The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-02-28
Call Office, Riggs House,

II
The usual Sunday quiet was not
broken to-day by any important de-
velopments in connection with the
Maine disaster. Captain CROWN
shield, chief of the Navigation Bureau,
came to his office in the Navy De-
partment to open the department mail
and few unimportant kilograms "A
dispatch from Havana confirmed the
press reports that the court of inquiry
left there on the Mangrove for Key
West. The State Department received
nothing from Consul General Lee dur
ing the day, and the only dispatches of
consequence reaching that department
was from Minister Rockhill at Athens,
briefly stating that an attempt had
been made on the life of King George,
but without serious results. Five shots
were fired by the would-be assassins,
none of them taking effect
Up to o'clock the dispatches of the
Navy Department were. taken to the
officers of the department, and were
not regarded as of sufficient conse-
quence to send to the Secretary.
Mr.. Long said the court of inquiry
would now proceed with it's work at
Key West, examining the witnesses
there, in accordance with its original
plans. No definite information has
been received as to how much time
would be taken with the inquiry there,
or what the next step would be. NJ.
Long stated that the department was
to-day in possession of no more .infor-
nation on the cause of the disaster
than it was Immediately after the oc-
currence, and that no evidence had
been received up to the present time
showing that the disaster was caused
by design. During the afternoon the
Secretary received a call from Assist
ant Secretary Roosevelt, who assured
him that an examination of the map
said to show mines in Havana harbor
disclosed that no such mines were on
the map.
Senior Dubosc, the Spanish Charge
d AffaireS, to-day received cablegram
from the Minister of State saying that
the new Minister to the United States,
Senior Polo y Bernabe, will start to-
morrow from Gibraltar. This will
bring him to Washington in about ten
days. AT Gibraltar he will take one of
the German line of transatlantic
steamers touching at that point. The
credentials of the new Minister will be
presented soon after his arrival, and 1t
Is expected his first attention will be
given to the commercial treaty be-
tween the United States and Spain
with particular reference to Cuba. His
service as chief of the Commercial Bu-
reau of the Foreign Office has given
him charge of the details leading up
to the negotiation of this treatey, and
he will come sharing the earnest desire
of the Sagasta administration to put
through this matter with the least de-
lay possible. Minister .Woodford has
been carrying on the negotiations with
the authorities at Madrid, and they are
well along toward completion.
Beyond the foregoing dispatch, Senior
Dubosc received no news to-day from
Havana or Madrid. He expressed sat-
isfaction at the more conservative tone
of the public sentiment within the last
few days.
Press reports from Madrid stated
that the authorities were jubilant over
the receipt of important favorable in
formation from Havana. Mr.. Dubosc
could shed no light on the nature of
this information.
In other quarters, however, the i'm
preston prevailed that this informa-
ton could not refer to the Maine in
quiry, but concerned the general con-
duct Of the instruction in Cuba. There
have been strong indications of late
that the autonomist Cabinet, under the
leadership of Gown, who is the recog-
nized force Of that body, would en-
deavor to make terms with the sepa-
ratist wing, and in turn secure the CO.
operation of the insurgents in move
ment to conclude the war. How far
this is possible is not known here. al
though 1t has been expected that Co
vim would succeed in effecting a rec
onciliation. There has been added rea-
son for this belief within the last few
days. owing to the fierce attacks made
on Gown by some of the irreconcila-
BILE elements. He repealed these and
repudiated an alleged letter in which
he was reported to have attacked
Premier Sagasta.