Evening journal., 1898-04-05
A STARTLING STATEMENT.
Mine That BLEW Up the Maine Was Made
In England-Colwell Investigates.


LONDON, April "Details have been
obtained of the manufacture of sub
marine mines in London for Spain,
which was first brought to the atten-
tion Of the United States embassy on
March 5. A man whose cards describe
him as being an electrical engineer and
whose name was forwarded at the time
TO Washington, then said he sold to
Spanish officers in London several years
ago a large number of mines, eight or
ten of which were placed in Havana
harbor He said they were made in a
special way, had a specially constructed
cable, which he can identify If the
smallest piece of it is produced, and
that some of the mines were fixed so
that they could be fired from a fort,
while two of them had bulbs so ar
ranged that they would explode upon a
vessel coming into contact with them.
The man added, however, that he did
not believe the bulbs would be used in
water as shallow as that of Havana
harbor. Finally. the man exhibited
plans of one Of these mines, which he
said was the most likely to produce the
effect described as causing the wreck Of
the Maine. 1t was numbered ''2' and
was constructed to contain 500 pounds
of gun cotton.
Lieutenant Commander j. c. Colwell,
the United States naval attache, has
since investigated the matter and has
made a report on the subject to
the United States government. The
facts learned strongly tend to show that
Havana harbor was mined, and they
unquestionably prove that Spain pur-
obi Go, firm
Of Battimer, Rhodes & Clark, electrical
engineers, during 1sS7-ss. filled a large
order for Spain for a lot Of mines in
which were used 141h tons of gun cotton.
The work was done under the surveil-
lance Of General Fernandez and Cap
tain Bustamento. The latter was then
the head of the Spanish torpedo school.
BY the order Of these officers the mines
were divided into four consignments-
for Havana, Ferrol, Cadiz and Carta-
gena. The mines were manufactured
under the direction Of ]. p. Gibbons,
after Gibbons patents, which are de-
scribed in Slemen's book on torpedoes
and mines.
| Gibbons, from whom the information
| is obtained and who furnished Lieuten-
ant Commander Colwell with a written
| statement OF the above facts and out
| lined his theory Of the explosion which
wrecked the Maine, was then employed
| by the firm as superintendent of the
torpedo department He also says a
similar lot of torpedoes was manufac-
tured for Spain in 1896.
The manager Of the Westminster En-
| cheering company. which is the sue
cessor OF the aforementioned firm anC
with which Gibbons is connected, con.
firms the latter's statement as to the
manufacture Of mines for Spain. Glib
bons, who is a former sergeant of en-.
glneers and a government inspector o.
torpedoes. believes the Names first ex
plosion was caused by what is tech
nically called a ground mine, contain
ing 500 pounds OF gun cotton, several o.
| which were manufactured for Spain. II,
has experimental with these mines
largely at Portsmouth and says that
once laid, they retain their properties
for so years. In addition Gibbons as
serts that 1t is absolutely impossibl,
for them TO explode accidentally, as thl
electric currents for their explosion ar
formed only by the manipulation of ;
complicated keyboard especially devise,
to prevent accidents. Three keys ar
necessary, which are always kept II
the. possession Of different officers, an,
even if an outsider obtained possession
Of them it would be impossible to ma
nipulate the keyboard without instruc
tions. Gibbons further says the mine
and their connecting cables are mum
bered, and he asserts he will be abb
to Identify them II any part is secured.