The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-24
A WRECK PUZZLE.
Belief That tho Forward Maya.
zine Was Not Exploded.
IT MAY HAVE BEEN 4 PLOT
OfWhioh the High Spanish officials
! Were Wholly Ignorant.
AMERICAN OFFICIALS OPINION,

IF 1t Is Proven That the Disaster Was
Due to Outside Agency War Must
Speedily Follow-Havanavo Would Sur.
render to Admiral Sicard's Demand
Without the Necessity OF Firing
Shot, Though IF Necessary the
Forts Could Be Demolished With u
Six Founder.
Havana, Feb. 24.-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 hexagonate powder for the 10
inch guns unexploded. and believing
also that others unexploded will ba
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
ther 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-
tIon or the wreck, as seen from above
and noted from below, was blown to
Btarboard.
The highest American officials here
are confident that General Blanco and
the other high Spanish >t1cials had no
knowledge, direct or q rrect. 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
lsh officers. who, from the nature of
things, are' more conVersant with
modern explosives than their elders and
Buperiors, were at the bottom of the
disaster, IL there We're 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
foreign war vessel was directed to
Rnchor, such 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. that 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
rampained of by some for the rigidity
Df 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 high American official
rs to what the outcome would be IL 1t
were proved that the disaster was due
10 an outside agency. the official in
question said:
Sir. the American people could not
De restrained. mean war. Still. !
houbt whether 1t would be necessary
TO fire a shot. Admiral Sicard could
bnchor the Iowa. the Indiana the Mass
nchusetts and the New York outside
Havana harbor to prevent the ingress
Df the food supplies. without which the
eity could not exist a fortnight Cuba |
is waste of ashes and Gesoation. |
Even the hotels and cafes here In Ha-
gana live from hand to mouth. on sup
plies brought from the United States.
"If Admiral Scard demanded the sur |
render Of Havana giving "a hours for |
the renseya!! of the women and chi.dre- -., !,
surrender would FOLLOW. The forts are
old structures, and could be demolished |
by six FOUNDER Such new guns as
have been MOUNTED are short of am
and have never been tried.
II General Bianco 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 taxes
Of the island. would compel him to ac-
cede to Admiral Sicard's terms As for
the volunteers, the men are for the
most part the employees of these mer-
chants and the volunteers officers are
largely their sons or their Junior part
ners.
ut is well to look these things Is. the
face. At the same time 1t is well for
the Americans to restrain themselves
until there is some proof OF an outside
agency Of explosion. We can afford to
wait a little longer. seeing that we have
waited 50 long. We could not wait af-
ter it had once been proven that the
Maine disaster was the result of das-
ardly plot. Spanish officers from the
I'D country hold TO the unaccountabe
belief that their arms would overcome
IS in a few weeks, but the Cuban ucr-
.hants have no such dclusicn, and they
would control the situation. Hence,
believe that no shot from big Amerl-
AN gun will be necessary"
These sentiments fairly represent
hose of the best informed Americans
lere. ANY moment, however, may
hronicle discoveries at the wreck that
would change all this. A member of
he court Of inquiry who conversed with
his correspondent yesterday strongly
eprecatcd any premature expression or
vidcnce of resentment on the part of
he people of the United States until
was proven that the disaster resulted
rom some other cause than accident,
arelessness or the visitation OF Prov!-
ence. Certainly the members OF the
ourt of inquiry, cool. experienced and
Idicial men, will not lose their heads
One thing seems certain, IL the Maine
'as blown by an outside agency, the
gent was mine, and not torpedo,
S no torpedo known could have pro- |
uced such serious results.
A large quantity Of clothing has
cen taken from the wreck Of the
[aine, and after 1t has been dis !
lfected it will be given TO the recon-
The bodies of the missing
Ulcers, Lieutenant Jenkins and AS
stant Engineer Merritt. have not been ]
Tho |