The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-02-18


Belief that the Explosion Was Accidental
Review OF Similar Dfsasters-New shipping
Conditions on Alaskan Coast Other Bills
Being Considered No Change at Noon
To-day.
Special Correspondence of the CHRONICLE.
WASHINGTON. Feb. IS. The loss Of
the Maine continues to be the chief topic
of interest in all circles in Washington.
Speculation has exhausted itself in the
effort to solve, in the absence of certain
knowledge, the cause Of the tragedy
which has appalled, the American peo-
pie. It is noticeable that the President
and Secretary Of the Navy lean to the
belief that it was accidental and that
| in this they coincide with the views Of
great majority of the naval officers who
have expressed their opinions upon the
matter. Some naval officers think the
disaster was due to design, but they are
in minority. The majority Of the Con-
gressmen, none of whom possess any
special naval experience or knowledge,
are positive the disaster was the work of
enemies of the United States. A tor
pedo, floating or fixed, is what they be-
live caused the explosion which sent one
of the finest battleships in any navy to
the bottom of Havana harbor. This
difference of opinion is bound to exist
until the matter is definitely settled by
an examination of the wrecked vessel.
This can hardly be satisfactorily or con-
clusively dol until the wreck is raised.
To accomplish this coast survey steamer
Bache has been sent to Havana with a
wrecking outfit.
The tragedy is appalling. Two humid
red and fifty three men died almost in
stantly and many more injured. Such is
the awful record of that fateful hour in
Havana harbor Sorrow for the dead,
sympathy for the living, and regret for
the splendid ship, these are the feelings
of every American at this moment. One
remark constantly heard is that the loss
in dead was greater than would prob
ably be sustained in hostile encounter
between two battleships. it is more
than double the loss sustained by Nc
Donough in his splendid victory over a
British fleet in Lake Champlain during
the second war with England. 1t is by
far the greatest loss caused by an acct
dent to the American navy or any of its
vessels. However, it is not the only ac-
cident of its kind. In 1885 the United
States man-of- war Missouri, lying at
Gibraltar, exploded her magazine and
was totally wrecked. In 1887, the Brit
ish man-of-war Doteral, lying at anchor
in the Straits of Magellan, was blown
up by the explosion either of her boilers
or magazine, it was never known which,
and was total loss, only few Of the
crew escaping. These two prior cases
lend encouragement to the theory that
the disaster to the Maine was due to acct
dent and not design.
| Senator Frye of Maine, chairman of
the Committee on Commerce, recently
introduced and had passed bill pre-
pared in the Navigation Bureau of the
Treasury Department to strengthen and
render more explicit the laws declaring
our general policy that the coasting
1 trade Gnclnding trade between the rest
of the United States and Alaska) shall
be preserved exclusively to American
vessels. The discovery of gold on the
Yukon has created new and peculiar
conditions which make necessary the
removal of doubt and uncertainty now
now existing in our navigation laws
as to certain points.
!, The policy Of the United States is dis
tinctly to confne carrying by water for
the whole voyage between American
ports to American vessels, and Frye's
bill will accomplish this purpose. The
law is amended also as to the penalty
imposed upon foreign vessels carrying
passengers from one American port to
another. The penalty now imposed is
only 50. Frye's bill increases it to $10O.
The Canadian penalty in like cases is
$400. Our Secretary of the Treasury is
4 authorized to mitigate the penalty where
the circumstances of the case justify it.
It is only by the imposition Of heavy
penalty that the great passenger traffic
between American ports and Alaska can
be wholly secured to American vessels.
4 The House is considering the Bank
Fruptcy bill. on which it will come to a
vote on Saturday. 1t is certain that the
Henderson bill will pass. 1t is before
j the House in the guise of asubstitute for
/ the Nelson bill, which passed the Senate
Eat the special session last summer. The
4 Nelson bill is purely voluntary meas
i ure. except in cases of fraud The
Henderson Gill provides for involuntary
bankruptcy as well. It is a modification
of the measure known as the Torrey
Bankruptcy bill, which has figured be-
fore Congress for a dozen years.
Special Despatch TO the CHRONICLE from
Washington O'Clock.
/ Up to noon today nothing has come
from Havana This simply indicates
that the situation there remains I'M
;