The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-03
The Finding, 1t Is Said, VIII BE that
a Submarine Mine Was Exploded
on Port Side of the Vessel.
FIRED BY ELECTRIC BATTERY
EITHER THROUGH DESIGN, CARE.
LESSNEsS OR IGNORANCE.
Work on the Wreck Dangerous and
of Inquiry Still at Key West.

|
HAVANA, via Key West, March with
out adding unnecessarily to the flood of
surprises, conjecture and prophecy concern
ing the finding of the court of inquiry, it is
fair to say that, as a matter of fact, most
of the naval officers here and at Key West
incline to the opinion that the court will
find that the disaster to the Maine was
caused by the explosion of a floating sub
marine mine under the port side of the ship
forward. Opinions differ as to whether this
mine was made of high explosives, such as
wet and dry gun cotton, or ordinary gun
powder. Opinions agree, not only as to the
existence of mines in the harbor but also
that this one was laid purposely near the
buoy where foreign war vessels were di-
rected to moor and was fired from an cleo
trio battery on shore.
1t is believed barely possible that the ex-
carelessness or ignorance of Spanish off,
GERS in charge of the mine station keys
when testing the circuit, but the latter sup
position IS not felt to be probable. 1t Is
further regarded as settled by the evidence
before the court that the port side of the
hull forward was completely blown to
pieces, and that the only explosion on the
Maine except in isolated cases of fixed am
munition, was that of 1000 pounds of salut-
ing powder, stored forward, and of which
no trace can be found.
These views are gathered from officers
who talk with great reserve and only upon
the assurance that their identity will never
be revealed. The fact remains that only
the members of the court of inquiry know
all the testimony elected, and no one is au-
thorized to make public matters in advance
of the final judgment.
| A good deal of surprise was expressed by
Americans here at learning that Spanish
divers were to be permitted to make an ex-
animation of the wreck of the Maine, espe-
| cially as it was also said that American
naval officers here would give such divers
| all consistent facilities and would throw
no obstacles in the way of thorough sub
marine inspection. 1t was not at first un-
derstood, as it came to be later, that the
| Spanish search was to be entirely inde-
pendent, and that while it was being made
the American investigation would proceed
under Captain Sigsbees supervision.
THE SPANISH INQUIRY.
AS understood here, the Spanish request,
made Immediately after the disaster, for
Joint investigation was promptly refused at
Washington, but after Cabinet consulta-
ton it was agreed that the Spaniards had
moral and international right to discover
the cause of the wreck for themselves if
possible. Therefore, permission for in
dependent examination was granted on the
| ground, as understood here, that it could
not be refused to friendly power in her
own harbor. That the permission was not
| accorded until after the court of inquiry
had finished it's work here and gone to Key
West is regarded as significant 1t opens q
wide field for speculation. Some assert that
the court has no objection now to a Spanish
court has sufficient evidence already of ac-
cident or malice-evidence that cannot be
| controverted by the Spaniards-or, after q
| diligent search, the mystery remains
| deep as ever, and the court does not think
| the Spanish will reach conclusion where
| the Americans have failed. OF course, all
| this refers principally TO inspection of parts
! of the ship other than the hull. Until the
| guns decks engines and debris of all kinds
! have been removed and the mud has been
| pumped from the hull it cannot be examined
| thoroughly by any one. Some good author
| titles think it will be necessary to build "a
Golfer dam around the wreck, piles being
! driven, etc.
That any important testimony before the
court has found its way to the public is
| very unlikely Some of the witnesses have
told certain correspondents of alleged tes-
timony but in every case investigation has
| showed their stories to be wildly improbable
and controVerted by known facts or else
absolutely irrelevant. Some of the CORE
spondents have tried to extract information
from members of the court or from naval
witnesses by putting what were deemed by
the questioners clever hypothetical inter-
rogatories. But the questioners were NOT
experts in naval architecture and the ques-
| toned were. So the results were unsatis-
factory. Probably the court knew before 1t
left Havana for Key West whether the ten
inch magazine on the starboard forward did
or did not explode, but the members gave
no sign, and the divers, when they talk at
ALL contradict each other.
Doubtless the contractors fer the removal
OF the debris and the raising of the hun
do not fully appreciate the difficulties to
be encountered. Certainly the tug Right