Evening journal., 1898-03-07
cruiser Alfonso XII is without boilers

cruiser Alfonso XII is without boilers
and would be Of no account.
Now that the Almirarte OQuendo and
the Vizcaya are lying in the harbor the
Spaniards exuitineiy declare that the
city Is safe. and 1t is givel out officially
in the newspapers that the new arrival
is OF the same size, armament and COM
plement as the Vizcaya. All this dis
cusslon Of the probability Of war among
the Americans and Spaniards shows the
state OF feeling here,
The court of inquiry was not In regu-
lar session yesterday, but a conference
was held in the morning with Ensign
Powels0n, and two divers went over
thsir former testimony, with plans Of
the wreck and charts Of the Maine be-
fore the explosion. The government has
finished with the services Of the wreck
ing tug Right Arm, which viii leave for
the north today, Captain McGee COM
manding. Haggerty and Everett, the
principal divers, will remain quartered
on the tug Merritt. The divers did lit
tie wcrg, the government men none at
al. as they were sorely in need Of rest
In addition 60 Henri Laine, the Amer
lean correspondent who was arrested on
Saturday, Vicente Pardo Suarez, editor
OF La Bepublica and II others have
been arrested, making 13 in all. Eight
are in cell AZ and Eve in cell 46 at Ca
banas fortress. The names of the others
are Jose Estrada, Ernesto Guayabons,
who was formerly deported; Jose Ruso,
the latter's 15-year-old son, Manuel
Pardo Lopez Anibal Enriques. Colom-
bia Francisco Diaz, who was once de-
ported Manuel Arencibia Pedro Mon
10 a
whose name Is not given. Henri Laine
viii be sent north on Wednesday,. It is
officially stated. from American sources,
that two or more American correspond
ents VIII be required to return to the
United States at the same time. The
prisoners are charged with conspiracy.
In all IS are implicated. Eleven, it is
said, viii be sent out of the country and
seven to the Isle of Pines.
The conduct of the Spanish divers
who are investigating the wreck Of the
Maine Is a mystery. Thus far they
have not been down FIVE hours in the
aggregate and show no disposition TO
make a tho. iGh inquiry. 1t is impos-
sible TO learn the truth fully regarding
the purpose Of the Spanish court Of in
quiry but II is generally believed that
the divers were down for FORMS sake
only and that a report viii be made
i'm accordance with instructions from
Madrid. II may be that the Spanish
divers have discovered that the whole
port side of the Maine forward is gone.
and, having so reported, further exam
ination is deemed unnecessary. The
work of our own divers henceforward is
bound TO be slow owing to the ponder
ous Weights to be moved and the safe
ty clamps, nuts and rivets that must be
cut
Senator Proctor is likely to make a
speech in the senate on his return that
vii, have great weight in determining
the future policy Of the United States.
| lie is much affected by the suffering
that he 1gund in Matanzas and highly
| indignant at what he calls the "inhu-
manity Of the course pursued" Dur
ing a visit to Artemisa, this province,
| he saw thousands Of reconcentrados
who refused to beg. though starving.
| They We're evidently Of the class ac-
| customed. TO making their own living
and unwilling to become paupers. He
saw thousands OF acres Of best tobacco
and banana lands IN the world reduced
to- waste. with trochas and garrisons al
every village and crossroads. His driv-
ers. pointing to the mountains Is miles
away. said "There are plenty OF insur
gent camps there that the Spanish have
never discovered"
The work OF distribution Of American
relief under Miss Clara Barton, Mr.. El
well and their assistants is. in Senator
Proctor's judgment, carefully and eff
fectively carried on. The demand Il
far in excess Of the supply The sup
plies expected at Matanzas and Sagu;
la GTande. TO be brought by American
cruisers. will afford unspeakable relief