Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-27

tenants. and wMl absorb the eighteen
additional second lieutenants OF infaa-
try No vacancies will be created, how
ever, and no appointments Will Save to
'hS made.
THE PRESIDENTS ATTITUDE.
IA member Of the Cabinet. in speaking
to-day OF the attitude OF the President
on the question OF q war with Spain.
said
President Mckinley Is giving
tnoughtlni and earnest conSpl Grafton to
every Phase Of ine Cuban situation as
it appears, but Will not DE jingoed into
wax or act in antlcl patton VI. events
winch may never occur. lie fully real
ICES what war means. and will not go to
TINS asst direful extremity without the
approval OF his conscience and a firm
CONVECTION that such a course would be
right i'm the sight of God and OF man
But, whenever the honor and integrity
VI the nation or its petuple become in
volved, the President may be depended
upon 70 al mis- wno.e uuty ana uo ~
promptly
Secretary Long enjcys'l a sound sleep
last night, the hrst he mas mad for some
time, and in clnsequence ne tvlt 20
much refreshed this dnorn.ng that re de-
clded to alta nd'on his proposed absence
from the Navy Department ami >un-
tinue at his duties, so he was early at
his desk, ami in consultation with AS
ErowinShield Chief Of the Navigation
Bureau. AS to the cut .uOk lie SAID re
thought things we've looking much bet
GER He said the Du:l:c ought no. 10 lie
under any nllSa pprenension Win gard
10 naval movements, trlt So far they
mad mostly been the o.d.Ea-y dispose
rions which are male from time ID time.
The attention of naval officers aas
aeen strongly attrA:l@l to the St1te-
nent made by Representatives Of the
spanish Government to the effect that
.nele were no mines or torpeuo4S CT
any KIND IN Havana harbor. 1t an De
surI tnat this statement exactly agrees
Win l-e inquiries I1al lave beIn IN
der way for many months by agents of
Vur Government, and 50 far, it is sad,
they have been una bic to find The
slightest evidence of the existence of
any plan III defense in the harbor by
means OF mines or t0rpvdoeS. mucn
less TO locate them, as has leen re-
ported in some quartvas. Officials OF
The Navy Department say that the eff
get of this statement. if it IS to he ac-
cepted as conclusive on that point, is
i.mOst certain to negative the suppo-
S!tion that the disaster resulted from
ether than accidental causes. as the
almost unanimous testimony OF experts
here, based on the history OF torpedo
work. is to the effect that no single
torpedo of any type could have caused
the terrible wreck of the Maine.
In the pursuit of details, some of the
ordnance officers, acting upon the the
Dry that the large Cen-inch magazine
forward was not exploded, have been
looking into the contents of the smaller
and adjoining siX-inch magazines. They
tind that, allowing for the amount Of
practice drills by ptihaeDaDi !yy. consumed r
arrived in Havana harbor, there Was
certainly no less than 5000 pounds OF
powder in this magazine, an amour
sufficient to have caused enormous de-
struction had il BEEN exploded at one
time.
When the attention of Philip Alger,
expect Of tbs Bureau Of Ordnance was
called to Senior Du Boss statement, he
said:
THE statement is important as rep
rvsenting the position taken by the
spanish officials who have absolute
knowledge of whether or not Havana
hal'bor was mined II is. o. course, in
herently improbable that such mines
existed since it is not customary to
plant torpedoss in harbors at all, es-
nectaly not in harbors constantly oc-
cupiei by friendly vessels. Should it
he possible to prove Senor Du Bosc'S
statement to be true, the Whole theory
Of the Maiile's destruction by a torpedo
will become untenable. in my opinion.
Bait the only proper course to be now
PdiSu is W d" All pdlleItly the
Of the board of investigation and to
accept their. findings as conclusive.
When the first news Of the catastrophe
arrived it was well to attempt to allay
excitement by pointing out the fact
that the probabilities We're greatly in
favor of the explosion having been an
accidental one. Nothing that has yet
become known should lead to a moditi-
cation of this view. 1t is stiM vastly
more probable that the cause was an
Internal one than that it was external.
There seems, however. to be q preva-
lent feeling that the accident theory
casts reflection upon the navy. and
also that its acceptance wolrpI be hurt
full to the navy's interest. The con-
trary seems to me to be true The wit
of man has not yet devised any imple-
ment Of destruction which accident
may not turn against friend with an
effect equal to that which it was in
tended to produce upon an enemy"
PLENTY OF MONEY
NEW YORK. FleFb. 26.--The" Evening
World says that Senator Hanna was in
conference last evening with a number
OF representatives of prominent finan-
cia. institutions, and that he was given
70 understand by thSm that the Admin
iStratlon could depend on ell the money
support necessary to carry out any
plan that might be determined upon
1t is Understood that a series of bond
issues. aggrega ting $500. 100000, was sug-
sested as possibility, and was acqui-
esced in by the assembled financiers.
SlSSBEE RE EXAMINED.
HAVANA, Feb. 26.-The court of in
quiry was in session again to-day, hut
aeW developments resulted from the
did nothing, simply waiting to see if any
Work of the divers. The court this af-
ternoom re-examined Captain Sigsbee.
surgeon Heneberger, two divines and
Consular Cierk Drain. They then veri-
fled the testimony by the stenographer's
noise and made preparations for their
departure at about 5 o'clock.
The Mangrove got under way about
$50 o'cock. Captain SAMPSON said he
mad no idSa when the court would re-
turn here.
1t is reported from Spanish sources
that Captain Slgsbee and the other off,
GERS of the Maine who are here will be
called before THE Admiralty Court in
Havana next Monday to give testimony
regarding the loss of the Maine This
IS the usual course, it is said, and has
been expected.
The diver.