The silver lance., 1898-04-01
EXTERNAL EXPLOSION
CAUSE OF THE MAINE DISASTER
Report of the Board of Inquiry Received
by the President and Its Verdict Made
Known-spain Has Been Notified.

| by the President and Its Verdict Made
| Known-spain Has Been Notified.
/ Washington, March 26.-The court
of inquiry appointed to investigate the
cause of the Maine disaster has re-
ported that the loss Of the battleship
was due to an outside explosion.
The State Department, by direction
of the President. has cabled United
/ States Minister WoodfOrd at Madrid
to notify the Spanish government Of
this conclusion. The President and
his Cabinet advisers held two extend
ed sessions yesterday, one at 1890 a..
m. and another at $3.50 p. m., at which
the report was considered in detail.
Members of the Cabinet stated after
| the meeting that the discussion was OF
| grave character and that never since
the wrecking of the Maine has the sit
uation seemed so critical.
The Spanish government has cabled
officially to Washington that the Span
! ish naval commission holds the disas-
| ter to the Maine to be of Internal ori-
! gin. The government of Spain, 1t can
be stated positively, is not disposed to
| turn back the torpedo fleet now pro-
ceeding from the Canaries, and would
be disinclined to consider a suggestion
from this government tending to inter-
fere with the disposition by Spain of
her own naval forces
Viewed in detail, the finding of the
court of inquiry was the most vital
feature. Commander Mark. Judge ad-
vocate of the court of inquiry, deliv-
cred the report to Secretary Long early
this morning, and shortly afterward 1t
was carried to the White House and
placed in the hands of the President.
At 1910 the Cabinet assembled, half
an hour earlier than usual, and began
the consideration of the momentous
document. Even the rigid rules Of Sc
crecy which prevail at Cabinet meet
/ ings were made doubly strict in this
case, and no intimation Of the results
reached by the court were known un-
til 2 O'Clock, when an Associated Press
bulletin gave the information to the
| country. as well as TO the eagerly wait
ing officials throughout Washington.
These results, briefly stated. are that
the loss of the Maine was due to an
explosion from the outside, the court
being unable to fix the responsibility
for the explosion. The court does not
express an opinion as to the character
of the explosion, but the testimony
goes to show that it was powerful
submarine mine, the exact character
/ u
timony, though the belief was express
ed that it was a floating submarine
mine. There were two explosions. the
court finds. The first was from the
outside, and that set off one of the
smaller magazines.
The Instructions issued in the Navy
Department during the day covered
every branch of naval armament. The
flying squadron" was definitely es-
tablished, with Commodore w. s.
Schley in command. He will hoist his
commodore's flag on the flagship
Brooklyn next Monday. The squad
ron is to consist Of exactly five ships,
no more and no less, despite conjec-
ture as to possible ships that might be
added. Those OF the squadron will be
the crack armored cruiser Brooklyn,
the battleships Massachusetts and
Texas, and the cruisers Columbia and
Minneapolis. Other ships which are
now or hereafter at Hampton Roads
will not be of the flying squadron, but
will belong to the North Atlantic sta
tion under Captain Sampson. The fly
ing squadron Is to be small, compact
fleet of the best ships in the navy, for
quick service at any point along the
Atlantic
Some of the other more important
| ueVeIOpulentS oI tue uHy HIuy bc SUM
married. as follows:
Requisitions were made on the ma
val ordinance bureau for a large num-
ber of quick four-pounder and six
FOUNDER guns to be mounted on the
revenue cutters and the steam yachts
about to be purchased. The bureau
determined to use the quick-fire guns
for these craft which had been orig
inally intended for the Atlantic liners
ST. Paul and st. Louis. Captain Brad
ford, chief of naval equipment, has
completed plans for securing naval
coaling station in waters south of
Cuba. and the papers are now ready
for final action. The station will not
be on Navassa island, as has been sug-
gested but is likely to be at one of the
several fine harbors Of Hayti or San
Domingo. or else on the Danish island
of St Thomas. which is open to pur-
chase from Denmark for a considera-
BILE sum. Late to-day the battleship
Texas was ordered from Hampton
Roads to the navy yard to receive her
machinery for hoisting ammunition
and guns.
Favorable answers were received
from the New York naval militia of
their readiness on short notice to sup
ply officers and men to man the single
| trreted monitors now called into SER
| vice Orders were issued to-day to
| nTN MA nNUnAYA