The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-18
BY ORDER on VEYILER
Submarine Mine Placed In the
Havana Harbor.
ARREST or MAN WHO PLANTED 1T.

EAAken into Custouy " Fo0orai Ou1cers
Near Chicago-Teils the story OF Laying
the Mines which IL substantiated by
Letters In HIS Possession from General
weyier and His Oncers-worh Dens h
Secret aud ON Dark Nights.
Chicago. April 16-Charles A. Gran
dali. who also bears the name OF Eman-
uel Escadaro. and who acknowledges
he laid the mine In Havana harbor
which destroyed the Maine. is under ar
rest in Chicago and guarded by United
States secret officers. His story Is
substantiated by letters in his posses
sion from Weyler's officials and from
Weyler himself. The following inter-
view with the prisoner was given out
by the government officers:
II left the navy and went to Lima,
Peru. where / entered the employ OF
Grace & Co. OF London. in their nitre
beds. While at Lima, j met many
Spaniards One OF them. Emil j. Cas-
tillo, an agent of the Spanish govern
ment. induced me to go to Cuba as an
expert on coast defense for General
Weyler. i was given free transporta-
ton to the island and when I arrived
there 1 met Antonio Marco Diaz, who
assigned me TO harbor work and plot
ting for torpedo and mine anchorage.
There were number of mines and tor
pedoes stored at the navy yard, and
others were on their way from England.
Lays Mines I'm 1896.
at began laying the mines and tor
rlxy in hn nf
finished about a year later. My work
was performed at night. l was assist
ed by five Italian laborers and two
Spanish boatmen. In all seventeen
mines and torpedoes were placed. The
mines were made in England and the
torpedoes in Italy The work of laying
them was very slow, because 1t was or
dered that should not work on moon
light nights, for fear of creating sus-
picion.
when my work was completed l
made a chart showing the location of
all the mines and torpedoes, and sub
mitted 1t to General Weyler in person.
His artillery aides approved of the
plans and he handed me my passport
TO Key West assuring me that 1 would
received pay when the first mine or tor
pedo was used. 1 remained in Havana
until Feb. 10. when / went to Key
West, where 1 stayed until March g.
FIees from Key West.
after the Maine was blown up l
kept in hiding and as soon as l received
word to skip out / left as a stowaway
on the first steamer for Miami.
THE Maine was anchored at the
identical buoy that General Weyler or
dered me TO place the additional mine,
officially known as buoy 4. These mines
were anchored by cable and chain.
There were two sets, that could be
fired Independently; that is, the chain
at the mouth of the harbor and the
others in the interior circle.
From Miami / went to Nashville,
where 1 received the following letter
from Havana. dated March 1, 1898;
"'Destroy all evidence. Go to New
York. Ticket for London awaits you
there. DIAZ.'
From Weyler's Adjutant.
"This was from Weyler's most trust
ed adjutant and spy, who executes all
of the edicts issued by Weyler from
Spain. / did not go to New York, but
went to st. Louis and from there came
to Chicago. i was in hopes there would
be war so / might be on hand to play
an active part and use the mines and
torpedoes upon Spanish boats.
THE mines can be fired either from
MORO castle, Cabanas or the navy yard.
and it would have been impossible for
any one other than a Spanish officer to
have had access to them. No one but
Weyler and his agents knew where
they were or where the firing galleries
were located"
Crandall is in custody OF Special
Agent Porter of the United States Sc
cret service.