The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-26
TIE TESTIMONY GOES TO SHOW
A BIG SUBMARINE MINE
But the Exact Character of the Mine Was Not Determined
by the Investigation, Yet the Beliefs Expressed
That it Was Floating Submarine Nine

the rppOrt to Secretary Long early this
morning. and shortly after it was carried
to the White House and placed in the
hands of the President. At 1890 the
Cabinet assembled, half an hour earlier
than usual, and began the consideration
of the momentous document. Even the
rigid rules of secrecy which prevailed at
Cabinet meetings were made doubly
strict in this case, and no intimation
of the results reached by the Court were
known until 2 o'clock when an Associa-
ted Press bulletin gave the information
to the country, as well as the eagerly
waiting officials throughout Washing
ton. These results. briefly stated, are
that the loss of the Maine was due to an
explosion from the outside. the court be-
ing unable to fix the responsibility for
the explosion. The court does not eX-
press an opinion as to the character of
the explosion, but the testimony goes to
show that it was Il powerful submarine
mine. the exact character of which is
not determined Iby this testimony, though
the belief was expressed that it was a
floating submarine mine. There were
two explosions the court finds, the first
from the outside, and that set off one of
the smaller magazines.
1t was this result, expressed in detail
and with the precision of a court deeply
conscious of its responsibility. together
with the evidence on which it basel,
that occupied the attention of the Cab
net throughout It's extended sessions If
the morning and afternoon. All ether
and lesser subjects gave way 10 this
foremost question. There was 80
change in the plan of making the report
public and Transmitting it - Congress
early next week, accompanied hy Il
brief message from the President.
While interest was thus centered at
the White House, the Navy aml War
Departments were hurYyIng forward
their work of preparations. The adj
vance of the Spanis1 fotiila continued
to receive the closest attention OF <saval
ofacials, and while so far as cauid be
ascertained no deii 1ite line OF action was
determined upon. the sneel of intercept
ting this fleet was ur;ssl by the highest
Naval authorities. From the Standpoint
of the Spanish government. this move
ment was not Il menace. The Spanish
government holds that the extensive ar
mament Of the Dry Tortugas IS a more
direct hostile act agdIast Spain than
of stopping the fotjlll, The present al
titude of Spain tends towar1 re-cnforc-
ing it with other Spanish var vessels not
as a menace but, from what the Spanish
government feels. is !: requirement cai!td
for by the existing condition of affairs
Hardly less suggestive than the APP
proach of the torpedo totila, was the
information received to-day by the mill
tary authorities that the Spanish gov
ernment had hurried TO completion ex-
tensive Notifications on the Island Of
Porto Rico lying just off Cuba and the
only Spanish possession in tuis hemis-
phere other than Cuba. The exact char
acter of those new defenses has been
made known here and they are being
given weight with the military authori-
ties as showing the disposition Of Spain.
The orders issued by the Navy Depart
ment during the day covered every
branch of Naval armament. The
"Flying Squadron was definitely es-
tabhshed, with Commodore w. S.
Schley in command. He will hoist his
commodore flag on the flagship Brook
lyn next Monday The squadron is to
consist of exactly five ships. Those of
the squadron will be the crack armored
cruiser Brooklyn, the battleShips Mas
sachusetts and Texas, and the cruisers
Columbia and Minneapolis. Other ships
which are. now or hereafter, at Hampton
Roads, will not be of the flying squad
ron, but will belong to the North AT
lantic station. under Captain Sampson.
The Flying Squadron is to be small
compact fleet of the best ships i'll the
Navy, for quick service at any point
along the Atlantic coast.
At the same time the North Atlantic
station under Captain Sampson is to be
further augmented. The cruiser Gin
cnnati. which left Port Antonio three
days ago. under sealed orders is to re-
port ut Key West and become a part
of Captain SIMPSONS fleet. The gun
boat Wilmington, also EN- route from
Port Antonio, will likewise report to
CAPTAIN Sampson at Key West, as will
also the gumboat Vicksburg, now of
Uampton Roads. Late today. the Navy
Department gave out the following list
of vessels. rs showing the exact char
acter of each fleet:
'"rhe following vessels compose the
North Atlantic Squadron:
New York. Iowa, Indiana, Manic
ncmah Fern, Puritan Terror, Marble
head. Montgomery, Delaware, Caatine
Nashville. Helena. Wilmington, Vesu
virls: torpedo boats, Foote, dupont
Ericsson, Porter, Winsavl; tugs, Ley
den and Samoset."
The following vessels compose fht
| Flying Squadron:
| THE Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Texas
Minneapolis and COlumbil."