The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-24


work of the Naval Court.
HAVANA (yia Key West. Fla Fob
23.-The situation, which MAJ 10
changed at any moment by fresh dis
CoFeries. may be sumed up. when this
dispatch is sent this afternoon. sub-
stantially as follows:
Inc divers having discovered eases
OF brown hexagonal powder for the
H-HlCh suns uneXploded and beIiey-
ing also that others unexpIodad viii
| be found in the ten-inch magazfna o,
the starboard side forward. the cor
Nlctlon grows that this magazine did
not blow up. If this be So. and MANY
nave insisted from the first that il is
the further conviction is forced that tha
explosion which wrecked the Maine
came from the outside on the port bow.
1he highest American officials bera
are confident that Gen. BIanco and the
other high Spanish officials had no
knowledge, direct or indirect. of ths
conception or execution of a plot to
ploW up the Maine, il such a plot exist
ed, but they believe the junior Spanish
oincers who, from the nature of things.
are more conversant with modern ex-
pIoslVes than their elders and superiors
were at the bottom of the disaster
IL there were any outside agency.
1t Is regarded as an interesting noint
that the Maine, for the first time d1r-
ing her stay in the harbor. Law at the
particular spot where she was at the
time OF the catastrophe and, it is said.
tnough not officially verified. that tbs
Maine was the first foreign war yesssJ
moored to this particular buoy since
the troubles in Cuba grew acute.
All stories as to lax discipline on tho
Maine are without a shadow of truth.
In reply to question put by the cor
respondent to a high American official
as TO what the outcome would be II n
We're proved that the disaster was due
10 an outside agency, the official In
question said:
Sir, the American people could not
pe restrained. I mean war Stul. 1
aouot whether 1t would be necessary
to fire a shot"
Without IA Shot.
Asked to explain. he added: "Admi-
raj Sicard could anchor the Iowa. the
Indiana. the Massachusetts and the
New York outside Havana harbor to
prevent the ipgress Of the food supplies.
without which the city could not exist
! a fortnight. Cuba is a waste Of ashes
and desolatIon. Even the hotels and
cafes here In Havana live from hand
70 mouth on supplies brought from the
| United States.
IF Admiral Sicard demanded the sur
render OF Havana, giving twenty-four
hours for the removal of the women
and children. surrender would follow.
The forts are old structures and could
be demolished by a six-pounder Such
new guns as have been mounted are
short of ammunition. and have never
been tried
IF Gen. Blanco should decline to
surrender, the Spanish merchants here.
/ who represent 80 per cent OF the prop
| erty and pay Is per cent Of the taxes
/ of the island. would compel him to
/ accede to Admiral Sicards terms. AS
/ to the volunteers. the men who are for
( the most part the employees OF these
/ merchants and the volunteer officers.
! are largely their sons or their Junior
/ partners
/ 1T is we'll to look these things I'm the
/ face. At the same time. il Is well for
( the Americans TO restrain themselves
until there is some proof OF an outside
/ agency OF explosion. We can afford To
/ wait little longer, seeing that we
have waited so long. We could not
walt after 1t had once been proven that
4 the Maine disaster was the result Of a.
! dastardly plot"
Cubnns Understands.
Spanish officers from the old country
{
| their arms would overcome US In u
few weeks. but the Cuban merchants
have no such deluslon, and they would
| control the situation. Hence. I believe
that no shot from a big American gun
/ Will be necessary"
| These sentiments fairly represent
/ those of the best informed Americans
/ here.
/ One thing seems certain, If the Nfaina
/ was blown up by an outside agency
the agent was mine and not a tor
/ pedo' as no torpedo known could have
/ produced such tremendous results.
| Consul General Lee, who has received
! a number Of dispatches today lnquir-
/ ing as to the accuracy Of the report
| that he Is arranging to go to Key West
| on the torpedo boat Cushing 10 meet
/ Senator Proctor. says he has no present
! intention Of doing So
| 1t is reported that twenty bodies
! have been found under the forward
hatch, but only three have been rernov-
/ ed, owing TO the mass Of chains and
/ wreckage in the way
| The officers Of the court Of inquiry
during their inspection OF the wreck
today discovered, it Is said. that the
armOr plate projecting from the water
/ forward. near the bow. were from the
/ bottom of the ship. There is a good
I deal Of speculation as To what caused
this, many cOntending that the posi-
/ ton Of the plates shows that the big
magazine forward did not explode The
/ divers, IL IS believed by many. viii find
! very little Of the structure Of the ship
1 forward Of the ten-inch turret
Outside Agency.
The explosion continues the main
topic In all circles. but especially Amer
( lean 1t IS useless to deny that many
believe in an outside agency These
assert that even cursory examination
OF the wreck shows conclusive1v that
! the disaster could not have originated
from within.
1t is pointed out that the main mag
/ aZine forward was filed with brown
| hexagonal powder In proper cases and
would be slow 10 ignite, while all the
nigh explosives were aft. II was gen
orally conceded that neither the boil
ers, the electric wires nor spontaneous
combustion could. from the very con-
dItion Of things, be responsible
An American officer. of rank suHi-
cient TO entitle him 10 take command
| Of d ship IS authority for the state
ment that a Spanish naval officer some
| time ago sold 10 the Washington state
department map Of Havana harbCr
showing submarine mines The Span
ish residents deny this statement. and
say that the mines exist only In mag
| ination. The Cubans, on the other
| hand, claim that there are mine gal
leries under the harbor. leading from
subterranean passa ges known to have
existed for years between Fort Cab
anas and Moro castle and this port
Gen. Blauco. on the night OF the dis
o-fa =ir with