davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-02

The wilkes Barre Record can be mad
in Scranton at the news stands of M.
Meinhart ll9 Wyoming avenue: Mac,
Lackawanna avenue.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-02

iContinued on Page G.1
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-02
CITY NOTES.

Cards of thanks, resolutions of condo
lence obituary poetry and the like Will
be inserted in The Tribune only when
paid for in advance, at the rate of IL
cents per line.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-02
White and Blue Bunting.

Fine Quality Bunting ............... &c
Ordinary Quality Bunting ............ &c
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
COURT OF INQUIRY.
NAVAL BOARD TO SEARCH OUT
THE FACTS.
Several Days May Elapse Before a YER
dict Is Reached, but There Will BE No
Unnecessary Delay to
He Rigid.
Four Men to Decide,

On Thursday the court of inquiry to in
vestIgatc the cause of the Maine disaster
was called to meet in Havana by Admiral
Sicard. II is composed of the following
officers: Capt. William r. Simpson. Capt.
French Z. Chadwick. Lieutenant Com
mander William T. Potter and I.ieuten-
ant Commander Adolph Mark. judge ad
vocate. The verdict of these four naval
experts, writes Washington correspond
ent, may mean war with Spain.
Under the direction of Admiral Sicard,
says the correspondent, writing immedi-
ltely after the calling of the court, the
members will hear evidence and examine
the debris. The splintered and twisted
hulk is expected to tell its own story. The
plates will he bent in or out. IL all point
outward the disaster was caused from
carelessness or probably treachery on
board the ship; if they point inward, then
to Spanish treachery from without. Be
ueath the waters of the harbor the divers
will turn their electric searchlights as
they search the deep for the submerged
debris of the once mighty battle ship.
They will report speedily to their su-
periors. There will be no unnecessary de-
lay. Public opinion will not stand indefi-
mite suspense. The verdict of the court
Of inquiry will go to the Secretary of the
Navy and to the President. There will
be 4 cabinet meeting. There will be no
splitting Of hairs. no quibbling over Off
cial etiquette. This matter is executive;
it will not follow precedents; there are
none to follow
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
COUNTRY GREATLY EXCITED.
Seems as Though Providence Were
Leading Two Countries to War.

Seems as Though Providence Were
Leading Two Countries to War.
The agitation and suppressed excite
ment that prevail throughout the coun-
try are shown by the kilograms of inquiry
that have been received at the various
departments and newspaper Offices and
by members of Congress as to the proha
BILE cause of the explosion. And it is
clear that, however it may be explained.
this awful calamity must seriously in
crease the tension between the United
States and Spain by provoking excitement.
suspicion and irritation. The comments
of many public men as furnished in the
press dispatches cannot be overlooked ny
the Spanish. And if the explosion is not
satisfactorily explained it may be expect
ed that similar opinions will be offered
in Congress and elsewhere in such form
as TO give great provocation. The feeling
in Congress has reached more acute
stage than ever before. The Dupuy de
LONE incident intensified the prejudice
against Spain and developed IL hostility
that was never SO bitter as to-day in any
quarter and is particularly pronounced
among those who have been preserving
an impartial judgment and conservative
attitude. The excitement from one Incl
dent does not subside before another even
more aggravating occurs. And it seems
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
ALL SORTS.

True love can hope where reason
would despair.
Railroad mems wives hate each other
almost as cordially as doctors wives.
The man who is envious of evil doers
will soon be an evil doer himself.
wedding The link used to connect
thoughts of love with thoughts OF War.
IL the world loves lover, it Is be-
cause it is not compelled to see much
of him.
Considering the experience they nave
had. how little people know of love!
II is lucky to put on stocking
wrong side out or to put on the left
shoe first.
The first regular silver coinage TO De
nassed out in the order of business was
in October, 1892.
1t would puzzle an angel to make out
what some people mean when they say,
"Thy kingdom come
The most sublime OF poets was
Isaiah. His word pictures have been
models for all succeeding writers.
The BARRIERS International Union OF
San Francisco is conducting free eni-
ployment bureau successfully.
There Is no good in arguing with the
inevitable. The only argument availa-
BILE with an east wind is to put on your
overcoat.
The very gnarliest and hardest Of
hearts has some musical strings in it;
but they are tuned differently in every
one Of us.
A fresh mind keeps the body fresh.
Take in the ideas of the day, drain of
those Of yesterday. As to the morrow,
It is time enough to consider ii when
| it becomes to-day.
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
WAS A FLOATING FORT.
Maine One of the Best War Ships i
the American Navy.

