The Portland daily press., 1898-03-21
REPORT NOT YET READY.
Court Will Continue Work Through
This WEEK.
IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY IF SYNOPSIS
is IN WASHINGTON.

Positive That Full Report Has Not Been
| Transmitted-Capt Barker Had Moth
ing TO Do With Court of Inquiry-Board
| Will Convene on Iowa Today.
| Key West, March 20.-The court of in
quiry according to Rear Admiral Sicard,
will continue its work through the coming
week, as it is not yet ready to make a re-
port on the Maine disaster. The state
ment that Captain Barker carried the re-
port to Washington, is officially denied.
The object of his flying visit to Key West
was not ascertained outside social circles
until today. 1t can be authoritatively as
serted that Captain Barker had nothing
| to do with the court of inquiry. He came
here on Friday from Tampa on special
mission to investigate the harbor defences,
| following out some lines suggested by
General Wilson, chief of engineers. Capt.
Barker's plan, when he left here last
night, was to confer with Commander
McCaIla of the Marblehead, who is now
at Tampa, and he will probably remain
| tt ere q day or so.
| 1t is Impossible to say definitely wheth.
er any synopsis of the findings of the
court up to date has been sent to Wash
ington. The notion prevails that this
has been done, but no official confirms
tion is obtalnable. That the final report
| has teen sent to Washington can be
definitely denied.
Captain Sampson and Lieut.. Com
mander Mark remained on board the
Iowa today. Captain Chadwick and
Lieut.. Commander Porter did not leave
the New York. The court is expected to
reconvene tomorrow on the Iowa.
| The survey boat Bache sailed for the
| Tortugas tonight to resume her usual
work Of surveying channels. The Man
tugas and will lay bouys there.
| The Detroit and the Montgomery ar
rived from the Tortugas today. The for
mer put more ammunition on board on
board the New York and the Iowa and
then anchored in the harbor.
| The torpedo boat Porter left for the
Tortugas and the torpedo boat Dupont
returned here.
AN INTERNAL EXPLOSION ADvO-
ssCATE.
4
1 the Post from Newport News says:
s'The Merritt wrecking tug Underwater
arrived in port at midnight last night
from Havana where she went with the
derrick Chief, which is assisting in the
work of the Maine. Captain Wiley will
row night with the barge Lone Star.
Captain Wiley believes that the Maine
was destroyed through the agency of an
| internal explosion. In an interview
aboard the Underwater this afternoon
| said:
without having opportunity to ex.
anime the wreck below water, l would
say that the Maine was blown up by an
internal explosion. 1t is the most con
fused pile of distorted metal imaginable.
| There IS one deck above water which is
turned completely over by the explosion.
The deck, is bottom side mp, with the
deck frame on top: That looks to me as
| If the destructive force came from within.
If mine did the work and played so
much havoc with the upper deck, where
must the bottom beY Can she have any 7
| Yet they FAY they have found some of the
bottom intact My opinion is that If the
| affair had occurred in an English harbor,
say in Kingston, Jamaica, there would
not be one man in q hundred that would
say external cause after looking at that
wreck as 1t is today. I heard the Spanish
divers found piece of the forward turret.
do not believe mine in the harbor
would have broken the turret while an
internal explosion wotld."
a POWDER, SHOT AND SHELL.
Pensacola, Fla, March 20-Powder
shot and she'll continue to arrive here in
large quantities for the forts and batteries
defending the harbor. Three OF the eight
big mortars for the new battery on Santa
Rosa have also arrived and they will be
mounted as quickly as possible. There
is great activity at Fort Pickens. In
addition to the six and eight inch rifles
15-inch gun is being mounted.
EXPECTS US TO LICK SPAIN
EASILY.
| London, March 2l-The Daily Mail this
morning in an editorial refuting "SoIne
of the American accusations of British
coldness," says: Among many reasons
for Great Britain's comparative non-in-
| terest, not the least Is our better knowl-
edge of the Spaniards and their paper
navy and our conviction that the Anglo
Saxon will always defeat the Latin. In
deed, the trend of British thought is to-
ward surprise that the greatest OF the re-
publos should excite itself unduly about
so poor a foe.
The Americans should remember that,
while we are full OF trust in their
cnpability to deal with Spanish imperti-
nences, we are fully occupied from far
greater troubles, threatened or active, in
various parts of the world. They have
our full sympathy at o time when France,
Germany and Russia are backing Spain
as fully and almost as openly as they are
opposing British efforts for the freedom
of foreign trade throughout the wor d.
But there Is no occasion now to talk Gi
an offensive and defensive alliance. The
disproportion between our mission and
Americas make one impossible. There
will be time to propose this way of re
cementing the race when America ii
ready to face this splendid responsibilities
it entails.
WORKING SUNDAY ON GUNS.
Bethlehem, Pa. March 20.-The Bethle
hem Iron companys ordnance works,
were working today for the first Sunday
in the company's history. Work or