Newspaper Page Text
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i
Of the Board of
Inquiry
BATTLESHIP WAS DESTROY¬
ED BY SUBMARINE MINE.
FULL TEXT OF THE DOCUMENT.
The Mine Explosion Caused (he
Partial Explosion of Two
of the Ship’s Forward
Magazines,
Washington, March 28.—The fol¬
lowing is the full text of the report of
the court of inquiry, submitted to con¬
gress today:
United States Battleship Iowa,
Key West, Fla., March 21, 1898.—
After full and mature consideration of
all the testimony before it, the court
finds as follows:
1. That the United States battleship
Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, on the 25th day of January,
eighteen hundred and ninety-eight,
and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from
five and a half 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 ammunitions was stowed in ac¬
cordance with prescribed instructions,
and proper care was taken with which
ammunition was handled.
Nothing was stowed iu any one of
the magazines or shell rooms which
was not permitted to he stowed there.
The magazines and shell rooms
were always locked after having been
opened; anil after the destruction of
the Maine the keys were found in their
proper place in the captain’s cabin,
everything having been reported se¬
cure that evening at 8 o’clock.
The temperature 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
stowed in the after part of the ship un¬
der the ward room, and neither caused
nor participated in the destruction of
the Maine.
The dry gun cotton primers and de¬
tonators were stowed in the cabin aft,
and remote from the scene of the ex¬
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 de¬
struction of the Maine.
The medical stores were stowed aft
under the ward room and remote from
the scene of the explosion. No dan¬
gerous stores of any kind were stowed
below in any of the other storerooms.
The coal bunkers were inspected daily.
Of those bunkers adjacent to the for¬
ward magazines and shell rooms, four
were empty, namely: B 3, B 4. B 5,
B C.
“A 15” had been iu use that day
aud “A 16” was full of new river coal.
This.coal had been oarefully inspected
before receiving it on board. The
bunker in which it was stowed was ac¬
cessible on three sides at all times and
tin fourth side at this time on account
of' bunkers ‘‘B 4” and “B 6” being
empty. This hunker, “A 16,” had
been inspected that day by the officer
on duty.
H e 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 boiled could not have caused
the explosion of the ship. The four
forward boilers have since been found
by the divers and are iu a fair condi¬
tion.
On the night of the destruction of
the Maine everything had been re¬
ported secure for the night, at 6 p.m.,
bv reliable persons,through the officer. proper
authorities to the commanding
/ r the time the Maine was destroyed
the -hip was quiet, and therefore least
liable to accident caused by move-
meuts from those on board.
Destruction of tin* Maine and the Explo¬
sion.
3. The destruction of the Maine oe-
cuvred at 0:40 p. m.,on the 15th day of
February, 1808, i u the harbor of Ha¬
vana, Cuba, she being at the time
moored to the same buoy to which she
had been taken upon her arrival.
There were two explosions of a dis¬
tinctly different character, w.ith a very
short but distinct interval between
them, and the forward marked part of the ship
was lifted to a degree at the
lime of the first explosion.
The first explosion was more in the
nature of a report, like that of a gun,
while the second explosion was more
open, prolonged, and of greater vol¬
ume. This second explosion was in the
opinion of the court,* caused by the
partial explosion of two or more of the
forward magazines of the Maine.
4. The evidence bearing upon this,
being principally obtained from divers,
did not enable the court to form a defi¬
nite conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck, although it was established
that the after part of the ship was prac¬
tically intact and sank in that condi¬
tion in a very few minutes after the
destruction of the forward part.
The following facts in regard to
the forward part of the ship are, how-
ever, established by the testimony:
That portion of the port side of the
protective dock, which extends from
about frame 30 to about 41 was blown
up, aft and over to the port. The main
deck from about frame 30 to about
frame 41 was blown up and slightly
starboard folding the forward part of
the middle superstructure over and on
top of the after part.
This was, in the opinion of the
court, caused by the partial explosion
of two or more of the forward maga-
zmes of the Maine.
5. At frame 17 the outer shell of the
ship from a point 111 feet from the
middle'line of the ship and six feet
above the keel when in its normal po-
sition, has been forced up so as to be
now about four feet above the surface
of the water; therefore about 34 feet
above where it would be had it
sunk uninjured. The side bottom
plating is bent into a reverse in the V
shape, the afterwing of which, about.