Maine One of the Best War Ships in
the American Navy.
The great explosion that ratified the
foundations of the Cuban capital and
struck terror to the heart of every human
being in Havana at the same time. i'll a
few seconds obliterated nearly S3,0O0,00O
worth of public property and rendered Use
less the great mass of steel that had been
called the battle ship Maine. She was a
proud. strong ship. and she will 90 down
into history alongside the Royal George,
the Victoria and other men-of-war which
were wiped out of existence with their
crews under appalling circumstances.
The Maine was one of the best ships in
the American navy. In an up and up
fight she would have stood her own
against any boat of her class ahoat. She
was not cruiser. She was built to fight,
and she was floating fort. All the in
genuity of modern naval architecture was
brought TO bear upon her construction.
For six years the labor of men was put
into her. Her keel was laid in the Brook
lyn navy yard in October. 1888. She was
launched on Nov. 10. 1890. The construc-
ton of the Maine was authorized 10y an
act of Congress passed Aug. ), 1SSG. The
act provided that the new boat should
cost s.. 100000, and over that sum was
expended upon her. In size the Maine
was a goodly ship. Her length over all
was 324 feet; at load water line. 31S feet;
her beam, 81 feet; her draught, 2112 feet;
her displacement, 6.64S tons. She was
designed for a flag ship. but the great
changes in modern methods of naval con
struction were the cause of her being fin
ished up as a fighter.
Something of her formidable power may
he imagined when it is said that she could
hurl broadside of 800 pounds. This
did not include the fire from her small
arms. From her two turrets and forward
guns she could hurl fire of / .224 pounds.
The Maine was a twin screw, armored
turret ship built in the belted style. She
had a belt of armor to protect the vital
parts of the fabric after the vulnerable
parts had been beaten in with shot. This
belt was foot thick, tapering to seven
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

loss of the Maine. The only recent par
allrl is the Samoan disaster i'll March,
1889, when four officers an1 forty-Six
men of the Pacific coast squadron lost
their lives in Il hurricane which swept the
harbor of Apia and surrounding waters.
In this hurricane the United States men
of-war Trenton, Vandalia and Nipsic, aud
the German steamers Adler and Eber
were wrecked. Ninety-six of the crews
on the German vessels were lost Going
further back, the wreck of the United
States sloop of war Huron off the coast
Of North Carolina Nov. ~, 1877, during
Il terrible gale, offers the most striking
comparison. In this wreck 100 lives were
lost and the vessel was broken to pieces
On the shore. The only magazine explo-
sion Of recent years on United States
war ship took place on the Missouri while
she was lying at anchor at Gibraltar The
explosion caused great damage to the YES
sci. but was fortunately attended with no
loss of life.
Other navies have suffered far more Sc
verely than that of the United States dur
ing the last quarter of Il century. One of
the most terrible disasters was the fOun-
dering of the Spanish cruiser Reina Re
genta March II, 1895, in the Atlantic
ocean near the entrance to the Mediter-
ranean sea, when more than 400 persons
were drowned. Great Britain suffered a
loss equally appalling June 22;; 1893, when
the battle ship Victoria sunk after. col
liding with her sister ship CamperdOwn
during mancuycrS off the coast of Tripoli.
The loss Of life was twenty-five officers
and $50 of the crew. Three years pre-
yiouS the British torpedo cruiser Serpent
was wrecked i'll storm off the northwest
coast of Spain and all but three of crew
Of 10 officers and men We're lost. An
other wreck famous in naval history is
that of the British war ship Doterel,
which was destroyed by an explosion
April 26, 1881, while lying at anchor in
the Straits of Magellan. The explosion
wiped the vessel off the face of the wat
ers. leaving but seven alive ont of $50
officers and sailors on board. This was
supposed to have been a case of explosion
in the Ship'S magazine
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
WAR SPIRIT AT wAsHlNsToN.
Feeling That the Maine Disaster Re.
suited from Spanish Treachery.

