The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-02-24

tf 1t Is Proven That the Disaster Was
Due to Outside Agency War Must
Speedily FolIow-Havanaw Would Sur
render to Admiral Sicard's Demand
without the Necessity of Firing a
a Shot, Though If necessary the
Forts Could BE Demolished with "A
Six Founder.
Havana, Feb. 2i.-Thc situation. which
may be changed at any moment by
fresh discoveries, may be summed up,
when this dispatch is sent, substanti-
ally as follows:
The divers have discovered cases of
brown h~eXagonate powder for the 10
incl guns unexploded, and believing
also that others un%eXploded will be
found in the 10-inch magazine on the
starboard side forward, the conviction
grows that this magazine did not blow
up. If this be so, and many have in
sisted from the first that it is, the fur
Their conviction is forced that the ex-
plosion which wrecked the Maine came
from the outside, on the port bow.
AS previously wired, the main por-
ton of the wreck, as seen from above
and noted from below, was blown to
%starboard.
The highest American officials here
are confident thai General Blanco and
the other high Spanish officials had no
knowledge, direct or indirect, of the
conception or execution of a plot to
blow up the Maine, if such a plot ex-
listed, but they believe the Junior Span
ish officers, who, from the nature of
things, are more conversant with
modern explosives than their elders and
superiors, were at the bottom of the
disaster, if there were any outside
agency. 1t is pointed out that it would
not be impossible to plant a mine of
wet and dry gun cotton near where
q foreign wal vessel was directed to
anchor, such a mine communicating
with an electric battery on the shore.
1t is regarded as an interesting point
that the Maine, for the first time dur
ing her stay in the harbor, lay at the
particular spot where she was at the
time of the catastrophe, and 1t Is said,
though not officially verified, hat the
Maine was the first foreign war vessel
moored to this particular buoy since
the troubles in Cuba grew acute.
All stories as to lax discipline on the
Maine are without a shadow of truth.
On the contrary, Captain Sigsbee was
complained of by some for the rightly
of his rules, and the strictness with
which he enforced them. Moreover, the
Maine has been in commission for
years, and never had a serious accident
until anchored in this quiet harbOr.
In reply to a question put by this cor
respondent to a high American official
as to what the outcome would be If it
We're proved hat the disaster was due
to an outside agency, the official in
question said:
'Sir, the American people could not
be restrained. 1 mean war. Still,
doubt whether it would be necessary
to fire a shot. Admiral Sicard could
anchor the Iowa, the Indiana, the Mass
achusetts and the New York outside
Havana harbor to prevent the ingress
of the food supplies, without which the
city could not exist a fortnight. Cuba
is a waste of ashes and desolation
Even the hotels n cafes here in Ha-
Vana live from hand to mouth, IN sup
plies brought from the United States.
IF Admiral Sicard demanded the sur
render Of Havana, giving "a hours fol
the remoVal of the women n children
surrender would follow. The forts are
old structures, and could be demolished
by a six FOUNDER. Such new guns as
have been mounted are short of am
munition, and have never been tried
If General Blanco should decline to sur
render the Spanish merchants here
who represent so per cent of the prop.
erty and pay rs per cent of the take:
of the island, would compel him to ac'
cede to Admiral Sicard's terms. AS fol
the volunteers, the men are for th'
most part the employees of these mer
chants and the volunteers officers are
largely Their sons or their Junior part
ners.
1T is well to look these things in tht
face. At the same time it is well fol
the Americans to restrain themselve!
until there is some proof of an OUTSIDE
agency of explosion, We a afford t
wait a little longer, seeing that we hav,
waited so long. We could not wait af
ter it had once been proven that tn,
Maine disaster was the result of a das
tardly plot. Spanish officers from tn,
old country hold to the u~naccountabl
belief that their arms would overcom
us in a few weeks, but the Cuban mer
chants have no such delusion, and the,
would control the situation, Hence,
believe that no hot from a big Ameri
can gun will be necessary"
These sentiments fairly represen
those of the best informed American
here. Any moment, however, ma,
chronicle discoveries at the wreck tina
would change all this. A member o
the court of inquiry who %conversed wit
this correspondent yesterday stronsl
deprecated any premature expression o
evidence of resentment on the part o
the people of the United States unit
It was proven hat the disaster resulte
from some other cause tina accident
carelessness or the visitation of Prov
dence. Certainly the members OF tn
court of inquiry, cool, experienced an
judicial men, will not lose their head
one thing seems certain, If the Main
was blown by an outside agency, tn
agent was a mine, and not a torpedo
as no torpedo known could nave pro
duced such serious results.
A large quantity Of clothing ha
been taken from the wreck of III
49, ,n1 aftap q has baan dis