Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1898-02-24
The seriously wounded are in Ha.

The seriously wounded are in Ha.
vana hospitals.
All of the survivors of the explosion
except these arrived in Key West last
night on the Olivette.
The dead will be buried in Havans
to- day with military honors.
BATTLEsHIP BECAME VOLCANO.
The only people who really saw the
explosion were those on board the
steamer City of Washington. They
were hardly more than a hundred
yards from the warship. Few of them
had gone to their berths when a shot
startled them.
Havana is on hair trigger, anyhow,
and is as nervous as q hysterical
woman. A shot over the water on
which the boats are not allowed to
move at night sent everybody to the
deck and port holes.
Several seconds elapsed after the
shot; then the City of Washington
gave q great hsave, and at the same
moment the big battIeship became q
volcano. Every fashlight on every
vessel in the harbor was thrown onto
the Maine. The big, white warship
staggered from side to side, ,leaped for
ward and plunged downward like an
animal shot through the heart, while
the roar of great explosion deafened
them.
Flames shot high above her, and In
the lurid glare, men, guns, boats and
wreckage danced like moths in a gas
light.
"Great God! the Maine's blown up!"
the watchers cried.
After the big fash there was dark-
ness. The night resounded with cries
for help and inarticulate shrieks. The
surface of the bay was alive with men
swimming for. their lives, and from
the sky rained bits of pipe, small iron
and other wreck dust. These struck
on the decks of the Washington, but
NOBODY was nur6.
HOW WAS IT DONE?
Nobody dares say the Maine was
blown mp purposely-yet. But the
city Is rife with rumOr.
Everybody realizes that If the ex-
plosion is shown to be due to bomb,
torpedo or mine, it means war.
The Maine was given an anchorage
over submarine mine-at least, SO
the undertone of military and naval
gossip goes.
This statement was made when the
anchorage of the American battleship
was changed, and was generally cred
tied.
1t was quite natural for the Span
iards to adopt such a course and mean
nothing hostile by it, unless the prog
ress of events developed the Maine
from a friendly visitor into an active
foe.
This course would have protected
Havana if hostilities began suddenly,
and the Yankee opened fire. If the
clouds between the nations cleared,
the Maine might steam away and it
would never be known that she had
rested over marked volcano.
Nobody thinks the authorities were
parties to the crime, IL crime there
was.
There are many among the Span
ish officers and privates who hate
America to the point of frenzy. Such
a one would have had the knowledge
and opportunity to explode the mine,
or it might be that some imperfection
of electrical arrangements might have
done it accidentally.
Nothing is certain, except that there
was an explosion that lifted the Maine,
Immediately echoed by the explosion
of the magazines on board, and then
smoke, fire, blood, screams and drown
ing.
The surviving officers and men can
not tell any more than those who saw
the catastrophe from outside, except
that their knowledge of the precau-
tions and discipline on board makes
them surer that there was no acci-
dental ignition of explosives on the
ship.
BLOWN UP BY A TORPEDO.
KEY WEST, FLA, February 16.-The
correspondent of the Associated
Press has been assured in reliable
quarter that Capt. Sigsbee is undel
the impression that the warshiI
Maine was blown up by a floating
torpedo, and that he has communi.
Gated his impression to Washington
asking at the same time that the Navy
Department should send naval engi'
neers and mechanics to investigate
the explosion.
The Plant Line Steamer Olivette die
not leave Havana until O'Clock thl
afternoon and did not reach here un'
til shortly after 10 O'Clock.
/ Uhv Noxry rouuf;fofyou