Feeling That the Maine Disaster Re-
suited from Spanish Treachery.
Washington was af1ame Wednes1a
with the war spirit. Everybody eagerly
read the extra newspapers carrying latest
dispatches from Havana and the strained
efforts of those high in official life to show
the blowing up of the Maine to have been
an accident only added to the patience
of the general public. Both houses of
Congress assembled at noon under the
most exciting conditions since war times.
From the advices received from Lee
and from other sources in Havana sail
Secretary Long, Il am not inclined to
think it was an act of Spanish hostility.
l have no explanation to make, but the
fact that Capt. Sigsbee has asked that
public opinion be suspended leads us to
believe that those who are in position
TO have the best information do not regard
it as a hostile act. The dispatch from
Consul General Lee says the cause of the
explosion is yet to be investigated, but it
also says that the Spanish have rendered
all possible assistance. Nothing yet re-
ceived indicates that the disaster was the
result of Spanish treachefy, and we will
proceed with care until we have further
particulars"
Public opinion, however, refused to be
suspended, and TO say that the capital was
excited over the report of the destruction
of the Maine is but to give but meager
and inadequate idea of the real condition
of affairs Wednesday. 1t was the only
topic of conversation. There were extra
papers on the streets every fifteen min
utes, people wildly shouted their opinions
of the catastrophe, and ON all hands were
talk of war and demands for more infor-
nation. Treachery WAS the word on all
lips. No one could be persuaded that the
affair was not of Spanish origin. 1t was
thought that some Spanish agent secured
access to the vessel and exploded gren-
ade near the ammunition magazine
If Spanish treachery did not destroy the
magnificent battle ship Maine and mur-
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

sleeves and gave orders. Efforts were at
first made 70 save the vessel. but when
Captain Sigsbee realized the extent of
the damage done and that many casualties
had occurred he bent all his energies to
assuring the safety of his men.
The Secretary of the Navy at Washing
ton received the following telegram from
Capt. Sigsbee: MAINE blown up in Ha-
vana harbor $40 and destroyed. Many
wounded and doubtless more killed and
drowned. Wounded and others OH board
Spanish man-of-war anu Ward line steam
er. Send lighthouse tenders from Key
West for crew and few pieces Of equip
ment still above (water). No one had
other clothes than those upon him.
Public opinion should be suspended un-
til further report. All officers believed to
be saved. jenkins and Merritt not yet
accounted for. Many Spanish officers, in
Guiding representatives of Gen. Blanco,
now with me and express sympathy.
"SIGSBEE."
The officers referred to in the above dis
patch are: Lieut.. Friend W. jenkins and
Assistant Engineer Darwin H. Merritt.
From the wording of the dispatch the
Navy Department thinks It is possible
that they were on shore at the time of
the accident
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

"HE United States battleship Maine
lies at the bottom of Havana har-
Dor, charred and torn hulk, and
tomb for over go of her crew. She
was blown up about 10 o'clock Tuesday
night by terrific explosion said to have
been an accident. The explosion occur
red in the bow of the vessel and at an
hour when the honest sailors had retired,
while most of the officers had returned
from the gayeties Of the city. Whether
the magazine of the ship was fired by ac-
cident or treachery, whether bomb or tor
pedo placed beneath the bow sent the
Maine to the bottom of Havana bay and
its blue-jackets to their long home per-
haps no man shall ever know. All that
sailors and officers of the fated craft could
say was that there was a crash and a roar
that men were hurled headlong from
their hunks upon the cabin floors, and that
out of tn. ..rkness, the grinding of burst
ing TIMBER, the surging Of the water rush.
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

