The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-03-02
1T WAS BY DESIGN.
An Ofacar of the Maine Talks Of
the Explosion.
He Says the Evidence Given Before the
Court of Inquiry Completely Dis
proves the Accident TheOry-May
be Weeks Before the Find
ings are Made Public.

i
Key West, Fla, March 1.-The court
of inquiry into the loss of the battle
ship Maine began it's sessions here
Monday. The officers of the Maine |
who were called as witnesses before |
luncheon were Lieuts. Blantin, Hood, |
Jungen and Blow and Cadets Bronson
and Boyd.
In the afternoon Lieut.. Holman, who |
testified at Havana, was again called.
Lieut.. Catlin gave his evidence and
was followed by Boatswain Larkin,
Gunner Hill and Carpenter Holmes
An officer of the Maine who had been
examined by the court during the day,
talked with the correspondent of the
Associated Press. II can't tell you"
he said, ''what line of questions was
adopted, but the court will find, l be-
lieve, that the Maine WAS blown up by
design, though l don't think it will be
able to ascertain exactly how. The
courts finding will be based on neg
ative rather than positive evidence.
BY this | mean that all the testimony
heard so far has upset the theories of
those who think the explosion was of
internal origin. This negative evi-
dence is so strong and so general that
l see no possibility of the court decid-
ing that the explosion was internal.
| The only alternative then left for the
court is to fall back on evidence which
points to the Intentional blowing up
of the Maine. This, l think, will be
done unless the court formulates a
theory of its own or declares that it
does not know how the disaster oc-
Cured, which think improbable"
Washington, March AT the close
of Office hours Monday the following
telegram came to the navy department
from Admiral Sicard at Key West:
Court OF inquiry commences session
at Key West to-day. 1t must resume
session at Havana to obtain evidence
of divers after further work upon the
wreck"
The important feature of this com,
munication is the declaration that the
|
at rest rumors that the court was not
to return to Havana for the reason
that it had discovered the cause of the
sinking of the Maine, which was MOI
an accident, and that it had conse
! uuently no further business in Havana
] One important deduction to be drawn
] from the message was that the repor
of the court of inquiry can scarcely b.
expected for several weeks to come
The court will be occupied at Ke.
c West for some days In taking the test
e mony of the survivors there. The
!. upon returning to Havana it is e1
i pected that good deal of time mus
e elapse before the divers can get throug
i. the mud which encompasses the lowe
part of the Maine and examine tn
y bottom.
a. At the White House the utmost quie
A. prevails Many offers have come frol
organizations and individuals of thei
,e services in case of conflict. Some {
NJ the congressman also have stated t
d. the president that their states a,
q ready to furnish full quotas of men.
Havana, March Little work WE
es done Monday by the divers from tt
p tug Right Arm. Capt. Sigsbee was c
OF board the lighthouse tender Fern III
IS til 2 p. m. He waited for the SPANS
divers, but they did not appear
The difficulty experienced in reco
ering the bodies is not understood
an any but the divers. On Sunday Il
he latter worked for three hours trying
yn bring out one body intact, and one
,te the divers had bad fall and sever
ais got their air tubes tangled. Even thu
they could not extricate the remain
las One body was recovered yesterday.