Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-22


an Armed Orderly-The Package
Carried to Rear Admiral Sicard,
To Whom It Was Turned Over.
Commander Mark Refused to At
firm or Deny That 1t Was the Ma
Val Courts Report, But an Officer
From the Iowa Asserted That 1t
Was the Report on thu Maine Dis
aster-Presumed That Mark Will
Garry the Report to Washington,
How the Report and Conclusions
Will Be Disposed of After the
President Gets Them.
Key West, Fla, March 21-Judge
Advocate Mark, of the court of in
curry, came ashore at 3 O'Clock this
afternoon, accompanied by an armed
orderly from the Iowa. who carried a
bulky package Of official documents,
which was handed over to Rear Ad-
mlral Sicard. 1t is believed the doeu-
ments are the full findings of the court
Of inquiry.
Lieut.. Commander Mark, when ques-
TONED on this subject, refused either
TO deny or confirm, but an officer from
the Iowa said the documents were the
long expected report on the Maine dis
asler. The papers were Immediately
examined by the Rear Admiral and
Commander West. II is presumed that
II these documents are the anXiously
expected report they will be taken to
Washington tomorrow by Lieut.. Com
mander Mark.
Washington, March 21-The pro-
cedre in connection with the submits
sion OF the report of the Maine court
of inquiry by the President to Congress
is now clearly outlined, and a cabinet
officer to-day explained the general
line OF action at present intended to be
pursued upon receipt Of the report,
which is expected to reach Washing
ton next Thursday.
A copy of it will be laid before the
Spanish government very early and
as soon as can be consistently done tie
report will be sent to Congress and
made public at the same time. Inc
report to Congress will be accompan-
led by a message from the President
stating that after receiving the report
the conclusions were laid before the
Spanish government and appropriate
action from that quarter asked. 1t IS
stated positively that
NO PART OF THE REPORT
and no intimation OF the findings, has
reached the executive authorities in
Washington as yet The same time
it is a noticeable fact that the current
of official opinion is beginning 10 folr
low that of the official opinion ex-
pressed so positively and persisuently
at Havana and Key West, that the
cause of the explosion was external TO
the bautleship. Officials high in the
administration stated to-day that
while they We're wholly without exact
information as to the finding of the
court of inquiry they found themselves
sharing in the apparently intangible
conviction that the cause OF the eX-
plosion was not accidental Opinion
expressed by the Maine survivors who
reached here last Saturday doubtless
has contributed largely to this view
in official circles In this connection
it is understood that one of the Off
GERS, who arrived on Saturday, sta
ted, not as opinion, but as his per-
'
disaster. that there were two distinct
explosions. The tendency Of this is
TO support the theory of external
cause, as this is based on the idea that
the first external explosion followed
by second internal explosion.
Intense interest in the report was
manifested to-day at the White House.
and at the State, Navy and War de-
partments.
THE PRESIDENT RECEIVED
number of Congressional leaders
among them being Speaker Reed and
Chairman Hit, of the House Commit
tee on Foreign Affairs.
The visit of Mr. Reed naturally at
tracted much attention, as he seldom
leaves the Congressional sphere TO
make calls on the executive branch,
and it was naturally inferred that the
purpose of his visit was to confer upon
the Cuban situation and its future be-
fore Congress, though neither he nor
Mr. Hit was communicative. Score
tary Long also had an extended con-
ference with the President, but so far
as it could be learned, it developed
nothing additional relating to the
Spanish question.
The army and navy preparations
are continuing without interruption
although they have now become so
regular as to lapse into routine on a
gigantic scale. No further purchases
of war ships were concluded to-day,
and the negotiations are not assuming
a promising aspect, except in showing
that the United States can command
the market as against Spain.
The ordnance office of the War De-
partment presented a very busy scene
to-day when bids were opened Tor
furnishing the department about 600
cast iron projectiles for sea coast can
non with which to man the fortifca-
tions. The advertisement called for
1877 ten-inch solid shot, $40 twelve-inch
mortar shells Weighing 500 pounds
each and 500 twelve-inch mortar shells
weighing 1000 pounds each. Thefe
were an unusually large number OF
firms who bid for the contract and the
prices at which they proposed to turn
ish the projectiles showed a Wlae
range.
THTe COMPANIES BIDDING
included the following:
Johnson Engineering and FOUNDRY
Company. Rarig Engineering Compa-
nv Of Columbus, Ohio: the Davies &
Thomas Company. Catasaqua, "a
the Phoenix Foundry Manufacturing
Company. Of Lansdale, Pa; the Nul-
can Iron Company, of Chicago; the
West Point Foundry Company; the
Wvuan Mechine Company, OF Leba-