The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-02
IT WAS NO ACCIDENT.
TIE MAINE sLCWN UP BY 4 SPANISH
MINE

There Is Little Hope OF Proving tho d aine
Disaster tho Result CT ap Accident
spani,h Army OEcars ContInua Their
Anti American Expressions.
Pepper, the Havana CORRESPONDENT
OF the Washington star cabled his pa
per as follows On Wednesday:
"Inquiry into the Maine disaster
progresses slong definite lines. The
results so far nay be summed up il
the statement that the probabilities
that it was az accident seem to de.
crease with the progress OF the lnves
tigaticn. The most intense anxiety is
shown by the Spanish officials here,
who are in constant communication
with Madrid Thev realjza that the
relations with the United States were
never so much in danger of rupture
as pow. This is the ger eral feeling.
The commercial classes here are
hopeful OF American Intervention on
peaceful lines, but what they base
their hopes upon is unknown. The
insurgents continue to win minor
military successes. The autonomists
are restless, and some of the leaders
seem to be on the point OF breaking
away from the government Army
officers continue to show an anti
American sentiment. They ere ap
parently the only class that does rot
look for an early crisis.
The outlook in Cuba does not grow
more promising. TIE exact statement
is that the government officials were
never SO much disturbed as tocay.
LEGAL developments justify the seri
Gus view General Blanco and his as
scciates are said 10 take CT the proba-
bility of fresh complications.
The statement that the divers have
penetrated the forward part OF the
Maine and found nothing in ths mag
azines there to indicate an explosion
seems to be verified. Attention is
also given to testimony regarding vi
bration under water hefore the Maine
went to pieces. Ev:d=nce as to this
fact is emphatic. How far il jlsti6es
the belief that the explosion came
from underneath the ship, experts
may be left to determine.
The point has not been reached
where definite opinion can be form
ed regarding submarine mines. Out
side evidence has been brought for
ward regarding the construction OF
such q system, bat it has not been
slfted Spaia's officials were surprised
at the fcmness with which the Wash
ington administration declined to ad-
nit them to share in the INVESTIGATION.
sat this writing divers are develop.
ing important results. From exami-
nation OF the inferior Wrecksgc, they
have secured evidence which seems
conclusive that tie explosion came
from underneath tbs ship.
Some of the smaller magazines
may have exploded The main 10
inch magazine did not explode. Tne
condition of the interior OF the ship
shows further probability O. the
wreck having been due 70 OUTSIDE
force.
"The further the Investigation pro.
crosses the more untenable becomes
the theory which the Spanish govern.
ment adduced to show accidental
causes. Il is evident the Spanish case
will be based on the claim that hre
preceded the explosion.
Capt. Sampson and mis- colleagues
of the naval board may have outside
evidence offered reg gsrding a torpedo
float producing the explosion.
Said one diver who hsd been en-
gagged in the work OF getting bodies
out frc M under tbs hatch: God may
be merciful to the men who blew
those poor fellows to eternity, the
Unit d States should not"
This was long before Longs order
prohibiting officers from talking. This
diver evidently thought the explosion
was net an accident. Hs had an ex-
pert's capacity and opportunity for
Judging. The Havana public IS not
permitted to communicate the inten-
sity of public sentiment; in the Uni,
ted States. Only meagre details are
permitted to be known OF what hap
pens IN Washington. Congress is
watched with excessive anxiety by
palace officials, but the populace
knows nothing of what is liable to
happen. Evidence of Ill feeling to
ward American people and exulting
over the Maine disaster does not les.
sen.
NO LONGER ANY DOUBT.
a dispatch from Havana 10 the
New York Herald says: There is no
longer any reason to doubs that the
explosion which wrecked the Maine
came from underneath the vessel and
that her magazines had nothing to do
with the initial explosion and played
8 much smaller part in the general
disaster than was at first supposed.
The evidence that has served to con-
yiuce the board was obtained by Eo
sign PowelsoD, an officer attached to
the Fern.
Mr.. Powelson was formerly in the
CONSTRUCTION corps ana LOOK q Two
years special course ia tue Glasgow
schoo. of naval architecture. he IS
therefore competent witness. What
he discovered was that the for~aro
part OF the keel CT the Maine, with its
ribs aud plates was stove upward SO
far that paris OF the shattered double
bottom show out o. water and n
places sections OF the green painted
outer hull are visible.
Corroborati7e of evidence given b7
Easign Powelson and Of eqaal slgnlti
caace and importance is the result OF
the close examination made by the
divers. What they found indicated
that the explosion came from a point
beneath the keel. a Plumb lire drop
oed from point JUS forward OF the
coming tower would have laid the
iead exactly OF the spot where tie
sxsIosion occurred that drove keel,