The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-17

Views Based on First Meager Reports
of the Disaster.


WASHINGTON, Feb 16. - Probably not
since the wreck of the American fleet at
Samoa has so much excitement been ex-
hibited at the Navy Department as was
shown to-day. The beautiful model of the
battle ship Maine standing before the door
of Secretary Long was surrounded all day
by crowds commenting on every feature
of the vessel. At intervals messengers APP
peared bearing messages from the main
telegraph offices. On delivery of each mes
sage there would be rush to the secre-
tarys room to learn the latest news. Up
to the time Secretary Long went over to
the White House the news was free and
promptly given out as it came. After that
the messages were sent direct to him at the
White House and the crowd was obliged
to wait for knowledge of their contents
until they had been returned to the de-
partment. The navigation bureau was be-
sieged with inquiries from the friends of
the ships company seeking information as
to the mortality All that the officials We're
able to do was to cause to be prepared
copies of the muster rolls of the men, and
as soon as these could be prepared the list
was given to the press.
The disaster and it's probable cause was
the. sole topic of discussion in naval circles
to-day. Captain Dickens, chief of the navi-
cation bureau expressed the opinion this
morning that the explosion took place in
the magazine of the Maine. He said this
was evident for the reason that the ship
was afioat for an hour after the explosion
Had a torpedo been fired under the battle
ship she would have sunk almost immedi-
ately, and the fact that she had not done
so was conclusive evidence the firing of
a torpedo was not the cause of the dis
aster.
In the absence of definite news this morn
ing the naval officers were not agreed on
any theory to account for the destruction
of the Maine. Perhaps a majority were
inclined to the belief that the explosion
was purely accidental; another consider
able number felt that torpedo was ex-
ploded under the vessel and a third theory
was that some Internal machine was snug
gled aboard the ship and set off. An ex-
animation by diver of the hull of the
Maine would demonstrate instantly whether
or not q torpedo had been used, for in case
it had the plates of the hull would surely be
driven in. On the other hand, protruding
plates would be an evidence that the ex-
plosion was purely internal. Captain Sigs-
bees brief report this morning, as well as
inclined, strongly to the belief that the ex-
plosion was of internal origin. Both agreed
that the force of it was in the forward part
of the ship, and this was borne out by the
escape of the majority of the officers, whose
quarters are aft, and the heavy casualties
among the crew, sleeping forward. Prob
ably in the latter case the death list would
have been even larger but for the fact that
the Maine, having a superstructure forward
on the main deck, portion of the crew was
quartered there and so escaped the greater
violence of the explosion, as felt on the
berth deck below them
The Maine had three magazines. The one
forward was used for the storage of amniu
milton, weighing 5000 pounds This quanti-
ty of explosive IS so large that the naval
officers here can scarcely believe it was POSE
sible for any human being on board the
Maine TO have escaped alive had this mag