Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-10
A SUBMARINE NINE.
That Was What Destroyed the
Maine Naval Officers Think.
The WARSHIP'S BACK Was BROKEN.
Evidence Of q Submarine Mine Said to lie
In Possession Of United States Ofiicials
Court Finishes at Key West
spanish Divers Mt Work.

HAVANA, March 3.-Withopt adding
unnecessarily to the flood of snrmises,
conjecture and prophecy concerning
the finding of the court OF inquiry it
Is fair to say that, as matter OF fact,
most OF the naval officers here and at
Key West incline to the opinion that
the court will find that the disaster to
the Maine was caused by the explosion
OF floating submarine mine under
the port side of the ship, forward.
Opinions agree, not only as to
the existence Of mines In the
harbor but also that this one was
laid purposely near the buoy where
foreign vessels were directed to
moor, and was fired from an electric
battery on Shore 1t Is further re.
garded as settled by the evidence be.
fore the court that the port side OF the
hull forward was completely blown to
pieces, and that the only explosion on
the Maine, except or isolated cases OF
fixed ammunition, was that OF 1000
pounds of saluting powder, stored for
ward and Of which no trace can be
found. These views are gathered from
officers who talk with great reserve,
and only upon the assurance that their
identity will never be revealed The
fact remains that only the members OF
the court Of inquiry know all the tes-
timony elected, and no one is author
lied to make public matters in advance
Of the final adjudgment.
A good deal of surprise was ex.
pressed by Americans here at learning
that the Spanish divers were to be per.
mitted to make an examination Of the
wreck of the Maine, especially as 1t
was said that American naval officers
would give such divers all consistent
facilities and would throw no OBJ
stacles in the way of thorough subma-
rine inspection. Some assert that the
court now has no objection to Span
ish inquiry for one or two reasons:
Either the court has sufficient evil
dence already of accident or malice
evidence that cannot be controverted
by the Spaniards-or, after diligent
search, the mystery remains as deep
as ever, and the court does not think
the Spanish will reach conclusion
where the Americans have failed
THE wARsnlp's BACK WAS BROKEN.
NEW York, March 8. "A dispatch to
the New York Herald from Havana
says
The Names back was broken. Latest dis
coveries made by divers not only support the
information concerning the disclosures OF para
mount Importance made by Ensign Powelson,
but convince those in charge Of the submarine
investigation beyond all doubt that mine rent
the United States battleship asunder The
keel Of the ship has been found in two pieces,
the nearest ends OF which are now separated by
u distance Of from ~ to feet The sections
IRE no longer lying In one straight line but
show the effect OF u force executed from port
to stnrboard. Reliable persons familiar with
the results Of high explosives and with the
wreck above and under water say that the
breaking OF the keel rs now disclosed could not
possibly have been done by IN inside explosion
alone In fact this lust discovery OF the man
ner In which the Names back was broken,
taken together with earlier disclosures
has convinced the men working about
the wreck that further investlga-
tion as to the manner in which the ship was
blown up is perfectly useless and they consider
the question solved beyond doubt The court
Of inquiry will, Of course. hear evidence OF the
wrenching apart of the keel Divers and OFF,
GERS in charge will testify. Feeling among
American naval officers In Havana is that be-
You'd the recovery Of the dead remaining in the
wreck all useful work in connection with the
Maine wreck has been done
SECRETARY ALGER TALKS.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-The Wash
ington Post to-day prints the follow
ing interview with Secretary of War
Alger
The statement Of Secretary Long that
SPANS official participation in the disaster to
the Maine has been practically eliminated"
was merely IN expression Of personal opinion
on his part 1t is On injustice to him us well Us
to the administration to give an official signih-
cance to his expression, when he was partlcu-
lar NJ the time to emphasize the fact that he
was speaking simply as an Individual In the
absence OF official facts-and can repeat what
has been said heretofore, that the public is
equally as well informed as the government
no member Of the administration can Of
course, make official declaration touching
SPANS responsibility, moral or otherwise
There Is not an iota Of information as to the
cause or origin OF the explosion upon which
the government can OF this time form conclu-
sion or base decision The verdict Of the
court Of inquiry on that point must patiently
b. awaited
Beyond this Secretary Alger would
not be quoted, but he authorized the
Post to state most positive that no off,
cial information was being withheld
from the public; that the administra-
ton was adhering strictly to the policy
adopted by Secretary Long, with the
approval of the president, at the start,
to give the fullest possible publicity to
oil facts coming officially to the de.
partment, bearing upon the loss Of the
Maine and the $50 brave seamen.
EVIDENCE OF A SUBMARINE NINE
KEY WEST, Fla, March s. Remnants
OF the submarine mine with which the
Maine was blown up in Havana harbor
are now in possession of the United
States officials at Key West This Is
the cause of the hurried warlike prep.
aratons which are now being made BY
the war vessels in this harbor. The
remains Of the mine were brought here
Sunday morning from Havana by the
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