15 feet broad and 32 feet in length
(from frame 17 to 25), is doubled back
upon itself against the continuation of
the plate extending forward.
At frame 18 the vertical keel is
broken in two, and the fiat keel bent
into an angle similar to the angle form-
ed by the outside bottom plating. This'
break is now about six feet below the
surface of the water, and about 30 feet
above its normal position.
In the opinion of the court this ef¬
fect could have been produced only by
the explosion of a mine situated under
the bottom of the ship at about frame
18, and somewhat on the port side of
the ship.
6. The court finds that the loss of
the Maine, on the occasion named,
was not in any respect due to fault or
negligence on the part of any of the
officers or members of the crew of said
vessel.
The Maine Wrecked By Submarine Mine.
7. In the opinion of the court, the
Maine destroyed A . by , the explosion . .
was
of a submarine mine,which caused the
partial explosion of two or more of her
forward magazines.
8. The court has been unable to ob-
tain evidence fixing the responsibility
for the destruction of the Maine upon
any person or persons.
(Signed) W. T. Sampson,
Captain U. S. N., President.
A. Map.ix,
T Lieutenant . , , Commander „ , tt U.S.N., O -kt Judge T 1
Advocate.
The court, having finished the in-
qmry it was ordered , _ to , make, , adjourn- ,.
ed at 11 a. m. to await the action of the
convening authority.
(Signed) W. T. Sampson,
-Captain U. S. N., President.
A. Marix, Lieutenant Commander
U. S. N., Judge Advocate.
U. S. Flagship New York, March
22, 1898.— Off Key West, Fla.—The
proceedings and findings of the court
of inquiry in the above case are ap¬
proved.
(Signed) M. Sicakd, Bear Admiral,
Commander in Chief of the United
States Naval Force on the North
Atlantic Station.
in advertisement in this paper al.
ways brings big returns to the in-
restor. Try it.
DISPENSARY LAW VALID.
Georgia Supreme Court Hands Down
an Important Decision.
Georgia’s local dispensary laws pass¬
ed by the legislature for various coun¬
ties in the state were declared valid
and constitutional by the supreme
court in an able decision rendered
Thursday morning.
The particular cases decided were
those brought^ about by an attack made
on the dispensary laws passed in 1897,
for the benefit of Terrell and Early
counties, but the decision is of great
importance to the people of the state.
GREAT AIM.
“It was,.the aim of my life,” said
the big man with a satisfied sigh.
“What’s that ?” "
“Brought down four ducks and a
sand crane at one shot.”
TRIPLE TRAQEDY IN ATLANTA.
Storekeeper and His Wife Killed By
Robbers.
A special from Atlanta, Ga., says;
In a disarranged, blood-strewn room at
No. 75 Humphries street at 5:3!)
o’clock Sunday morning, with flames
finding their way to make fuel of the
bodies, were found the mutilated re¬
mains of W. H. Briley, two large
wounds in his head—one behind the
left ear and the other in the back of
his head, both made by some heavy
instrument, probably, a hatchet, one
blow causing concussion of the brain;
Mrs. W. H. Briley, with five wounds
in her head, three of which would
have produced death, Robert and Wilkinson, her throat
cut from ear to ear;
a negro, with the front and back of
his head crushed in by terrible blows
and his right cheek bone broken in the
same manner.
Lying in the room, iu close proxim¬
ity to tlie bodies, were two heavy
.hatchets and a large meat knife—the
only indications of how the crime had
been committed. Beyond this, the
triple tragedy is as deep a mystery as
any which has ever occurred in At-
; lanta. '
I ' It is thought, from circumstances,
! that Wilkinson was killed by Briley
J and that Briley was in turn killed by
members of the gang with the negro
Wilkinson,
After a day of hard work and close
investigation the police and detective
departments arrested eight persons, all
of them negroes, on suspicion.
BURGLARS TRAP THEMSELVES
In Attempting to Escape They Crash
I Through a Sky-Light.
