The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1898-03-18
Want More Time.

| HAVANA Via Key WeSt), March IA
-(New York World Cablegram)- m)-The
| United States naval court of inquiry
the Maine will force a demand by
Spain for an international investiga-
ton, and from the delicacy of it's own
position the American court must IA
vor it officially as welcoming an exam
ination of its own hnGings.
The mass or testimony sworn TO be-
fore it has been all one way One by
one the hypothesis from conservative
members to a possible inside initial
cause Of explosion have been absolute
ly refuted by the labors of intelligent
naval divers and the proofs of their
findings have been reasoned out graph
lcally and clearly by expert construct
ors, also Of the navy. There seems to
be no possibility of misconstruing their
report if it is not modified in obedience
to hints from Washington. If that re-
port comes out in full without modifi-
cation, any foreign investigation must
decide that the men of our navy are
honest and whether men of our navy
are honest and capable.
The principal Spanish cry from now
on will be time, give us time" just
as it has been their war cry for three
dragging years of uselessly destructive
Cuban revolution, and they look to our
Navy department for certain comnli-
ance. The Spanish divers reports YER
Jiy the announcement that the Names
ram has been found much out of line.
Although their superiors' report, which
IS prepard already, shows the contrary,
the men themselves frankly admit that
the Names ram is pointing off to the
left of the direction N which The N
tact rear portion of the sh 0 Tunts
Hney indorse tn statement that the
elaine practically was blown in Two
and thus confirm the fact that the
ship was demolished by tremendous
explosive force from the outside.
The Spanish divers worked late Fri
day night about the protruding bot
tom plates where the bow ought to be-
The day before they reported finding
the Names ram on the port side point
ing away from the wreck. Friday
they thought" they found the bow in
tact-ram and all-in lis proper rela
tive position. Their float is now with
in thirteen yards of the sunken ram
and they may be further examining it.
The Spanish officers official sketch of
divers operations Friday shows the
ram in its proper position-eXactly
contrary to the reports of their own
employees. Our naval experts think |
the ram lies as cabled. but that it is |
possible that Spanish divers have mis-
taken portion of the upper part of |
the boat for the heavy ram 1t has !
about the same slope and as stated. |
probably was blown off the starboard |
from the solid steel Of the ram. This |.
would place it in about the proper rel
ative position.
report findings of the Spanish div
ers according to what they really are.
and not what their officers renort. It
is but Just, however, to state that they
really think today that the Names
bow is intact and in line. But tonight
they NAV discover their error. Much
depends on the real position of the
ram. If it is in line with the intact
portion Of the wreck the theory Of eX-
terror explosion. of course. would not /
he disprOved nor really weakened. but
f il is found out of line any small bov
hit the Maine on the port side and
in two ways from the shock.
The Spanish divers row at work are
1ot naval men but the mora eXperi-
enced hands of the local harbor COM
who operate regularly in these
'nul. obscure waters. They soon found
he forward turret in the mud under
he wrecking tug Merritt. where it was
lUrled away to starhoard On the night
If the explosion. They admit that its
oD is intact. This forever does awav
With the theory that the big magazine l
for the turrets sat directly :
lver the powder and had that exolod- |
d its comparatively thin top would '
lave gone sky high.
The Spanish inquiry board eynac4s
o take more than month to finish
is investigation of the wreck. Their
nen work about one day. and not G
lard then. but the American court of :
inquiry has all the evidence it needs.
he position Of the ram was the key 7
tone to the arch of evidenca which l
rames the flaming words mine or !
orpedo." 7