The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-02-18


municated his Impressions to Wash
ington, asking at the same time that
the naval department should send ma
val engineers and mechanics to inves-
tigate the explosion.
NEW YORK, Feb. 16-Vague rumors
reached New York Wednesday that
the Maine had been blown up by the
humping of small boat filed with
dynamite or other high explosive
against the battleship's bows.
The press censorship at Havana has
suppressed all but the most meager
news. Newspapers and private cor
porations having Cuban interests have
made every effort to get dispatches
through in plausib BILE cipher.
From a complicated dispatch receiv-
ed 10y the president of a cOastwise
steamship company at noon Wednes-
day, the news of a dynamite plot to de-
stroy the Maine was deciphered.
BosroN. Feb. IA Washington spe-
cial says:
1t has been known for some time
that the harbor of Havana was not
a safe place for American men-of-
war. Members of the foreign re-
lations committee of the senate have
received in confidence information
that within a week Capt. Sigsbee has
telegraphed to the navy department
begging them to send no more ships to
Havana at present, and adding, I'VE
are liable to be blown out of the water
any minute"
Senator Money, Miss, who served
in the last congress as member of
the foreign affairs committee in
the house, and who visited Cuba last
winter to make a personal investigation
of conditions there, says he learned
then that the harbor of Havana was
mined throughout, and that $40 torpe-
does were located at available points.
CHICAGO, Feb. 17.-The Tribune's
Washington correspondent says: In
spite of official disclaimers. the opin-
ion is rapidly gaining ground here
that the destruction of the battleship
Maine in Havana harbor was not an
accident.
When he came out OF the white
house Wednesday Secretary Long ex-
pressed the opinion that the ship had
been destroyed by an accidental explo-
sion of its magazines, and this was the
decision arrived at during the special
cabinet meeting called to consider the
catastrophe.
All this time, however, navy officers
were persistent in the declaration that
the ship had been destroyed by hostile
hands. They were divided as to wheth-
er the explosion was caused by Span
ish officers or cranks, but they were
united in believing DEVELOPMENTS
would speedily show that the original
explosion was not due to carelessness
on the ship.
Late in the afternoon cipher dis
patches began to arrive from Capt.
Sigsbee, which seemed to give a strong
color to this theory of the explosion.
and which added to the anxiety as to
the outcome.
The excitement here Wednesday
night was intense, for, aside from the
appalling loss of life, there is a feeling
that The destruction of the Maine NAV
be- after all, only the opening gun of
actual hostilities, fired in a wav peeu-
liarly Spanish and as opposed to the
usages of modern warfare, as has been
the whole course of events in Cuba for
nearly three years.
The United States government, pend
ing the result of the of
fetal inquiry ordered by Secre-
tary Long, assumes that the
Maine was destroyed by an accidental
explosion. While this is the official
view, the suspicion IS growing in and
out of the navy depar twent, that the
disaster was the work of the Spaniards.
The place where the Maine was an
chored was chosen by the Spanish har-
Dor master, and is said to have been
directly over the mine.
KEY WEST. Feb. 17.-Capt. Sigsbee's
message to Commandant Forsyth. of
the naval station here, received We'd
Desday reads:
"HAyASA, Feb. 16.-Advise sending