der more than 2JO American seamcn,
Spain must produce the proofs that the
Maine was blown up by some other power
than that of Spanish torpedo. Wash
ington advices on Thursday stated that
officers of the navy did not believe that
there could have been an accidental eX-
plosion on the Maine from spontaneous
combustion or any other cause, when the
battle ship WAS lying at anchor without
steam in her boilers. or coal in her for
ward bunkers. and with only projectiles
and such ammunition as might be cXplod-
cd by conclusion iii her forward maga-
zine. While some officials at the Navy
Department talked of accidental explo-
sions. there were few of practical eXpe-
ricnce who did not privately scout such
theories, and said that to advance them
means to condemn the modern war vessel.
The corps of constructors at the Navy
Department insisted that the explosive
power must have come from the outside
of the vessel, because it is their business
to prevent accidents of this kind occurring
within the hull, and they claimed that it
is impossible for the vessel to have been
destroyed by an explosion in one of the
ma gaines. Chief Naval Constructor
Hichborn said that an accidental explo-
sion was impossible, leaving the infer
ence that he believed the explosion to
have been due TO treacherous hands.
The President and his cabinet tried to
keep down the excitement until full re-
ports could be received from Captain
Sigsbee. They did not care to base their
Judgment on dispatches that must be pass
ed upon by the Spanish censors in charge
of the telegraph wires at Havana. They
therefore followed the theory of an acci-
dental explosion because it would be very
serious for the administration publicly to
assume that the Maine could have been
destroyed in any other way, until they
had the full details of this affair from the
commander of the ship.
1t is asserted by naval officers that the
harbor of Havana is full of submarine
torpedoes, which need only an electrical
connection to make an explosion possible.
The theory that the Maine was destroyed
by torpedo found ready believers. No
body was willing to assert that the Span
ish Government was primarily RESPONSE
bic for touching off torpedo, but among
the hotheads roaming the streets of Ha-
yana in the state of excited feeling now
existing there are many, it is believed,
who would not hesitate to commit such
an outrage.
1t is not known the depth of the water
in which the Maine sank, but it is known
that the harbor of Havana is the vilest
on the globe, and that the great mass of
steel, weighing many thousand tons, has
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
TRIP TO DISASTER.
when and Why the 11l-Fatcd Maine
Went to Havana.

when and Why the 11l-Fatcd Maine
Went to Havana.
The Maine arrived in Havana and drop
ped anchor in the inner harbor on the
morning Of Jan. 25. The trip had been
hasty and the arrival of the boat so soon
had not been expected by the residents Of
the Cuban capital, yet no demonstration
was made and no unpleasant occurrences
had tn he recorded. 1t had been the in
tention of President Mckinley for long
time to send a war ship to Havana. Sew
eral weeks were spent in preparation, al
though the details Of what was going on
were not known to the public until the
final orders were given.
The Maine started from Dry Tortugas
early in the morning of JAN %, and in a
few hours reached her destina ton. As
the big vessel steamed into the harbor
through the narrow strait over which
MORO Castle stands guard. friendly sa-
lutes were fired. The answer was at once
returned by the guns of the forts and the
Spanish flag ship Alphonso XIII., which
was at anchor in the harbor Almost be-
fore anchor could be dropped a small boat
was alongside containing officers of the
Spanish vessel. The visitors were met
by the officer of the deck and at once con-
Quoted 10 the captains cabin. Here in
Productions were made in the most friend
~ manner.
When the Maine entered the harbor she
anchored almost in the center, and quite
close to the Spanish flag ship. The docks
were lined with excited Spaniards and Gu
rious Cubans. They did not cause any
trouble at the sight of the vessel so hated
or so much despised, but it was reported
that some of the ignorant Spaniards went
eff in grumbling disgust when they saw
their own boat hoist the enemy's flag by
way of courtesy. According to orders,
Admiral Sicard established line of small
boats between Dry Tortugas and Havana
in such way that signals could be rap
idly transmitted from the Maine to the
fleet This was done to make certain of
speedy aid to the vessel on guard if it
should happen that the use of the cable
was made impossible. This was only one
of the precautionary measures that were
taken, not only to prevent trouble but to
make sure of having strong defensive
position il unavoidable trouble should
uriSo
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

probably sunk in the mud of that harbor,
where divers can neither live nor work.
The Maine at the time of the explosion
was at anchor about 500 yards from the
arsenal and some 200 yards from the
floating dock.
There is no precedent for an accident of
this sort. No ship of war has ever been
mysteriousy blown up. Naval experts
are unanimous in the opinion that an ac-
cident TO the powder magazine could new
er result in a catastrophe of this sort, and
they say the precautions taken on board
modern man-of-war make an accidental
explosion in the ammunition practical
imDoSsihility
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
War Should Sfon.

