The Portland daily press., 1898-03-10
M'KINLEY KNOWS.
Had InkIing Of Cause Of
Maine Disaster.
EXPLOSION CAME FROM AN
OUTSIDE SOURCE.
50 Leaders Who Have Consulted
Him Think.
ONLY EXPLANATION OF HASTE IN
EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION

Evident That Authorities Have Inform
alton With Which the Public Is Not
Acquainted-Lee Incident or Possible
Intervention Wont Explain Events of
Past Few Days-Inquiry Court Evident
Iy Killing Time in Havana.
ESPECIAL 20 THE EREss..
| Washington, March S.-The President
signed the fifty million bill late this after
noon and there is now abundant money
to pay for the preparations for war. just
what developed last Sunday to cause the
hurried consultations with House and
Senate members and the extraordinary
measure since taken has not yet been
made public in an authoritative way. 1t
| ia sure it was not the Lee incident, al
| though that was at the time interpreted
as the reason.
There is also some talk about interyen.
tion of this country in the island, but
| such haste would not be made in order
that we might begin to intervene at the
commencement of the sickly season in
Cuba There are good reasons for believ-
| ing that the forthcoming report on the
Maine was the real cause of the recent
haste. The President is believed to have
| an inkling OF what it will be. He either
got Indirectly from the court of inquiry
or indirectly through the activity of the
Spaniards in preparing for war.
The attention of the President was
called in an official and trustworthy man
ner to the fact that Spain was getting
ready for war much bigger than what
she now has on her hands and this Of it
self might be construed as an Indication
that her leading men know how the
Maine happened to blow up and know
that their country had better be prepared
when everybody knows 1t. Public men
who have conversed with the President
within the last twenty-four hours have
got the idea that be believes the Maine
was blown up by an outside agency. This
supposition will account for the recent
activities better than any other
FEWER SIGNS OF EXCITEMENT.
Much Calmer at Navy and War Depart
ments Yesterday.
Washington, March 9.-There were
fewer signs Of excitement and haste at
the War and Navy Departments today,
and such preparations as are being made
towards putting the army and navy into
efficient condition are now going on with
more method and less exhibition of the
feveriah spirit Of apprehension that
characterized the proceedings of the last
few days. There is a general expression
of belief that for the time at least there is
no prospect of hostile collision and that
what scanned to be crisis has been safely
passed.
Secretary Long pnid several visits to the
White House during the day.
Secretary Gage was among the callers
there and Secretary Alger went over from
the War Department to see the President.
These visits were connected only with
matters of business in their respective
departments
in the navy department the officials are
devoting their attention largely to the
fitting out of the triple screw cruisers
Minneapolis and Columbia. Thanks to
the plans formed by Secretary Long last
fall for the creation Of q reserve list of
naval vessels, both of these fine ships can
90 into service in a very short time COM
pared with the period that would have
been consumed had they been put out of
commission. These ships were designed
especially as commerce destroyers. They
are not calculated to fight warships and
on account of their light batteries would
make a sorry showing against anything
that carried guns heavier than six inch
calibre; but for running down fleet OF
merchantmen, and probably for looking
after such merchant vessels as might be
pressed into navy from the auxiliary
lists they would be of inest1mable value.
1t is likely that the two vessels will go to
Hampton Roads as soon as they are fitted
out and manned, which is expected to be
about the 5th inst. The detail of officers
announced at the Navy Department today
is as follows:
For the Columbia-CaptainJ J. II. Sands
to command the vessel, with Lieut.. j. Fl.
Moore. detached from the navy yard at
Washington, as executive officer; Lieut..
j. P. Parker, detached as supervisor,
New York harbor; Lieut.. 6. II. Stafford,
Lieut.. W. FL. Maxwell, Ensign g. w.
Williams, Ensign j. II. P. PrinQle, Pay
master L. G. Boggs,, Passed Assistant
| Engineers w. S. Smith and W. III. Nc
n Sl1ryaon q HnrrdoD