Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-03-31

Washington, March q. - The court
of inquiry appointed to investigate the
cause of the Maine disaster has re-
ported that the loss of the battleship
was due to IN outside explosion.
The state department, by direction
of the president, has cabled United
States Minister Woodford at Madrid
to notify the Spanish government OF
this conclusion. The president and
his cabinet advisers held two extend
ed sessions yesterday, one at 1890 a.
NJ, and another at 800 p. m, at which
the report was considered in detail.
Members of the cabinet stated after
the meeting that the discussion was
of q grave character, and that never
since the .wrecking Of the Maine has
the situation seemed so critical. The
Spanish government has cabled Of
ficially to Washington that the Span
ish naval commission holds the disas-
ter to the Maine to be of internal ORR
gin. The government of Spain, it can
be stated positively, is not disposed to
turn back the torpedo tiotilla now pro-
ceeding from the Canaries, and would
be disinclined to consider suggestion
from this government tending to inter-
fere with the disposition by Spain Of
her own naval forces.
War preparations on an unprece-
denied scale is being
Hurried to Completion
by the war and navy departments and
the country is practically on a war
footing. The foregoing gives the rec
ord of one of the most eventful days
the national capital has seen since the
close Of the civil war. 1t was a day
Of profoundly important action, of the
deepest anxiety coupled with naval
and military activity one step follow
ing another in rapid succession. Rep
resentative men of the administration,
public men In. all branches OF official
and congressional life, no less than the
public in general shared in the tension
to which the situation has been
wrought. There was no effort among
the highest officials, nor, indeed, was 1t
possible from what was clearly APP
parent in the developments of the day
to minimize the situation.
Viewed in detail, the findings Of the
court of inquiry was the most vital
future. Commander Mark, judge ad-
vocate of the court of inquiry, deliv-
cred the report to Secretary Long
early in the morning, and shortly after
it was carried to the White House and
placed in the hands of the president.
At 1890 the cabinet assembled, half
an hour earlier than usual, and began
the consideration Of the momentous
document. Even the rigid
Rules of secrecy
which prevailed at cabinet meetings,
were made doubly strict in this case,
and no intimation OF the results
reached by the court were known I'M
til 2 o'clock, when an Associated Press
bulletin gave the information to the
country, as well as the eagerly waiting
officials throughout Washington.
These results, briefly stated, are that
the loss of the Maine was due to an
explosion from the outside, the court
being unable to fix the responsibility
for the explosion. The court does not
express an opinion as to the character
of the explosive, but the testimony
goes to show that it was powerful
submarine mine, the exact character
of which is not determined by the tes-
timony, though the belief was ex-
pressed that it was floating subma-
rine mine. There were two explosions,
the court finds; the first was from the
outside, and that set off one of the
smaller magazines. It was this result,
expressed In detail and with the pre-
cision Of a court deeply conscious Of
it's responsibility, together with the
evidence OH which it was based, that
occupied the attention of the cabinet
throughout its extended sessions. All
other and lesser subjects gave way to
this foremost question. There was no
change in the plan of making the re-
port public and transmitting it to
congress early next week, accom-
panied by
A Brief Message
from the president. While interest
was thus centered Mt the White House
the navy and war departments We're
hurrying forward their work Of pre-
purations. The advance of the Spanish
torpedo fotilla continued to receive
the closest attention OF naval officials.
and while, so far as could be ascer-
tanned, no definite line of action was
determined upon. the need of inter-
cepting this fleet was urged by the
highest naval authorities. From the
standpoint Of the Spanish government
this movement was not = menace,
having been decided upon many weeks
ago. On the contrary, the Spanish
government holds that the extensive
armament of the Dry Tortugas is a
more direct hostile act against Spain
than any movement of the flotilla.
Instead Of stopping the hotilla, the
present attitude of Spain tends toward
reinforcing it with other Spanish war
vessels. not as a menace, but from
what the Spanish government feels is
n requirement called for by the exist
ing condition of affairs. Hardly less
suggestive than the approach of the
torpedo tiotilla was the information re-
ccived by the highest military authori-
ties that the Spanish government had
Hurried to Completion
extensive Notifications on the Island
of Porto Rico. lying just off Cuba. and
the only Spanish possession in this
hemisphere other than Cuba. The ex-
act character OF these new defenSes
has been made known here. and they
are being given weight with the mill