New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-20
THE MAINE INQUIRY.
FEELING OF THE AMERICAN NAVAL
OFFICERS ON THE SUBJECT
GRAVITY OF THE OUTCOME THOROUGHLY REAL
ZED IL HAvANA-WTLD STORIES TO BE
sIFTED-CoMPLETE FAILURE OF AU-
ToNoMY GOMEZ MOVING To
WARD HAVANA.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUsEl


fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNEl
Havana. Feb. IS. via Key West. Feb. 10
The disaster to the Maine is now reduced to
judicial inquiry for ascertaining whether 1t was
the result Of accident or of foul play. Full
credit is given for the action of Captain General
Blanco and the succor afforded the wounded by
the authorities The inquiry. however, necessarily
cannot be joint one. 1t will be conducted, on
broad lines, presumably. by the Board OF Inquiry
under Cai tain Sampson. The Spanish Govern
ment, according to the understanding Of the
naval officers. cannot be a party to it. The
conclusions of the Board will be the basis for
action at Washington. and the investigation.
therefore, Is assumed to be matter for the
United States.
The officers Of the Maine preserve the great
est reticence of opinion. and Consul General
Lees kilograms to Washington have been more
in the nature Of requests for suspension Of judg-
ment TIL the investg cation be made than state
ments that the disaster accident. Cen
eral Lee does not profess TO know in advance OF
the investigation.
The Spanish authorities promptly adopted the
accident theory and such news was telegraphed
over the island with official sanction. the state
ment being made that the explosion was due
TO the electric dynamos.
Divers employed by Captain Sigsbee have be-
gun the search for bodies. II in this search
they find pieces Of torpedo shell that would
be strong evidence. but a failure 10 hnd tor-
pedo would not be proof of accident
Many wild stories must be sfted One which
has met with some oredence is that messenger
has left Havana for Washington with the names
OF seven persons alleged to have been implicated
in a plot 10 destroy the Maine. Another is that
an inmate Of San Ambrosio Hospital was shot
by the harbor police while prowling around IN
a boat on Morday night. and confessed that his
purpose was the destruction OF the American
war vessel These tales may be as idle as others
that are afoat Their truth can soon be ascer-
tanned The Naval Board can ascertain the
probability or improbabillty of the explosion
being due to the electric dynamos. 10 spon-
taneous combustion in nearly empty coal DUNK
ers or 10 careless access to the magazines All
these theories have been presented. The state
ment is positive that there was no dynamite
on the ship on the other hand the investiga-
tion may determine the impossibility OF sub
marine bombs or a torpedo being planted IN
position that night by a small boat as well as
the impracticability of other supposed methods
Of carrying out the plot.
Attention Is given 10 the suggestion that the
Maine may have been anchored over mine
which was exploded by torpedoes 1t has not
been definitely determined whether the Spanish
Government has a system OF torpedoe mines in
Havana Harbor American officials have usual
" d,scredited the suppositon, but have no posi-
.',e knowledge. II such a system exists where
the Maine was piloted to anchorage it may have
been with view to possible hostilities in the
future. when II anchored over a torpedo mine,
she might have been rendered useless II war
broke out The suggestion is made that the
secret of the torpedoes may have been betrayed
to violent intransgentes who are credited with
plotting both against the United states and
against Blanco and autonomy.
Ordinarily these suggestions would receive
little credence but the truth about the sinking
Of the Maine and the loss Of her crew may be
found in some of them and they will not be ig-
nored in the inquiry Of the Naval Board. 1t is
realized here that whether the finding is that
the calamity was caused by accident or was
be solved the climax OF the relations between
,he United States and Spain has been reached.
Events in Cuba are demonstrating how COM
plete is the failure Of autonomy. The people
in the interior Of the island are dying Of starva-
ton by hundreds daily. In Santa Clara Prov
ince within week heavy Spanish columns
have been twice routed by the insurgents. The
engagements took place near Pacetas Gomez
himself is not far from that place. His forces
are moving west in the direction OF Havana.