The times., 1898-02-17
BY A SPANIARD'S HAND.
the Maine Disaster Is Due
to Treachery

| iueSudy HlSnt, was the one SUBJECT Oh
discussion at the Capitol yesterday.
While routine business was being
transacted in both houses, members
gathered in little knots in the cloak
| rooms and on the sofas and discussed
the catastrophe that had befailen the
battieship in the supposed friendly har-
Dor of the Cuban port. 1t is univer-
| sents a very grave question to the peo-
pie of the United States.
Whatever coloring may be given as
to the causes, the concensus of opin-
! ion in Congress is that it was due 10
| treachery, and that the hand of a
Spaniard was instrumental in running
that magnificent ship and sending 253
| men into eternity
1t is impossible to get public men
to publicly express their real opinions.
They are awaiting accurate informa-
| ton. but at the same time they firmly
believe the disaster was due to design
and not the result of negligence. The
| sentence in Capt. Sigsbees telegram to
the Secretarysof the Navy, wherein he
| says public opinion should be sus-
| pended until further report. is strik-
| ingiy significant. Capt. Sigsbee in re-
| porting this disaster TO the department
was not seeking TO save cable tolls.
he was enlightening the department, SO
far as he was able at that time, on
the accident. and he refrained from ex-
| pressing any opinion in this message
as TO the causes. The very fact that
he omitted any statement that he be-
lieved it was the result of an accident
is considered by many men at the Cap
itol as being tantamount to the posi-
| tive declaration that he believed it
whs not the result of an accident.
| Had Capt. Sigsbee intimated in the
least degree that he thought the
| Maine had met her destruction by
means other than those of an accident
| aboard ship, he would have been cut
| off from the privilege of conducting an
| investigation and endeavoring to ascer-
tain by what means his vessel really
was wrecked But when he sent this
| dispatch there is no doubt that in his
mind there was the suspicion that the
| Maine had been sent to the bottom
through treachery, else he would have
! put in a clause relieving the Spanish
| government from suspicion, which now
| justly attaches to it.
1t was the knowledge of the fact
that the American people would at
once conclude that Spain had been at
the bottom of the disaster, that led
| Capt. Sigsbee TO appeal for suspen-
| sion of public opinion until he could
| report further It was not the fear
| OF the censure of the department
against himself that led to this appeal,
| for had this been in Capt. Sigsbee's
| mind, he would have appealed for a
suspension of the opinion of the de-
partment. Capt. Sigsbee's appeal goes
beyond the department and is ad-
dressed to the whole American people.
At the Capitol yesterday there was
a vast amount of speculation as to how
the Maine was blown to pieces, and
whether justly or not, 1t is curious
fact that every man of prominence in
discussing this matter acted upon the
belief that il was the result Of treach-
cry and blow from the enemy. Not
one who would discuss the matte. even
privatly, was willing to admit that such
an accident at such time and under
such conditions could possibly have
been the result of negligence.
One Of the prominent members of the
Committee on Foreign Relations ad-
mitted to The Times that the majority
of the members of the committee were
convinced that the Maine never went
to the bottom through any carelessness
of those on board or through any acci-
dent to the machinery, and he pointed
out the fact that at that hour of the
night. with nothing but the auxiliary
boilers at work, and with the fires in
the main boilers banked and with the
magazines closed. 1T would be imposs-
BILE for such an explosion 10 take place
The presence of the Maine in the
Havana harbor was accepted by every
Spaniard. peaceful though her mission
was, as an affront to the nation and
an insult to the Spanish people These
hot-headed people, smarting under i'm
aginary grievances, and practicing cru
elites in the conduct of the war in Gu
ba, was, this Senator said, equal TO the.
commission of the most dastardIy
crimes. 1t would be a very easy mat
ter, he said, for two torpedoes to be
lashed to a cable and permitted to
float out of the harbor with the ebb
of the tide. after having been placed
in line with the battleship. These tor
pedoes drifting down would be stopped
by the bow of the vessel and the tor
pedoes would come together, one on
either side of the bow The result would
be the explosion under the vessel and
conclusion of such terrific force as to
blow up the magazines containing the
Names torpedoes. This was one soIu-
tion of the accident.
Another equally plausible, and con-
Sidering the condition of affairs at Ha
vana, equally probable is based upon
the knowledge of the torpedo mines
known to exist in that harbor Sena-
tor Money, who has been in Cuba, was
quoted yesterday as saying that he
knew the harbor of Havana. like that
of New York, was a perfect checker
board. and that every torpedo in that
harbOr was under the control of the
military forces at the capital This be-
ing the case, it occurs to several Sena-
tors that it might be very easy thing
for the Maine to be blown up without
detection. 1t would be impossible for
the battleship to remain in the harbor
without being close TO one of these tor
pedoes. 1t is easily conceivable that
some fanciful Spaniard in the Spanish |
army might consider he was doing his |
country service in touching the but
ton that exploded the torpedo under !
the bow of the Maine
Detailed reports are anXiously await |
ed by public men. and unless those re- |
ports concluSively show that the disas- /
ter was due to causes on board the |
Maine itself, the country will believe |
that it was done by Spanish officials If |
Capt. SigSbee reports that it was not |
the result of an accident aboard ship. |
the country viii believe Capt. Sigsbee, |
regardless of what Spain may say or I
do. If it was the result of the fanaticaI
zeal of some Spanish official, and this I
fact can be proven, Spain will probably
promptly diSaVow it, make an apology
and offer reparation. This, so far as
the Administration is concerned, would
close the incident as it has
closed several others in the past but
the American people Will never consid-
er the incident as closed until Spain
has been forced to make that repara-
hipf will -i-t of Ill