The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-30
A PLACE
OF DANGER.
Warning that Carried a Great
Secret--.What 1t. Marix

Said.
From The New York Mail and Ex
press we clip the following startling
correspondence. The paper from
which it comes, is one of the most
conservative in America, and in an
editorial in the same edition, The
Mail aud Express tells of the relia-
bility Of it's correspondent
Key West, Fla, March 22-I have
information from source which ad-
mits of no possible question that the
Court of Inquiry will report that the
battieship Maine was destroyed in
the harhor of Habana, on the night
of February is, by q sub marine
mine. previously laid by parties an
known.
The report will start for Washing
ton at o'clock this afternoon in
charge of Judge Advocate Mark 1t
should reach there some time Thurs
day.
Testimony of the survivors, par
ticu'arly officers, all of whom were
awake at the time, proved conclusive.
ly at the beginning of the sessions of
the court that an accident could not
have caused the disaster This con
clusion was reached, for the following
reasons
The situation of the ships boiler
was SO far aft that it was impossible
it could communicate with the for
ward magazine. either by heat OF ex-
plosion
TIE explosion was all toward The
condition of the ship shows that the
dynamo boiler could not explode, be-
cause steam for dynamos was sup.
piled from the main boilers
Spontaneous combustion of the
coal in the bunkers was impossi-
BILE, because they were thoroughly
inspected, as is customary, on that
day
The gases arising from the wreck
Immediately after the explosion, and
which overcame several officers and
men, were not due, in the judgment
of the court, to- the coal in the
bunkers, but to high explosives,
which always throw out bad odor
and gases
The gun cotton could not have ex
ploded. because it was regularly in
spected that day and found to be
thoroughly vet. which was reces-
sary, and besides, said gun cotton was
mostly situated aft under the ward
room, and not in the forward maga-
zine as supposed by the reporters all
along
Lastly, had explosion been internal
and in communication with any of
the four magazines, all would have
gone of, in which event not an atom
of the ship would have been left aud
the greater portion of Havana would
have been destroyed.
Another convincing proof that the
board will report that the explosion
was not caused by an accident is
found in the following incident
told Judge Advocate Mark that
| was going back to Havana to- dav.
He said
"Don't do it. Qaigley. Havana
will be hot place when the find.
ipgs Of the court are known Ii is
as much as your life is worth to go
there I"
One officer will always be on the
watch while the report is en- route to
Washington The same precautions
will be maintained as on shipbosrd,
one always remaining awake. ALI will
be armed
Admiral Sicard says that the ere.
port will be most peculiar /" This is
taken to indicate that evidence of a
most startling nature will be dis.
closed
The survivors could prove nothing
They could only give their personal
experience without opinions The di.
vers, however. explained everything
though soundings
The Army Reorganization
Bill.