The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-03
WHAT STRUCK THE MAINE
All Opinions Agree It Was a
Floating Submarine Mine.
NO REASONABLE DOUBT
The Explosion May Have Been the Re-
suit of the Carelessness or Ignor-
ance OF Those in Charge of the
Mine Station Keys.

coming more evident as the days pass
that any Information direct from mem
bers of the United States court of in
CURRY into the loss of the battleship
Maine and from those appearing be-
fore il is guarded with unusual close
ness. Practically no information pre-
scented to the court has been disclosed.
The restrictions are so severe that the
communications between the naval
men who were before the court have
been most guarded. Naval officers at
this station who are not connected
with the court express the guarded
view that very little testimony has yet
been heard tending to show that the
explosion was the result of a conspir-
acy, or as to the exact cause of the dis
aster
Without adding unnecessarily TO the
flood of surmises, conjecture and
prophecies concerning the court of in
quiry, ii is fair to say that as a matter
of fact most of the naval officers here
and at Key West incline to the opin-
ion that the court will find that the
disaster of the Maine was caused by
the explosion of a floating submarine
mine under the port side of the ship
forward. Opinions differ as To whether
the mine was made of high explosives,
such as wet and dry cotton. or ordinary
gunpowder. Opinions agree not only
as to the existence of mines in the har-
Dor, 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 believed hardly possible that the
explosion of the mine was the result of
carelessness or ignorance of the Span
ish officers in charge of the mine sta
tion keys when testing the circuit, but
the latter supposition is felt to be prob
able. 1t is further regarded as settled
by the evidence before the court that
the port side of the hull forward was
completely blown to pieces. and that
the only explosion on the Maine, ex-
cept of isolated cases of fixed ammuni
ton, was that of 1000 pounds OF saIut-
ing powder stored forward, and of
which no trace can be found.
These views are gathered from Off
GERS who talk with great reserve and
only upon the assurance that their iden-
tity viii never be revealed. The fact
remains that only the members of the
court of inquiry know all the testimony
elected and no one is authorized to
make matters known in advance of the
final judgment. A good deal of sur
prise was expressed by Americans here
on learning that the Spanish divers
were to be permitted TO make an ex
animation of the wreck of the Maine,
especially as IL was also said American
naval officers would give such divers
all consistent facilities and would throw
no obstacles in the way of thorough
submarine inspection.
The spanish investigation.
1t was not at first understood as 1t
came to be later, that the Spanish
search was TO be entirely Independent,
and while ii was being made the Amer
lean investigation would proceed under
Captain Sigsbee's supervision. As I'M
h. RssIa lost
made Immediately after the disaster
for a joint investigation was promptly
refused at Washington, but after cab
met consultation IL was agreed that the
Spaniards had a moral and interna-
tional right to discover the cause of the
wreck for themselves, if possible. There
fore, permission for an Independent eN-
animation was granted, on the ground,
as understood here, that IL could not
be refused to friendly power in her
own harbor. That the permission was
not accorded until after the court of
inquiry had finished its work here and
gone to Key West is regarded as signih-
cant. 1t opens a wide field for speeu-
lation.
Some assert that the court now has
no objection 10 Spanish inquiry for
one of two reasons: Either the court !
has sufficient evidence already of ae-
cident or malice-evidence that cannot /
be controverted by the Spaniards-or, |
after a diligent search. the mystery re- /
mains as deep as ever and the court /
does not think the Spanish will reach /
conclusion where the Americans have 1
failed.
OF course all this refers principally /
to inspection of parts of the ship other /
than the hull. Until the guns. decks. /
engines and debris of all kinds have /
been removed and the mud has been 4
pumped out OF the hun il cannot be i
examined thoroughly by anyone, Some 4
good authorities think it Will be neces- /
sary to build a cofferdam around the /
wreck, piles being driven and the like. /
That any important testimony before +
the court has found its way TO the pub 4
lie Is very unlikely.
Some OF the witnesses have told Ger
tain correspondents of alleged testI- +
mony. but in every case investigation .
has shown their stories TO be widely
improbable and controverted by known t
facts or else absolutely Irrelevant
Some of the correspondents have tried +
to extract information from members
of the court or from naval witnesses /
by putting clever hypothetical interro-
gatories. But the questioners were not /
experts in naval architecture and the
questions We're. So the results were not
satisfactory. Probably the court knew
before ii left Havana for Key West
whether the ten-lnch magazine on the
starboard forward did or not explode
but the members gave no sign
and the divers, when they talk at all,
contradict each other. Doubtless even
the contractors for the removal of the
inner debris and the raising of the hull
do not fully appreciate the difficulties
TO be encountered.
Certainly the tug Right Arm has been
OF little value thus far. her captain not
having sufficient authority until Mon
day to employ the help or hire the
needed lighters.
While criticising the naval divers for t
their slowness IN must be remembered /
that theirs is a grim, dangerous and i
difficult work. In muddy, foul water
through mass Of riveted steel. bent
iron. shattered gratings and ladders,
over upturned matches. scattered am /
munition. guns. chests. machinery and f
electric wires, they must make or cut f
their intricate way. They must exer-
else great care lest their air tubes Will