The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-21

AS the naval court of inquiry which will
convene at Key West to-day will be his
toric, its organization and probable line of
work are matters of much interest. The
court will consist of Captain Sampson.
commander Of the battle ship Iowa, presi-
dent; Captain Chadwick, commander of the
New York, and Lieutenant Commander
Potter, of the Massachusetts, with Lieu
tenant Commander Mark as judge advo-
cate. All these men stand high in the navy
and it goes without saying that they are
men of high character and attainments
The official instructions to the court outlin-
ing the scope of its inquiry have not been
made public. but no doubt they are very ex-
plicit and embrace everything necessary
to the ascertainment of the cause or prob
able cause of the disaster to the Maine and
the location of the responsibility where it
belongs. No military or naval court Of
inquiry ever assembled under more peculiar
circumstances or had a more delicate duty
to perform. Most inquiries of the kind re-
late only to the interests of the service or
of orr government, but this one is distinctly
international in its character. From one
point of view the bureau of naval engineer
ing and construction is on trial, from an
other Captain Sigsbee, and from a third the
Spanish authorities in Cuba Among the
many conjectures concerning the cause Of
the disaster have been some implying
faulty construction Of the ship, as, for in
stance, that the magazine was not properly
located or safely protected against spon-
taneous combustion in the coal bunkers.
Probably there is no foundation for this
charge, but the court of inquiry should
take notice of it and report upon it. 1t
ought also to inquire and probably will,
whether there was any looseness of disci-
pine lack of vigilance on board the
ship that could have contributed to an
Sigsbee no person believes that anything
of the kind existed, and yet as such inti-
nations have been thrown out. the court
ought to take notice of them. They carry
a reflection on Captain Sigsbee, and to this
extent it may be said his professional repu-
tation is involved in the inquiry. If the
court should find that the disaster was
at the same time to report the probable
cause of the accident and whether it was
due in any degree whatever to faulty con-
struction in the ship or neglect of vigil
lance or precautionary measures. The court
should remember and doubtless it will re-
member, that this is not d question of
maintaining the prestige of any bureau of
the Navy Department or of the navy itself
or Of any officer of the navy; it is Il ques-
tion of ascertaining the truth and report
ing the facts. no matter who may be hit
or hurt thereby
But by far the most interesting phase of
the inquiry will be that involving the Span
ish authorities, or at least Spanish subjects
in Havana. There is a possibility that ex-
animation of the hull of the ship may dis
close evidence settling at once and def
nitely whether the first explosion came
from within or from without. If from with
in it would SO far to refute the circumstan-
tial evidence tending to implicate the Span
ish, though there would still remain a ques-
ton whether torpedo or bomb might not
have been introduced into the ship. On the
other hand, if examination should disclose
that the first explosion was from without
it would materially strengthen the circum-
stantial evidence against the Spanish. 1t
is a question how much weight the court
will feel authorized TO give to this circum-
stantial evidence, but so far as public opin-
ion Is concerned it is an important factor.
If it comes to a weighing of probabilities
the court should take judicial notice of
facts which are notorious. Although the
Maine went to Havana on a friendly mis-
sion everybody knows that the feeling there
against the United States was very bitter.
The ship was anchored at the precise spot
indicated by the local authorities, it being
the function Of the representatives of a
home government to assign the berth to be
occupied by visiting war ship If it is
true, as has been stated, that the Maine
was lying over torpedo or q submarine
mine connected with the shore by electric
wires, that fact should be officially stated
by the court, so that, if it is not able 10
make definite report as to the cause of
the disaster the government and people
of the United States may at least be in
possession of all the circumstantial evil
dence in the case. Unless examination of
the hull of the ship discloses positive evil
denee one way or the other, the finding of
the court will necessarily be largely con-
jectural, and in that case it might as well
give all the facts bearing ON all the theo-
ries. In short. it is to be hoped, in view
Of the peculiar character of the case, that
the court will exercise a large freedom in
its inquiry and give the public all the in
formation it possibly can, whether based on
direct or circumstantial evidence
THE ADULTER ALTON OF FOODS AND
DRINKS.