The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-03-31
THE COURTS REPORT
The Findings of the Board of In
quiry IL the Presidents Hands.
WRECK DUE TO A SUBMARINE NINE.
The Court Unable to Fix the Responsibility
-Woodford Teiegraphed to Notify
the Spanish Government OF
the Courts Conclusion.


WASHINGTON, March 26.-The court
of inquiry appointed to investigate
the cause of the Maine disaster has
reported that the loss of the battleship
was due to an outside explosion. The
state depal tment, by direction of the
president, has cabled United States
Minister Woodford at Madrid to no.
tify the Spanish government of this
conclusion. The president and his
cabinet held two extended sessions
yesterday, one at 1890 a. m, and
another at $3.50 D. M, at which the re-
port was considered in detail. Mem
bers of the cabinet stated after the
meeting that the discussion was of
grave character, and that never since
the wrecking of the Maine has the
situation seemed so critical.
The Spanish government has cabled
officially to Washington that the Span
ish naval commission holds the disas-
ter to the Maine to be of internal
origin. The government of Spain, it
can be stated positively, is not dis
posed to turn back the torpedo fleet
now proceeding from the Canaries,
and would be disinclined to consider
suggestion from this government tend
| by Spain of her own naval forces.
War preparations on an unprece-
| denied scale are being hurried to com
| pletion by the war and navy depart
ments, and the country practically is
on war footing.
The foregoing gives the record of
one of the most eventful days the ma
tional capital has seen since the close
| Of no 81 HaIr of
foundly important action, of the deep
est anxiety, coupled with naval and
military activity, one step following
another in rapid succession. Repre-
sentative men of the administration,
public men in all branches of official
and congressional life, no less than the
public in general, shared in the ten
sion to which the situation has been
wrought. There was no effort among
the highest officials, nor, indeed, was
it possible, from what was clearly APP
parent in the developments of the day,
to minimize the situation.
Viewed in detail, the findings of the
court of inquiry was the most vital
feature. Commander Mark, judge adj
vocate of the court of inquiry, deliv-
cred the report to Secretary Long
early yesterday morning and shortly
| afterward it was carried to the white
house and placed in the hands of the
president At 1880 the cabinet as
sembled, half an hour earlier than
usual, and began the consideration OF
the momentous document. Even the
rigid rules of secrecy which prevailed
at cabinet meetings were made doubly
strict in this case and no intimatiOn oil
the results reached by the court were
. known until two o'clock when an AS
sociated press bulletin gave the infor
nation to the country we'll as the
} eagerly waiting officials throughout
Washington.
The results, briefly stated, are tina
the loss of the Maine was due to al
explosion from the outside, the courI
being unable to fix the responsibility
for the explosion. The court does no
l express an opinion as to the characte
| of the explosive, but the testimOn.
| goes to show that it was a powerful
submarine mine, the exact characte
| of which is not determined by tn
, testimony, though the belief Is ez;
| pressed that it was n floating sub
marine mine. There We're two ex
| blossoms, the court finds. The hrs
was from the outside. and that set o1
one of the smaller magazines.
1t was this result, expressed in dc
!, | tail and with the precision of a cour
deeply conscious of its responsibility
D together with the evidence upon whic
i it was based, that occupied the after
s ton of the cabinet throughou its eA
t tended sessions of the morning an
[ afternoon. All other and lesser sui
iects gave way to this foremost que;
: ton. There was no change in tn
plan of making the report publ
and transmitting it to congress earl
+ next week, accompanied by brie
Il message from the president.