At Atlanta, Ga., Saturday night four
daring burglars attempted a wholesale
robbery in the building occupied by
' Gershon Bros. & Hosenfield, on Pryor
street, and but for a glass skylight
they might have succeeded.
| Being detected, three rushed of the negroes the
in order to escape, upon
roof and fell headlong through the
skylight into the store beneath. Their
legs were broken, their faces and limbs
torn and lacerated by the glass, and
when found by the police they were
weak and exhausted from loss of blood.
Under the skylight was a desk and
near the desk was a heating stove.
The bodies of the burglars crashed
through the desk, tearing it into
splinters. The stove was wrecked and
boxes and merchandise were scattered
in all directions,
The fourth burglar escaped down a
fire ladder but was afterwards capt-
ured.
SEALERS DIE ON THE ICE.
Forty-Eight Were Caught Out In a
Terrlrfic Snow Storm.
A special dispatch from St. Johns,
N. F., says: The steamer Greenland,
returning from the seal fishery, put
into Bay de Verde Saturday night and
reported that on Wednesday last,
when among the ice floes, while her
crew were traveling about the floes in
search of seals, a terrible storm arose,
accompanied by blinging snow-, which
drifted rapidly, and a severe frost.
i The members of the crew on account
,
of the ice conU1 uot regain their vessels
| and were expo8ed to the weather
, throuf?bont the night and all of the
next d Forty-eight men perished
and betwee n fifty and sixty were so
badl fl . ost -bitten that the amputation
of one or more of their limbs will have
to be undergone by all of them.
The Greenland succeeded in recov¬
ering the bodies of twenty-five of the
victims, hut the remaining twenty-
t hree were buried beneath the snow
drifts.
From the circumstances of the dis-
aster it is feared that other steamers
have suffered in a similar manner. The
city is in a terrible state of excite¬
ment. The disaster is the worst re¬
corded iu the history of the sealing
industry.
_
BLACK PAINT FOR SHIPS.
Vessels of White Squadron Being
Changed to Sombre War Color.
Intense excitement was caused at
Key West by the Associated Press
bulletin to the effect that the United
States government notified Spain that
hostilities in Cuba must cease.
The work of painting the warships
black was carried on with redoubled
energy. The Indiana,Iowa, New York,
Detroit, Nashville, Marblehead and
Montgomery are being painted black.
All the officers at Key West regard
war as being imminent, and intense
enthusiasm is exhibited.
SKiSBEE BIDS FAREWELL.
Captain of the Haine and Other Officers
Leave Havana.
Captain Sigsbee and other officers
of the Maine left Havana Saturday,
bound north. Before embarking Cap¬
tain Sigsbee was presented a large
flower ship by Consul General Lee and
the newspaper men in Havana. The
captain was much affected.
While the Olivette steamed out of
the harbor Captain Sigsbee looked
sadly on the gaunt wreckage of what
was a little over a month ago his ship.
Nine bodies recovered from the
wreck of the Maine, including that of
Lieutenant Jenkins, were sent to Key
West on board the Olivette.
THE MAINE COURT OF INQUIRY.
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CAPTAIN W. T. SAMPSON. COMMANDER ADOLPH MARIX.
CAPTAIN F. E. CHADWICK. LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER W. I\ POTTER.
M’KINLEY TALKS
OF INTENTIONS.
Confers Freely With Oongression-
al Visitors to White House.
pQR PEACE, IF POSSIBLE.
_._
He Is Ready, However, If Fates
Decree Otherwise.
A Washington special says: While
Saturday was devoid of developments,
there was no decrease in the excitement
over the Spanish situation, but rather
an increase based upon the constantly
growing condition that war is inevit¬
able.
Even those who are most optimistic
have been brought to the conclusion
that the chances for a peaceful settle¬
ment of tire present difficulties are so
slim as to be almost none at all.
When the temper of congress is tak¬
en into consideration it looks as if the
only posibility of peace lies in Span¬
ish acknowledgment of Cuban free¬
dom.
President McKinley talked freely
with his congressional visitors during
the day both in regard to the higher
plans for the future and his apprecia¬
tion of the situation with reference to
Cuba,
The president indicated to his call¬
ers an abiding faith that peace still
may he preserved and a determination
on his part to accomplish that end if
it may be done with honor to our
country and without disregarding the
demands of humanity.
