New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-17

occuuc.c-
LTWIs NIXON'S CP,NIoN.
IL SAYS ruE raTLosloN NAY HAVE REEN
CAUSED uY SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Prne5eipma. F,b 1G.-L,eutcuant Lewis Nix
on. DESIGNER or the natue-shiD- Indiana Mafsa-
,b,,.lt-e and oregon. who is an expert on naval
construction and armament. said to-day mat IN
his opinion 5, would Zoe possible for spontaneous
combustion to have caused tho explosion IN the
magazine Of the Maine. M Nixon thinks the
explosion may possibly have occurred r a mag
az!ue in close pros nifty to a coal bunker.
LONDON PAPERS GUESS At THE CAUSE
srMILAE DISASTERS IH THE BRITISH NAVY RE
cAILEp-rAIK OF FOUL play
london. Feb 1G--"The Globe" this afternoon.
peferr,D- 20 the disaster 20 the United states
hattle-ship Maine. says:
1T IS impossible TO refrain from the sus-
eicion that the explosion may have been caused
b. foul means. Although anchored. the Maine
would have steam up in one Of her boilers Tor
ahe dynamos and auxiliary machinery. II an m
serral machine had been hidden in the coal
Thrown into the furnaces obviously there would
he an explosion Of the boiler, and, a result Of
q magazine That this terrible event should
have occurred I'm the harbor Of Havana renders
e. solution of the mystery Of international inn
portance.'
Continuing The Globe remarks
THE last serious disaster of this nature oc-
curing I'm peace time was in 1881. when Her
Najasty's ship Dotercl blew up IN the Straits
Of Magellan. The verdict % the court was That
II vas caused by the formation Of coal gas an
other suggestion being that a substance called
xerotine. a slccatve. slowed in tho paintroom
was responsible. on this occasion there were
-rsf fff ba 81 4U
Of 100 persisted.
In the following year an explosion on board
Her Majesty's ship Triumph killed three men
In this case the disaster was traced 20 the use
Of the xcrotiue siccauvc.'
The headlines Of the afternoon newspapers here
ell hint that the disaster points to ueachery
either Cuban or Spanish. and the papers refer %
the excitement and resentment al the Maine $
dispatch 20 Havana The newspapers aiso pun
lsh long descriptions of the Maine, with ih'
names of her officers They describe captain
Sigsbee as aU eminent officer and publish ac-
counts % hS carr
The ST. James, Gazette" leans upon the sup
position thai The disaster was wrought by an
explosion .a tAe magazine. which is beneath ia"
forecastie and AS far as possible from the engine
III remains 90 be seen. however. how a maya
zine. carefully euarotQ. could Doe fired. AS bear
ing upon tlls however il must boz borne 90
mind That the discipline on American warships
IS usually. 90 English ideas, rather lax
IS that the disaster @as produced by an agency
outside The vessel the explosion ~ q submarine
rrue or torpedo. caused accidentally or other
wise r. is AGAIN. naturally suggests The thought
that the Outrage was pcrpetr1tcd 10y Spanish
constructors o~ Cuban Insurgents lnccnsed from
Whatever motive against the United states
ro,5o, r-eb 1.-THE Daily News" com
st--.~ o., ,t 1-r,,od C,,.os
HleA'ii5 Oh ''0 '-''
Warship Maine, says
ohio disaster reaches the very extremity Of
49,, - -, -,, ,...,-s
horror Inc phuiic leeiiS OF '"e ""i'u S""0N"u
hv this dire calamity. VIII do well 10 initiate
tho restraint i3roeed on that Of the United
states bv bofb The Washington Government and
Inc caotaln Of the Inflated ship For suspicious
Of foul rlav there seems 10 be absolutely no
warrant though naturally they haunt The minds
% MANY Americans They should boz enter
t9fned only on absolute compuision A spark Of
,,,ie5trocted national feeling might cause terri
ne mischief
..rbo otfitiide of Srain az this ag0nizing mo-
mont viii either Grace the memory OF Tie Dc
6-ro i-cf4.rf forever ar revive {. with added
|;',r-,.,-o(e o. bttior-e.e End exaercrat,or
~. c,,,.i, b, CON, ,,p1are5 without a sbuddar
m C-rs,,i.,, ends a pane M every British
-,
IN ,ro~rtr.~ Pc, q. I'm AN editorial o. r,r0-
80 -.,-a.t,,- -....-..,'s ~ to,.e mas certain
a...-,.... -.-.c .efr.,..1 tbe.,.