Gen. William Booth of the Salvation
Army, said at Cincinnati recently:
"The Cuban butchery should stop. II
should stop if need be by the interven-
ton of the United States. England is not
Jealous of America. The individual En-
glisbmen would see young America pros
per in peace. do not think that the fur
Of the British lion would rise should
Uncle Sam fight the dons.O The Cubsn
war should stop at any cost-and that is
admitting great deal for as conservative
an Englishman as l am"
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
Bad Crossing Accident.

A buggy in which Col. Richard P. De
Hart the well-known lawyer, and
Thomas Lonergan were riding, was run
into at Main ard Third streets, Lafay-
cite, Ind. by street car, badly injuring
the occupants. Col. De Hart was badly
bruised on the hip, head and hands, and
Lonegan's leg was broken. The buggy
was a complete wreck. The accident
will greatly interfere with Col. De Hart's
canvas for State Senator, for which he is
Q candidate on the Republican ticket
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

as if Providence were leading both coun-
tries into war.
Soldiers who would glory in capturing
hospitals and numbering the patients, who
would machete poor paciticoS and women
and children, would not hesitate to set off
torpedoes under a warship loaded with
sleeping sailors and marines whom they
regarded as enemies. 1t would he perfect
ly in keeping with the warfare Spain has
wayed in CuI,a
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
WE ARE READY TO sTRIkE.
Within "a Hours Our Ships Could
pIorLoAe Crshau

Within "a Hours Our Ships Could
Blockade Every Cuban Port.
4 New York dispatch says: Three flag
officers of the United States navy are
watching events at Washington. Madrid
and Havana with great interest They
are Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard.
commanding the North Atlantic squad
ron; Rear Admiral John A. Howell, com
manding the European squadron, and
Capt Colby NJ. Chester, senior officer in
command of the South Atlantic squadron.
Each of these three commanders received
telegraphic orders to hold his ship in read
mess for active service and to keep il fully
coaled and provisioned at all times. There
is an American flag floating over frown-
ing broadsides of guns within easy strik-
ing distance of every port on the northern
and southern coasts of Cuba.
Within twentyfour hours from the dec
,aration of hostilities every port in Cuba
and Porto Rice could be sealed by block
ade. while feet of our ponderous battle
ships would he laundering away at the
castles which guard Havana harbor.
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
Work of a Sub Marine Mine.


A copyright telegram to the New York
World from Sylvester Sc.vel, under Ha-
vana date, via Key West says: The
concensus of opinion now is that the ex-
plosion which caused the destruction of
the Maine was caused by submarine
mine. The forward magazine is intact,
also the rward six-inch magazines. This
leaves only few saluting charges and
small caliber shells in the pilot house
which could have possibly exploded
aboard the ship. At the same time the
fearful damage is too big for any but an
extremely large torpedo. If it
we're torpedo the divers would
find torpedo fragments, but if it
were a SUBJ marine mine no traces will be
found. The American officers are inter-
nally boiling. Not one of them, from
Captain Sigsbee down, who is not fairly
convinced that government SUBJ marine
mine did il,
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
Body of Infant Found

Richard Ware, colored, while fishing
near the Shelbyvilie and Eminence bridge
that crosses Clear Creek. within the city
limits Of Shclbyville, KY, noticed sus-
picioIs looking package lying on the
creeks bank, close to the waters edge,
and, on examination, 1t nroyed to be the
body of a male child of white parentage
ami about seven months advanced. When
fonnd it was in cigar box wrapped in a
linen skirt of extra fine fabric.
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03
Pittsburgh's Scourse.

Three important business houses were
damaged by fire, involving loss of $3.50, :
900. The fire started on The ninth floor Of
the National Wall Paper Building, SIS
Pennsylvania avenue, and within twenty
minutes after it was beyond control. The
flames communicated to II. Childs & Co. s
nine-story building at SlS Pennsylvania
avenue, and from this TO The building of
NJ. Oppenheimer & Co., at S11.
The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1898-02-03

A severe storm of rain and lightning
and wind struck New Orleans recently.
The gale was so heavy that in the city
sheds were knocked down, chImneys
toppled over, trees uprooted and fences
laid low. One man was seriously in
jured by lightning. Telegraph and tele-
phone wires were crippled in many quar-
ters. Forty thousand dollars is rough
estimate of the loss.