The San Francisco call., 1898-02-18

< Washington, Feb. IT. < Y Uncertainty regarding the pri- 4 mary cause of the naval disaster < 4 in Havana harbor, by which the 4 < navy has lost one of it's most < 4 valuable war vessels, together < with the growing apprehension < < that investigation may prove < 4 that treachery of some kind lead < 4 to the deplorable affair, contin- / < ues to occupy the undivided att < 4 tention of the entire force of < < Government officials.
 The events Of the day fail to give solution of the problem which has agi- tated most deeply every one here as to whether the big vessel was maliciously destroyed or whether she and her crew met their fate through some accident that human foresight and precaution could not possibly have prevented.
 There is an impression pervading the Navy Department that an examina- tion of the wreck now in Havana har- bor may disclose that there was treach- cry of some sort, and that the theo- ries advanced by the President and Secretary Long and others who do not wish to believe it possible the Maine was purposely wrecked may be upset by later developments.
 Dispatches to-day throw no addi- tional light upon the most important question connected with the loss of the ship, whether she now lies at the bot tom of Havana harbor through an explosion of one or two of her maga- zines or that a torpedo or a submarine mine destroyed the ship. The uncer- tainty must continue until the special board appointed to-day proceed to Ha- vana and investigate the injury to the vessel by an examination of divers and as this board cannot possibly complete and send it's findings to Washington within week. the public mind will not be satisfied as to the precise cause of the loss of the great battleship until these experts give their opinion.
 While number of the higher naval officials adhere to the opinion formed soon after hearing of the calamity, the majority of the naval officers in Wash ington are firmly of the belief that it was not possible for the magazines to explode except through the intent of some maliciousIy disposed person or spontaneous combustion in the coalbunkers caused the magazines to be overloaded and the powder to ignite is disproved by the fact that the character of the coal did not permit of it's taking fire in this manner
 The declaration made early that a boiler exploded thus tearing down the walls of the magazines and setting the powder in flames is held by all naval officials not to be tenable, for the req son that there would have been proba- bly, a lapse of time between a boiler ex- plosion and that of the magazines.
 All ordnance experts agree that had 60.O00 pounds of powder exploded in one of the magazines the entire vessel would have disappeared in short order. There is a strong undercurrent of opinion in- clined to accept the early theories that a torpedo or submarine mine, fired by an electric wire from the shore. was responsible for the explosion but pos sibly it may never be definitely settled as to how the vessel met her fate
 The stern lies split and torn asunder The vitals of the vessel are a mass of wreckage, and both external and in ternal plates of the double bottom are unquestionably blown out The effect of a torpedo on the vessel, the officials all assert, may not and probably will not be discovered for the very reason that the entire forward part of the ship is so terribly wrecked that it will be impossible to determine whether the first explosion was from the exterior or interior.
 To-day. after a calm and careful con sideration of the reports thus far re- ceived from Havana. the experts de- cided that so powerful was the effect of a magazine explosion that it would be most difficult to decide with any de- gree of accuracy whether the ship had received her first wound from the ex- terior.
 If the Maine had been blown up through an accidental explosion of her magazines naturally. the naval service and the people of the country will ask what assurance they have that sim liar calamity may not at any time be- fall the Oregon. the Iowa, or any of the twelve thousand ton battle-ships now in commission. On all sides 1t is conceded that but for the fact the Maine lay in a shallow harbor. possi- bly, none of the men not killed outright would ever have safely reached shore A similar explosion in the open ocean would have resulted in the Maine's laundering within five minutes at the outside. The reports from Havana show that she sank in thirty-six feet of water in three minutes. The shall lowness of the water alone, Chief Con structor Hichborn says. saved those who reached the shore
 In all circles, both naval and Con gressional. the deepest interest now centers in determining the precise causes leading to the wreck of the ship. It is admitted that a deplorable