The San Francisco call., 1898-03-30
HOPING FOR
 ARBITRATION Spanish Officials in Cuba Yet Refuse to Become
 Alarm ed. More Relieved Than Surprised by the Findings of the
 .A Maine Court
Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett.

Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett. HAVANA (via Herald-Can dispatch
 steamer to Key West, March 29).-The
 Heralds abstract of the report ot the Court of Inquiry, cabled from New
 York yesterday, brought to Havana the
 first actual news of the precise findings of the court as to the cause or the Maine disaster. Consul-General Lee, a few minutes before the receipt of the
 Herald's abstract, had received sub stantially similar information through the medium of a cipher dispatch.
 Official reports, received by the pal ace authorities somewhat later con- firmed the Herald's advices to Havana correspondents, but the Herald dis patch gave to the officials the first act ual news of the courts findings. The cablegram was speedily translated from English into Spanish and eagerly read by Secretary General Congosto,
 Marquis Montero and other high off1- cials. They were not disposed to com ment upon it's contents. One or two
 sections seemed, if not gratifying to them, at least less painful than the
 rest This was particularly true or the statement that the court found no ev1- dence fastening the responsibility TOT the ships destruction upon any person or persons. Eyebrows were elevated and shoulders shrugged when attention was called to that portion of the dis patch which said the ship was percept1-
 bly lifted after the first explosion but some consolation was found apparently in the admission of the court that two magazines were at least partially ex- ploded.
 Despite the general bellef or the Americans here that this portion or the report must refer to the fixed ammunl- tion and the magazine filled with salut- ing powder the explosion of which has been conceded from the nrst m all well-informed circles, the impression
 seems to prevail in the palace that the American courts frank admission that
 certain magazines did explode, at least in part, will tend to strengthen the po-
 sition maintained by the spanish ln- uuiry that the magazine explosion was the primary and sole cause or the dlS- aster The most that Is hoped TOT now
 in high Spanish official circles IS that
 the United States may consent to SUD init the conflicting reports Of the American and Spanish investigation to international arbitration
 Consul General Lee within the week
 has been informed of five different
 plans to kill him. One contemplated surrounding his carriage on the way 10 the United States consulate ana mop-
 ping him. Another was proposal to send twenty well-dressed young men to
 the Hotel Ingleterra to beat him to death with sticks. The third was to throw him in the harbor and two others
 dealt with such pleasantries as poison
 and knife and pistols. To ali or whicn the veteran soldier asks sarcastically
 How can a man be expected to ma1n- tain good humor when he is guessing which method will be selected Tor HIS remoyal?"
 | On the Produce Exchange yesterday brokers discussed probable war with the United States. While the better class deprecated the seriousness or the situation and said they hoped sincerely that the questions at issue would be settled without hostilities, one person with lungs of brass said: There are only 5000 Americans in Cuba, including importations of paper citizens and nig-
 gers, and if we wage war with the United States we good Spaniards will make mince meat of them easily enough"
 It was said at the German Club last night that the New York correspondent of a German bank, now here, had asked if he could secure war insur- ance by the day on S100,000 now on de- posit in Havana. These are some of the straws which show where the wind here blows to- but in no instance as yet have Americans been molested or in- aultad.