forward magazines,
and
THAT no evidence has been obtain
able. fixing the responsibility for the
destruction OF the Maine upon any
person or persons"
A Spanish court was convened and
found at variance with the United
States Nays findings, holding that
indications were the explosions were
internal. But American sources con-
tend that Havana and other harbors
were defended by electrical mines and
torpedoes. Some think that the
Cuban insurrectps themselves might
have caused the destruction OF the
Maine in order to get the United
States into the fray and oust the
Spaniards from Cuba.
But the official American view Is that
mo indication Of any cause for an
internal explosion existed in any
quarter" as the court said.
Congress authorized the Army en-.
gineers to raise the Maine and this
was done by constructing cofferdam
around the vessel The board which
did the Job comprised Col. w. M.
Black, 1t. Col. Mason M. Patrick and
Maj. Harley B. Ferguson. The his
toric Maine was raised, towed out to
sea and-with fitting ceremonies
sank on the evening Of March 16,
1912. The job cost $1,000
In December, 1911, President VIII
liam Howard Taft transmitted to Con-
gress an official report of Army and
Navy officers who viewed the wreck
OF the Maine, in which he said:
THE board finds that the injuries
to the bottom of the Maine were
caused by the explosion Of q charge
OF low form of explosive exterior
to the ship" and this ignited and
exploded the contents Of the vessels
magazine.
'The magazine explosions" he said,
resulted In the destruction Of the
vessel"
This board comprised Rear Ad-
miral c. E. Vreeland as president;
Chief Constructor R. M. Watt, U. S.N.;
Col. w. M. Black, U. 8. A: Comdr
Joseph Strauss, U S. NJ, and Comdr.
c. F. Hughes, U S. N.
THE National Capital and its vicin-
ity has many mementoes of the
Maine. In the Navy Department Ii
brary is a tablet cast from metal re-
covered from the wreck of the Maine;
a mast Of the vessel is conspicuous in
Arlington National Cemetery, where
many of the tragedy's victims lie
buried, and at the Washington Navy
Yard, near the main gate, Is one Of
the larger guns and It's barbette, taken
from the EalyaQed vessel