The times., 1898-02-23
THE SPIRIT OF ,76.
Karl Decker Describes Naval Ac-
tivitY III Key West

|
| tivity in Key West.
| In Key West dispatch to the New
York Journal Karl Decker says;
| IF this Government of ours does not
! intend to declare war on Spain ii is
making the grandest international bluff
of the century. Here at Key West. the
| outpost of our lines. belIigerency Is in the
| air.
"The investigation is going on just
| across the water about the desolate tan
gle that was once the Maine. 1t seems
from this point of vantage simply the for
NAL justification for course justly de-
cided on.
Officers of our fleet here. with war
ships touching and dispatch boats run
ming in and out, tell you in private con-
yersation that there Is as much likelihood
that the Maine blew herself up as that
the Manhattan Insurance building, on
Broadway, is in danger of the same fate.
The navy, at least, believes that war Is
admiral down TO the newest cadet whose
deepest hope is not that war will come,
and soon.
Give our men the chance they long for
to ayenge the death of the jackies of the
Maine, and there will be a performance
such as the world has never yet looked
upon.
Every night the flagship New York
and the battleship Iowa clear decks for
action. No boat can approach without
being stopped. At night the search
lights flash reStlessly over the harbor
lighting UP the distant keys and peering
out to sea- If they were expecting the
enemy across the channel to serve them
as the Maine was served they would con-
duct themselves just so. The naval sta
ton Is aglare with naval preparation.
Stores are being hurried TO the white
ships at Tortugas. The admiral is in
constant receipt of messages. The whole
fleet Is on hand. ready for the action of
which they dream.
The other arm of the service is equally
active. The streets of the town echo
with the tread of the marching squads
They are marching to the barracks to
work the guns at the forts and batteries
Night and day the new Notifications are
going forward.
up to a week ago fort and barracks
were holiday places to which the officers
invited their friends for military merry
making. Today no one Is allowed TO visit
them. Sentries with loaded pieces now
confront the visitors, to whom they are
accustomed to give a smiling greeting of
soldier playing at duty. Underground
the electrical experts are working. The
tunnel containing the apparatus for dis
charging torpedoes in the harbor is now
fact. The torpedoes are ready and at
the word will be set out to wait for the
coming of Spain's ships.
whether the volcano that destroyed
cur battleship was planted by WeyIer
and fired by one of his followers without
the knowledge of the Spanish govern
ment now in Cuba whether drunken
officer of artillery saw his chance to do
wholesale murder and Spaniard-like.
could not resist. makes no difference.
at was SPANS act that destroyed the
ship However Spaniards may differ as
TO the policy of it. in their hearts they
are equally glad it was done.
To-day the Government is figuring on
taking the tug Right Arm from its normal
and peaceful occupation Of towing a boat
and sending 1t to Havana to do Govern
ment work. The seizure has not been
made but if the Government wants the
Right Arm 1t will take her. We are near
enough 10 war for that.
THE Maines sailors here those able TO
be about and those in the hospital, are
wild for the opportunity to repay what
was meted out to them and their COM
rades in Havana harbor. They say. and
mean it, too. that if no action is taken
against Spain, not man among them
will tread again the deck of an American
nan-of-war.
Every indication points to the immi-
nence of these sailors opportunity The
naval officers in the confidence of the
admiral and the admiral himself move
about with the abstraction of men in pos
session of a porfentous- secret. a dozen
times today the admiral has been at the
cable office.
''The activity of the dispatch boats is
unprecedented The admiral and officers
of the New York were 10 have spent the
night ashore here. but at o'clock trey
suddenly returned to the flagship. The
swiftest OF the dispatch boats is lying
at the dock waiting to carry them the
message for which an officer is waiting
at the cable office. 1t is known that they
have orders to be prepared for any emer-
gency.
s4Ts the emergency here2'