The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-29

submitted To the Senate yesterday. 1t
contains upwards Of 200 printed pages
and more than lc0,oOo words. The evil
dence. though somewhat too technical
for the average man to anaIyze per
fecily. shows one thing plainly, and that
is that the Maine was blown up by an
outside agency-a submarine mine.
Circumstantal evidence points TO the
official culpability Of Spain. one Of the
most important Witnesses was Span
lard. whose name the court suppresses
in order to protect him. lie gave his
testimony on the NTH day Of the investi-
cation through an interpreter. Henry
Dram. clerk Of the United States con-
sulate.
The Conspirators Overheard.
The report states that the name and
address of this witness were suppressed
by agreement that his identity should not
he revealed. Ills testimony related to a
certain conversation which he was al
legged to have overheard on Tuesday
morning in a ferryboat which referred
10 The possible sinking Of the Maine.
The testimony was as follows, as given
by the Interpreter:
AT about 7:30 on the morning of the
18th he was crossing from Havana to
RepIos He was sitting on a front seat
in the bow of the vessel-the feTryboat.
There we're, about four feet distant,
three officers, two Of the army and one
OF the navy Of Spain, and besides a
citizen, stout man, about fifty years Of
age. They Were conversing about the
Maine. He says one Of the army officers
said that in the Circulio Militario. the
military club here on the Prado: That
is nearly arranged The citizen inquired:
VIII not making explosions in the bay
run great risk TO the city Of Havana
The officer replied. Ne; ii was ar
ranged so that 1t would simply explode,
open The vessel, and she would sink i'm
mediately Then the other man, with an
exclamation, apparently Of JOY, said: 1
win AXE plenty Of beer on that occasion. -
At tina. moment a cartman came forward
and one Of the men touched the other
and stopped the conversation, and then
he could not hear any more. He said they
kept on speaking but he did not hear
any more.
In response TO a further question the
witness said the navy officer said that
he had heard that the plans We're all
arranged, and they We're going 10 blow
her up anyhow that II was a shame TO
Spain that she should be here in the
way"
The lieutenant said: Then If you blow
her ID, there would be another one
come. and the superior officer replied:
They would take care no, 10 send an
other"
The man who made this remark, from
the uniform he wore. was taken TO be
q staff officer.
The witness said he did not pay much
attention 10 the conversation until after
the destruction of the Maine. He was
then talking with friend in the Cafe
San Nicholas after this occurrence, and
he told him all he had heard. The friend
asked MIN why he did not tell il at the
American consulate. He said he was
afraid 10 tell it and the friend said, Il
will go and inquire from some Of these
newspapers, and see If there is any dan
ger in IL" The friend did so and re-
ported there would be no danger Then
the witness determined TO tell the consul.
He did not however, go 70 the consulate
al all.
Capt. Sfgsbee Called.
The most important part Of Capt sigs-
bees testimony on the first day of the
sitting Of the court was as follows:
"On the arrival Of the Maine in Ha-
vana harbor the official pilot Of the port
Of Havana berthed the Maine at buoy No.
I, of the Machira, or the Shears.
Il have been informed since the ex-
plosion on the Maine, by Capt. Stevens
Of the steamer City Of Washington, OF
the Ward Line. that he had never known
In al his experience, which covers Visi u
10 Havana for five or six years, a man
OF war 10 be anchored at that buoy, and
that he had rarely known merchant YES
sells 10 be anchored there, and il was
the least used buoy in the harbor
My relations with the officials in Ha-
vana were outwardly cordial. The mem
bers Of the aUtonomistic council Of the
government were not so pleasant.
''Cn the first Sunday after our arrival
on board a ferry boat densely crowded
with people, both civil and military. who
were returning from a bull fight IN Regio
there was a demonstration OF animosits
against US. Il consisted Of yells, whistle,
and derisive calls.
My guard was more than doubled an,
every cartridge box was filed A mum
Der Of rounds Of rapid-hre ammuni dol
were kept in the pilot house and add
tional charges OF shells were kept in tn
spare captains pantry for use in the Sc
condary battery. No suspicious package
containing dynamite or other high ex
plosives could have been brought OF
board.
Question by the judge advocate:
From your examination Of the wreck
as far as you have been able TO make
what magazines or shelI-rooms, II any
should you say were blown up?"
From the appearance Of things abou
the wreck, il is extremely difficult {
come 10 any conclusion. The center O
the explosion appears 10 have been be
meath and q little forward OF the conn
ing tower, and on the port side Tn
forward part Of the superstructure Ia
been thrown upward backward over tn
after part and toward the starboar,
side, indicating an explosion on the por
side Of the ship. In the region OF tn
center or axis Of the explosion was IN
six-inch reserve magazine. which cor
tanned very little powdcr-probabIy abou
three hundred pounds. The ten-inc
magazine IS in the general region. but
on the starboard side, under the fol
ward turret, which is well on the stal
board side. over the ten-inch maga
zinc. in tho loading-room of the turr,
and IN the adjoining passage, and we
on the starboard side. were a number
ten-inch shell permanently PLACED
There were several additional shell !
the loadiug-room.
1T was difficult, therefore, TO conceiy
that the explosion involved the ten-inc
magazine. because Of the location Of n
explosion, and because ] have had no r,
ports that any ten-inch shell wer
hurled into the air by the explosion"
Magazine Intact.
After describing the various compart
ments and the location OF the ship
stnrns esneclallN thn ammunition On