el there to take her place.

At forty minutes past 9 in the evening of the 15th of February the
_Maine_ was destroyed by an explosion, by which the entire forward
part of the ship was utterly wrecked. In this catastrophe 2 officers and
264 of her crew perished, those who were not killed outright by her
explosion being penned between decks by the tangle of wreckage and
drowned by the immediate sinking of the hull.

Prompt assistance was rendered by the neighboring vessels anchored in
the harbor, aid being especially given by the boats of the Spanish
cruiser _Alfonso XII_ and the Ward Line steamer _City of Washington_,
which lay not far distant. The wounded were generously cared for by
the authorities of Havana, the hospitals being freely opened to them,
while the earliest recovered bodies of the dead were interred by the
municipality in a public cemetery in the city. Tributes of grief and
sympathy were offered from all official quarters of the island.

The appalling calamity fell upon the people of our country with
crushing force, and for a brief time an intense excitement prevailed,
which in a community less just and self-controlled than ours might have
led to hasty acts of blind resentment. This spirit, however, soon gave
way to the calmer processes of reason and to the resolve to investigate
the facts and await material proof before forming a judgment as to the
cause, the responsibility, and, if the facts warranted, the remedy due.
This course necessarily recommended itself from the outset to the
Executive, for only in the light of a dispassionately ascertained
certainty could it determine the nature and measure of its full duty
in the matter.

The usual procedure was followed, as in all cases of casualty or
disaster to national vessels of any maritime state. A naval court of
inquiry was at once organized, composed of officers well qualified by
rank and practical experience to discharge the onerous duty imposed
upon them. Aided by a strong force of wreckers and divers, the court
proceeded to make a thorough investigation on the spot, employing every
available means for the impartial and exact determination of the causes
of the explosion. Its operations have been conducted with the utmost
deliberation and judgment, and, while independently pursued, no
attainable source of information was neglected, and the fullest
opportunity was allowed for a simultaneous investigation by the Spanish
authorities.

The finding of