The times., 1898-02-17

this fleet will rendezvous outside the
-harbor OF Havana and send a message
to Capt. Gen. Blanco saying that it is
there on peaceful mission and for the
purpose of assisting Capt. Sigsbee in
his investigation as to the cause of the
disaster to the Maine The admiral in
charge of this fleet would be instructed,
if Mr.. Roosevelt has his way, to notify
the Spanish authorities of Havana that
the only way to make this investigation
is to thoroughly inspect the bottom of
the harbor and see if any of it's torpe-
does have been fired. Ii permission to
do this work is denied this fleet would
do forcibly what 1t could not do peace
fully. This would be the policy of Sec
| retary Roosevelt, but ii is doubtful
whether the President viii authorize it.
Senator Mills said 1t was passing
strange how such an accident could oc-
cur from within the Maine itself. IL
would require further explanation. MIR.
Mills said, to persuade him the disaster
was due to negligence on board the ship.
Senator Perkins Of California. an old
sailor and a man thoroughly acquainted
with the construction OF battieships,
scouts at the idea that is was an acci-
dent. There is' said he, mot one
chance in a thousand that the Maine was
blown up as the result of an accident.
There has been treachery somewhere.
1t would have been impossible for such
an injury to have come from an expio-
sion within the ship at that hour.
AT night the magazines are always
closed. There are no electrical con-
nections with them They are so ar
ranged that concusSion would have no
effect upon them. and at that hour of
| the night, with the ship lying peace
fully in the harbor, there was absolute
| iy no reason why the magazine should
have been touched by a soul on board.
II know the ship and / know its COM
/ mander. Every man of the crew was
| a monitor unto himself. and no man
can make me believe the Maine was not
the victim of treachery.'
/ Il cannot see how this awful thing
! came from within the ship herself"
said Senator Thurston. 1T is ser
ious matter. and l cannot help think
, ing the Maine went to the bottom as
the result OF an act on the part of those
| inimical to America.
ut may be cruel to even suspect that
the destruction of the Maine came from
/ the outside, but no other explanation
seems to fit the case"
II the Maine took on board any coal at
Havana there might be possible ex-
I PLANTATION to the accident. The Ward
I line of steamers plying between Havana
I and New York, has been the victim of
/ numerous mysterious fires and explO
sions. and in almost every case inyesti
| cation showed that they came from ex-
! p1osiveS mixed with the coal that had
/ been taken on at Havana.
/ 1t is doubtful, however, if this would
have been done in this case, even had
! the Maine coaled in that port. 1t is
/ understood that the ship has not been
/ compelled to replenish her fuel since
! leaving Key West
/ Senator Davis declined to say any
/ thing at all.
| Senator Lodge said it was too serious
a subject TO discuss without a full
I knowledge of all the facts.
Senator Foraker said he had not been
able to inform himself as to the facts.
even so far as they appeared in The
| Times.
Senator Cullom was non-ccmmittal.
Senator Mason said: If the battle
ship Maine was blown up as the re-
suit of a conspiracy it will mean inter-
vention by the United States and result
in the independence of Cuba. The
American Government will have To do
something to relieve the situation"
What Congressman Say
Representative Quigg, of New York
/ a member of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, said: The matter is
a serious one, and cannot express an
opinion on it
Col Berry. of Kentucky, said: There
is no haste for the expression of an
opinion in the absence of the facts. |
would Ike to know If any Spaniards
were implicated. l think it a very GU
rious incident that the explosion took
place at 10 o'clock at night"
Mr. Stallings, of Alabama, said that
the matter was not in shape for dis
cussion He had, however, received d
telegram stating that Arthur Cren-
shaw, a cadet from his district on
board the Maine. had not been injured.
Mr. Griffin. of Wisconsin: Il don't
want TO talk in the dark, / might have
to revise my opinion.
Gen. Payne. of New York: 4 haven't
information enough on which to base
an opinion"
Mr. Hunter, of Wisconsin: 1T seems
so far to have been an accident"
Mr. Doliver, of Iowa: Il think that
the character of the American people
is well illustrated in the telegram of
the wounded officer in charge of the
ship, who asked a suspension of judg-
ment until the facts are known"
Col. Livingston, of Georgia. said: Il
don't see how the explosion could have
been due to an accident 1t seems To
me that. as it occurred at night, when
everybody was asleep, it occurred in
either of two ways-by treachery on
board the vessel or by a torpedo under
it,
Mr.. Bankhead, of Alabama. would
not risk an opinion, preferring to await
the result of an official investigation.
Messrs. Shafroth and Bell. of COlora-
do. would not express an opinion.
Mr. Simpson, of Kansas, was of the
opinion that the explosion was due to
accidental causes.
Mr.. Fleming, of Georgia: IF the af-
fair should prove to be by the design of
to say, and it will be that Cuba will be /
free in a very short time
Mr.. Cooper, of Texas, said: 1T is a /
very suspicious looking accident. The |
theory of spontaneous combustion is /
not a likely one
Mr.. Bah, of Texas: Il think it is !
well worth noting that that vessel /
should have been blown up whose pres /
ence in Havana harbor was resented by !
the Sraniards'
Mr.. Low. of New York. said that
there ought to be prompt investiga- /
ton. so that the proper action should /
be taken.
Mr.. JOY, of Missouri, said: Il don't I
think the Maine was blown UP by an .
accident Our vessels are not built /
that way"
Congressman Amos Cummings. of
New York, member of the House
Committee on Naval Affairs. after a
careful examination of the plan of the
Maine. and in the light of all informa-
it is his belief that torpedo placed un-
e tto oh he