Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-04-21
LEES VIEWS on
MAINE EXPLOSION
Summary Of His Testimony as
Given Before the Senate
Committee on Foreign
Relations.
MINES IN HAVANA HARB0R
BelieVeS They Were Placed There Just
Before the Maine Incident.
DOES NOT BLAME GEN. BLANG0
The Latter Deeply Affected by
the Calamity.
BelieVes They Were Placed There Just
Before the Maine Incident.
DOES NOT BLAME GEN. BLANCO
The Latter Deeply Affected by
the Calamity.
EXPLOSION THE WORK OF AN EXPERT

Washington, April a. Tho testi-
mony taken before the Senate com
mittee on foreign relations in con-
nection with the investigation intn the
relations between the United States
and Cuba waH made public to day. 1t
constitutes book of about Gao pages
and includes not only the Testimony
taken slnce the disaster to the Maine,
but also much that was taken before
and running back for year or more.
Tho statement which contains the
greatest current interest 10 that made
by Consul General Lee on the 18th
instant. In this statement, Gen. Lee
said that he was informed ON very good
authority that the Spaniards had
placed two rows of torpedoes just at
the mouth Of Havana harbor, by MORO
Castle, within the past two months. or
subsequent TO the Maine disaster, ana
that the switchboard is in roomlin
the castle. lie said, however, that he
had no information of the plan of any
torpedoes before the Maine was de-
stroyed. and none in regard to the
purchase abroad by the Spanish
authorities.
'.Have you any reason to suppose
that the harhor was mined at all be-
fore the blowing up of the Msiue'"
asked Senator Frye.
mo, sir; | had no reason to suspect
anything of the sort up to that time. y
He then went on TO say that Gen.
Weylsr's letter to Santos Guzman bad
led him to believe that mines might
have been placed there previous to the
Maine incident, anu he said that this
supposition was strengthened by a
telegram from Gen. Weyler, of which
he had cognizance. Upon the whole he
thought the Weyler letter (the IIaine
letter. was correct copy Of a genuine
letter. The telegram to which he re-
ferred was addressed To Eva Camel, a
noted Spanish woman and an admirsr
of Weyler, and to Senior Guzman, and
il read as follows:
Grave circumstances cause me Ia
ask you TO destroy the last letter OF
February 18th"
Gan. Lee said that this telegram had
never before been published and he
found in it strong confirmarory evi
dence of the ger uineness Of the Weylei
letter,
With reference to the responsibility
for the destruction of the Maine, Gen.
Lee suid:
TIE QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY.
81 am satisfied the explosion wal
from the outside. [ cabled the STATE
Department, few days after the boart
assembled, that it was almost Certain
that the explosion was from the ex
terror. have always had an iiei
about the Maine that, of course, it wa
not blown up by any private indiyidua
or by any private citizen, but wa
blown up by some of the otficsrs VIII,
bad charge Of the mines and electrical
wires aud torpedoes in the araena
there, who thoroughly understood thei
business, for it was done remarkabl
we'll.
- do not think Gen. Blanco, til
present captain and governor general d
the island OF Cuba, had anything to d
with it. l do not think he had an
knowledge of it. / saw him shortl
after the occurrence. / was sitting !
my room at the hotel and from th
balcony OF the hotel could hear this
heard the explosion and saw a grua
column of fire 60 up in the air. A fe,
moments after, ascertaining that it wa
the Maine, / went right down TO th
came in directly by himself. He ha
just heard 1T and was crying; teal
were coming out. of his eyes il
seemed to regret it as much as an,
body | saw in Havana; but think
came from some of the suhaltern of
GERS who had been there untler Weyle
and who were probably anti Blant
anyhow, and who had full knowledl
OF the business. ~
Gen. Lee said that be had seen
copy of Telegram from Admir-
Manterolla, dated in Havana, pri
to the explosion of the Main
the Spanish commission in Londo
asking tho commission to hurry ,
the electrical cables. :" "Whether tn
referred to wire for submarine min
or torpedoes, do not know" he co
tinued. 81 tried to ascertain if any
the wire or electrical cables had arriv
there. but they came on Spanish shi
and | could not find out -
Gen. Lee said that testimony in !
gard to Manterolla, and also that wi
reference to the Weyler telegram, h
been furnished to the court of inaui
which investigated the Maine disastt
but had not been sent TO Congress q
published because OF q request of i
mhNo W bHo DIhIo DbpHrtmeQJ mol
make them public, las l was afra
the Spanish papers there would repu
lish it and they would probably K
the men that gave it to me-.
Continuing his testimony. Gen. L
said that 10 minutes after the explosi
be was at the Palace talking 10 &c
Blanco, and that the latter gave b
an order for boat to take him q
into the harbor. Senator Morgan asl,
If, when he got to the water's, edge
saw any lights burning.
LIGHTS DID NOT 80 OUT.
II did not notice that. 4" said G,
Lac, but l have made Inquiries sir
and have ascertained that no elect
lights went out. | sent for elect
light men aud gas men. Some gas j
went out in ore or Two placed, cats
by the snock or something, hut co,
NOT ascertain from these men tina
single electric light went out. One
mo electric light men whom cal
Va is friend OF mine, ard he sent