He frankly and repeatedly averred
his desire to prevent a conflict, while
at the same time indicating a firm pur¬
pose to secure relief for the starving
reconcentrados. Indeed, the latter
purpose appeared to be the topic up¬
permost in the president’s mind. He
dwelled upon the fact that the recog¬
nition of belligerent rights or of inde¬
pendence would not be of any material
service to those unfortunates. He
admitted that such action might be of
assistance to the men at arms—the in¬
surgent army—but they themselves
have shown a capacity to take care of
themselves, and do not stand in press¬
ing need of our kind offices.
The president believes Spain will
interpose no obstacles to our sending
succor to her indigent people, and he
will ask congress to act promptly, that
the aid to be given may not arrive too
late to relieve the pressing necessities.
Mr. McKinley reverted often in his
conversations to his desire to main¬
tain peace, and dwelt upon the fact
that war meant not only the loss of life
and property, but that it also would
injure our commerce, disturb business
conditions generally,increase our pub¬
lic debt, add to our pension roll and
result in many ways to our disadvan¬
tage and distress. He also made it
clear that whatever course he might
pursue in the future he would not at
present demand any indemnity at the
hands of Spain for the loss of the
Maine, preferring to leave that matter
to the adjustment of a more quiet pe¬
riod. The president also spoke of
possible complications with other na¬
tions, but did not manifest any unea¬
siness on this score.
Senators who have visited the presi¬
dent have without exception, so far as
can fine learned, assured him that the
senate appreciates his efforts to pre¬
serve peace under proper conditions
and have told him that there is no
danger of precipitate action in that
body. They gave the impression that
if the worst comes,and it. is absolutely
determined that no other course will
avail, the president will be found pre¬
pared for armed intervention.
On the score of politics he assures
them that he would rather see the re¬
publican party fail of future success
than to wage an unjust war; hut that
if war must come, it must he a war
for humanity, and that this fact must
be made so evident that he will have
the entire nation beniud him in a con-
liiet at arms.
SPAIN WILL NOT BUDGE.
She Makes a Firm and Emphatic Re¬
ply to Our Government.
A Washington special says: It can
be stated on positive information that
this government, has informed Spain
that the conditions now e- isting in
Cuba have become intolerable to the
people of this country, and that hos¬
tilities on the island must close. This
policy is in direct line with the views
of the president as expressed in his
last message to congress.
President McKinley cabled two
notes to Spain through Minister Wood-
food. One deals with the destruction
of the Maine; the other with President
McKinley’s plans of humanitarian in¬
tervention by the United States in the
Cuban war. Both notes are expressed
in strong, firm language, without sug¬
gestion of threat. They are, perhaps,
merely preliminary.
For the destruction of the Maine the
president demands no indemnity. He
merely acquaints the Madrid govern¬
ment with the facts that the naval
court of inquiry finds that the ship
was blown up in Havana harbor by
external agency, and that nothing but
a mine or torpedo of the largest size
could have wrought such destruction.
The president submits the facts to the
Spanish government and waits reply.
The nearest approach to a threat in
President McKinley’s memorandum,
which is said to he strongly argued
and couched in the most dignified but
unmistakable terms, is the statement
that in sending'fresh contributions for
the relief of the suffering people in
Cuba, the American people expect to
see a practical term assigned for the
complete restoration of peace aud or¬
der in that island. The Spanish reply
is equally firm.
It asserts the intention of Spain not
to tolerate an invasion of Spanish
rights or any step intended to lead to
the overthrow of the Spanish rule in
Cuba. Spain deprecates sending
wholesale relief in the manner sug¬
gested by President McKinley, on the
ground that it would encourage the
rebels (separatists is the term employ¬
ed), even if it does not lead to actual
conflict between the authorities of the
United States and Spain.
Spain lays much stress upon the ef¬
forts she has made to satisfy the views
of the United States and to preserve
cordial relations while endeavoring to
maintain home rule and thus hasten
the pacification of Cuba, which has
been retarded so long only because of
the moral and material assistance given large
from the United States and the
rebellion fund raised in North America.
GLADSTONE PASSING AWAY.
Precautions Taken to Withhold News
From the Public.
Advices of Sunday from London
state that elaborate precautions have
been taken to keep any information
from reaching the press concerning
the serious illness of Mr. Gladstone,
but it is learned, nevertheless, that
his condition is most critical.