The Saint Paul globe., 1898-02-27
NINE THEORY EXPLODED
NOT TENABLE IN THE OPINION or
NAVY OFFICIALS

The Statements Of the Spanish Re
garGcd Final Against the Pre-
sumption That Havanas Harbor
Was Defended in This wa,-No
Developments Of Importance.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-In the ab-
sence of news from Havana on any
subject other than the disposition of
dead bodies, the official mind turned
today to an analysis of the Spanish
statements, made with more or less de-
gree of official sanction, respecting the
total absence of sub marine mines
from Havana harbor, and it was re-
garded by the navy department as
cCntradicting the mine theory of an
external cause for the explosion, just
as recent letters put an end to the ex-
ploding boiler theory as an internal
cause for the disaster
Nothing was heard3 today from the
court of inquiry, and the department is
still ignorant of its plans In fact,
the only news coming direct from Ha-
vana to the navy department during
the day was contained in the follow
ing dispatches from Capt Sigsbee:
Have succeeded in making arrangements
by which bodies may be sent to Key West
in hermetically sealed zinc cases. Refer to
Forsyth for burial in Key West Proba-
BILE that bodies hereafter cannot be rec
ognized. Probable bodies will not remain
intact. Condition of bodies requires i'm
mediate action. jenkins and Merritt may
be recognized by uniform. Can secure
health permit at Key West to land the
bodies there Divers cannot get down aft
after bodies this morning. Much debris.
VIII clear it away. Wainwright placed in
charge of wrecktng matters. -Sigsbee.
The following reply was sent:
Washington, Feb. 26-To Sigsbee. Havana:
Referring to your telegram of this date,
send bodies that may hereafter be recov-
cred to Key West for burial. Send by
Bache. Long.
To Key West a dispatch was for
warded as follows:
Sigsbee ordered to send bodies that may
hereafter be recovered to Kew West for
temporary burial. VIII arrive in hermet-
ically sealed zinc cases. Make necessary
arrangements. Bodies will arrive by
Bache. Long
1t is believed at the department that
there are probably in the neighbor-
hood of fifty bodies remaining to be
discovered and eXtricated from the
wreck.
Terror Under Way.
The monitor Terror started for New
York this evening from Hampton
Roads, under orders received today.
She will be a most powerful reinforce
ment to the defenses of the CONNER
cial metropolis in case of need, and
stationed in the Narrows, it would be
difficult for any hostile ship to pass
her.
With the exception of the training
ship Essex, which arrived at Hampton
Roads today, and the Brooklyn, which
arrived at st. Lucia. probably to coal
nn haT tO 7 a
miles. this was the only naval move
ment.
There were number of alarming
stories today as to the heavy shipment
of ordnance from the Washington navy
yard to New York. 1t is said at the de-
partment that so far none Of these
small guns have been shipped today,
but that few for the Chicago. proba-
bly, fourteen fiVe-inch rapid-fire guns,
will be dispatched Monday or Tuesday
With these guns in place. the Chicago
would be pretty we'll mOdernized in the
matter of armament. She will carry
still her four eight-inch guns on the
spar deck, while on the gun deck these
fourteen five-inch, rapid-fire guns will
replace eight siX-inch guns of old pat
tern.
The Dolphin is to go into commission
in New York on the 24th of March.
AIlIOuSH Idleu as the president
yacht, the vessel. which has been thor
oughly overhauled and furnished with
new boilers and decks. carries even
now a sufficient battery to make her.
when speed is taken into account a
very effective gunbOat. Her personnel
Will remain the same as before she
went to the yard for repairs last fall
Court of Inquiry.
With the proceedings of the court of
inquiry drawing to a close. attention
is now being directed to the form and
nature Of the report. The court has
the widest latitude for inquiry, and
yet certain general features will have
to be observed under the navy regu-
lations governing inquiries of this
character
These were explained today by Capt.
Lemley, judge advocate general of the
navy, and Lieut.. Lauchheimer, a vet
eran in the legal arm of the naval serv-
ice and author of the standard work
on courts Of inquiry, courts martial,
etc.
AS a general rule, it is explained.
court of inquiry submits not only the
evidence taken. but also gives it's con-
clusions drawn from the evidence.
Under rule 1926, when courts are re-
quired to find facts, there is to be re-
ported not only a recital of evidence.
but also the results and conclusions
of the court from hearing the evidence
In this respect the findings are much
more exact and conclusive on all is
sues of fact than the civil findings of
jury or of an inquest. Usually there
IS a precept which Specifies the exact
charges on which the court is to make
finding. In the present case, how
ever the precept sent to Admiral ST.
card was general in terms, simply di-
recting the court to inquire into and
report on the circumstances attend
ing the wreck of the Maine. This gives
the court wide scope in prosecuting it's
inquiry
In form the report will be in two
parts; first, the findings of facts. and.
second, the opinion of the court. The
findings take up each material Dues
tion of fact involved and give the con-
clusion of the court upon it, The opin-
ion states what should be done under
each finding Of fact. This opinion re-
lates to the usual cases in which Of
fcers are on trial, but in the present
case it would not of course. extend to
opinions on the government policy ap-
plicable to the finding of facts The
circumstances of the present case are
so unusual, involving the relations of
two governments, that the report may
be confined to findings of fact, with
the usual opinion of the court.
Additional Regiments.
The officials of the war department
have completed all the preliminary ar
rangements for the immediate execu-
ton of the bill, which is expected to
become a law within the next few days,
providing for two additional regiments
of artillery. There will be no diff
culty Whatever in securing the mon