The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-15
DESTROYED BY FOUL PLAY.
But Maine Court Is Unable to Point
Out Conspirators.


New York, March IA dispatch TO
the Tribune from Havana says:
The two distinct phases of the Gu
han ouestion are now before the Amer
lean people. One is whether the Maine
inquiry shall become a diplomatic in
cident between the two governments,
subject to the usual course Wnen an
international dispute arises over Facts.
The other phase is the military and
political condition of the island, with
reference to intervention.
CAPTAIN Sampson and his associates,
by prolonging the Investigation for
weeks might ind much further cumu-
lative evidence of an external explo-
sion.
The comparatively narrow space in
which the divers are now working con-
tinues to furnish proofs of an explo-
sion from without. but this leading
fact was established two weeks ago.
The clearing away Of the debris mas
added little to the knowledge first OBJ
tanned. The belief that the Maine was
blown up by a torpedo is held by eX-
perts who have watched the progress
of inquiry. This brings the naval court
to the most difficult part of its task
Under Admiral Sicard's instructions,
the board is to report whether per-
sons not connected with the navy are
responsible for the loss of the Maine.
With what is conclusive evidence TO
the minds of the members, that the
loss was due to foul play. they are still
without conclusive proof of the iden-
tity of the conspirators. That the eX-
plosion was not the work of a single
fanatic is pretty we'll established. Be
yond this the board may not be able
to go. because the cooperation of the
Spanish government cannot be had so
long as Spain holds TO the theory of
an accident.
Since Captain Peral, the president of
the Spanish board, gave out his inter
view, that is accepted as the Spanish
official view. No help can be expected
from the authorities in discovering the
conspirators while they are claiming
that there could have been no con-
spiracy, because the Maine explosion
was due to a mysterious accident.
An analysis of Captain PeraPs theory
need not be given here. 1t is enough
that if his scheme of raising the hull
by means of the floating dock were
feasible, months would pass before a
final report could be made. The mud
at the bottom has not prevented the
American divers from making an ex
animation of portions of the wreck
which the board thought necessary.
The perfunctory labors of the Spanish
divers have not prevented them from
finding uneXploded ammunition in
parts of the ship which an internal ex-
plosion could have hardly left intact.
They have also discovered that the
turret was blown from port to star
board, along with other incidental evil
dence of an external explosion.
Nevertheless, no admission of the
possibility of foul play viii come from
the Spanish board. The matter as now
presented is that the American court,
while probably not feeling justified in
indicating suspicion as to the parties
to the conspiracy, have sifted the evil
dence. which its members are ready to
submit to the world in support of the
claim that the Maine was destroyed by
foul play. When that evidence shall
be made public can be judged better
in Washington than in Havana