The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-03-03
No Accident.
Magazine of Maine Did Not Blow Up.
Explosion Came From Other Source.
Result of Investigations Forces This


Result of Investigations Forces This
Conviction.
HAVANA, Feb. %, 1898. The situation,
which may be changed at any moment by
fresh discoveries, may be summed up,
when this despatch is sent this afternoon,
substantially as follows:
The divers having discovered cases of
brown powder for the 10 inch guns un-
exploded and believing also that Others
unexploded will be found in the 10-inch
magazine on the starboard side forward,
the conviction grows that this magazine
did not blow up If this be so, and many
have insisted from the first that it is, the
further conviction is forced that the ex-
plosion which wrecked the Maine came
from the outside on the port bow.
As previously wired the main portion
OF the wreck, as seen from above and
noted from below, was blown to starboard.
The highest American officials here are
confident that Gen. Blanco and the other
Spanish officers had no knowledge direct
or indirect of the conception or execution
of plot to blow up the Maine, if such a
plot existed, but they believe the junior
Spanish officers, who, from the nature Of
things, are more cOnversant with modern
| explosives than their elders ara superiors,
were at the bottom of the disaster, if there
was any outside agency. 1t is pointed
out that it would not be impossible to
| plant mine of wet and dry gun cotton
near where foreign war vessel was direct
| ed to anchor. such mine communicate
| ing with an electric battery on shore. 1t
| is regarded as an interesting point that
| the Maine, for the first time during her
stay in the harbor, lay at the particular
spot where she was at the time of the
catastrophe. and it is said, though not
officially verified, that the Maine was the
| first foreign wal vessel moored to this
part ular buoy since the trouble in Cuba
grew active. All stories as to the iScii
pine on the Maine are without truth. On
the contrary, Capt. Sigsbee was complain
ed of by some for the ligidity of lis rules
and the srictness with which he enforced
them. Moreover the Maine had been in
commission for years and never had a
serious accident until in this quiet harbor.
/ In reply to a question put by this cor
respondent to high American official as
to what the outcome would be if it were
proved that the disaster was due to an
outside agency, the official in question
said
Sir the American people could not be
/ restrained. | mean war Still | doubt
whether it would be necessary to fire
shot. Admiral Sicard could anchor the
Iowa, the Indiana, the Massachusetts and
the New York outside Havana harbor TO
prevent the ingress Of the food supplies
without which the city could not exist
for fortnight. Cuba is a waste of ashes
and desolation. Even the hotels here in
Havana live from hand to mouth on SUP
plies brought from the United States
''If Admiral Sicard demanded the sur
render of Havana, giving twenty five
hours for the removal of the women and
children, surrender would follow The
forts are old structures and could be de
molished 10y six FOUNDER. Such new
guns as have been mounted are short of
ammunition and have never been tried.
If Gen. Blanco should decline to surren-
der, the Spanish merchants here, who
represent 80 per cent of the property and
pay 10 per cent. of the taxes of the island,
would compel him to accede to Admiral
Scard' terms. As for the volunteers, the
men are for the most part the employees
of these merchants and the volunteer off
GERS are largely their sons or their junior
partners.
= 1t is well to look these things in the
Americans to restrain themselves until
there is some proof Of an outside agency of
explosion. We can afford to wait little
longer, seeing that we have waited 50 long.
| We could not wait after it had once been
| proved that the Maine disaster was tn e
result of dastardly plot. Spanish officers
4 from the old country hold to the unac-
| countable belief that their army would
overcome us in a few weeks; but the
| Cuban merchants have no such deusion
and they would control the situation
! Hence | think that no Shot from a big
American gun will be necessary"
These sentiments fairly represent those
OF the best informed Americans here. Any
moment, however, may chronicle dis
coveries at the wreck that would change
this. A member of the court of inquiry
who conversed with the correspondent to-
day strongly deprecated any premature
expression or evidence of resentment on
the part of the people of the United
States until it was proven that the disaster
resulted from some other cause than
accident.