The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-03-10
The United States and Spain Making
Preparations for the Storm.
MAINE WRECK STILL MYSTERY
No New DEVELOPMENTS in the Case The Be-
lief is Still Prevalent That IL Was
Blown up by Design-Latest
Reports.

No new information has been received
during the week regarding the cause of
the sinking of the Maine. The court of
Inquiry has finished its work at Key West
and has returned to Havans, where it is
now taking testimony. In answer to
message from President Mckinley they
state that they cannot say how much
longer their investigations will take.
| In the meantime both the United States
and Spain are making active preparations
for war.
| Spain has purchased two cruisers which
the Armstrong; of London have been
building for Brazil, the Amazonus and
her sister ship, unnamed, of 1000 tons
each, % knots and 10 guns. She is also
negotiating tor and may secure two cruis-
ers of similar type, which have been
building in France for Brazil. The ANA
zonus is ready for launching, and her
sister ship will soon be ready.
The Spanish government is also en-
deavoring to secure guns and large sup.
plies of ammunition in England and the
continent for immediate use, and seems
to have funds; for it is understood she is
paving a large part of the purchase
money in cash, giving good security for
the balance, these being the only terms
upon which the Armstrong; would deal.
Some weeks ago Spain tried to pur-
chase ships and supplies ia England on
credit from prominent firms having close
relations with the government, but after
inquiries the firms refused credit. Since
then Spain has raised funds from some
unknown sources, and diplomats in Lon
don express the opinion that French
finsnciers are helping the Spanish gov
eminent.
The attention of the president and his
cabinet has been devoted almost entirely
to the Maine disaster and the cor sidera-
ton of what the immediate future may
hold for this country. There is no doubt
that The court OF inquiry will find that
the battleship was destroyed by an en-
envy. Who that enemy was it is now
trying hard to discover. The expected
report may still be withheld tor some
time. Every method is being EN- lyoyed
to get at the bottom facts.
SPANS court of inquiry, on the other
hand, is ready to report. Advices say
the accident theory will be asserted by
the Spaniards as a fact The Spanish re-
port will follow the American. This, in
ternationslly viewed, is the lie direct, and
casus belli. Hence the preparations
noted in the press reports
! Secretary of the Navy Long and Rep.
resentatve Hllborn, Of the naval affairs
committee, held long interview with
the president Saturday. The secretary
presented vast amount OF information
collected by experts, including lists of all
the war vessels in the world and their
owners. No firstclass battleships are for
sale, but eight armored cruisers can be
bought, with number of torpedo boats,
and the United States has already So
cured ninety-day options on every pur-
chasabe war vessel until the crisis is
past.
More important, however. WAS the sec
retary's report on torpedo boats. Esti-
mates from Bethlehem and the Carnegie
steel works show that 100 torpedo boats
can be built and ready for service along
the Atlantic coast in sixty days. The
steel companies agree to furnish the
plates for these boats in one week. These
little destroyers are about 100 feet in
length. One OF them is enough to pro-
tect any ordinary harbor from any bat
tleship.