The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-26

4 WASHINGTON. D. c.. March 25.-
1.-THE COURT OF INQUIRY AP-
POINTED TO INVESTIGATE THE
3cAUsE OF THE MAINE DISASTER
lHAs REPORTED THAT THE LOSS
'foF THE BATTLEsHIP WAS DUE TO
An OUTSIDE EXPLOSION.
4 THE STATE DEPARTMENT, By
tDlREcTIoN OF THE PRESIDENT.
HAAS CABLED UNITED STATES
MINISTER WooDFoRD AT MADRID
lTo NOTIFY THE SPANISH GOV
ERNMENT OF THIS CONCLUSION.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS cABI-
! NET ADVISORS HELD TWO EX-
4 TENDED SESSIONS TO-DAY. ONE
AT 1880 A. II. AND ANOTHER AT $50
P. ~. AT WHICH THE REPORT
WAS CONSIDERED IN DETAIL.
i MEMBERS OF THE CABINET STAT
ED AFTER THE MEETING THAT
THE DISCUSSION WAS OF GRAVE
CHARACTER AND THAT NEVER
SINCE THE wREcKING OF THE
MAINE HAS THE SITUATION
SEEMED so CRITICAL
THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT
HAS CALLED OFFICIALLY TO
WASHINGTON THAT THE SPAN
IsH NAVAL COMMISSION HOLDS
THE DISASTER TO THE MAINE TO
BE OF INTERNAL ORIGIN. THE
GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN. IT CAN
BE STATED. POSITIVELY. IS NOT
DISPOSED TO TURN BACK THE
TORPEDO FoTILLA NOW PRO-
cEEDTNG FROM THE cANARIEs
AND WOULD BE D1sINcL1NED TO
CONSIDER a SUGGESTION FROM
THIS GOVERNMENT TENDING TO
INTERFERE WITH THE DISPOSE
TIoN BY SPAIN OF HER OWN Ma
VAL FORCES.
WAR PREPARATIONS ON AN UN-
PRECEDENTED SCALE ARE BEING.
HURRIED TO COMPLETION BY THE
WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS
AND THE COUNTRY PRACTICAL
II IS on A WAR FOOTING.
The foregoing gives the record OF one
u the mos: erentful days the national
capitol has seen since the close of the
ciri! war. II wns : day OF profoundly
Important action, o. tho deepest an
xiety, coupled with nava! and military
activity one step following another In
:aptd succession. Representative men
81 the administration. public men in all
nraEcfes OK official and congressional
IKE. no less tian the public In general.
Saared In the tension to which the stu
ati1n has been wrought.
At 1880 the cabinet assembled, half an
hour earlier than usual and began the
consideration OF the momcltous docu-
neat, Ever the rigid rules OF secrecy
"h'ca prevailed at cabinet meetings
were made doub!y strict In this case.
anu no iatimatlon OF the result reached
o.; the court wc-e known until . o'clock
Maeh an Associated Press bulletin gave
tHe information to the country as well
i' TO tho eagerly waiting officials
i,Gt"lGaout Washington. These results,
mlelS stated. are that the loss Of the
M''ae vas due TO an explosion from
IHc outside, the court being Unable to
IN IN lie responsibility for the explosion.
Iac court does not express an opinion
HS % the ch.ro cter OF the explosive, but
tne testimony goes 70 show that /. was
loWe:!u! submarine mine, the exact
EaaFicter OF which is not determined by
llc testimony, though the bcllef was
cApfesAed that Il was a floating snhma-
:!ue mine. There were two explosions.
tlt: court finds: the first was ftom the
"'IsiDc, and that set off one OF the
shdI!cr magazines. II was this result.
%Npfesscd In detail and with the nrcciS-
!'i' OF court deeply conscious os it5
ItsPohsibl'ity. together with the cy!-
H%lce on which Il was barred, that occu-
pea the attention OF .hc cabinet.
The orders lssi:cd by the navy depart
"ent during the day covered every
o'ahch OF naval armament. The "nylng
s!rhdron" was definitely established,
-" '"SIliIUonC'c w. 81 SCElep III COM
1,H:Id' Hc viii ho!s, his commoiorc's
gls OF the flagship Brooklyn next Nom
Nay. The SQUADRON IS. to consist Of cx-
Ss.iy I've ships, 10 more and 10 less.
""tsp!tc coniectn:e MS to possible shlpI
'nat might be added,
Tioae Of the a1uadrcn VIII be thu
TACK nrmored crulSed Brooklyn, the
"attIGhhips Massachuse.i and Texas,
ahu INC cruisers Columbia ana alIDnc-
h!nls. Othec sliips which IRE now or
heFcauer nt Hampton Reads. wll mol
n% of The iiyins aquadrou tit y!ll bo.
yonS to the North htlnntic station an.
WI captain Sampson The Tying squad
ron 's 70 bon sn,lll. compact feet 0: tho
10y shins IN thopnvy,5 for quick service
al IAy point along The Atlantic.
~ the SAME time the North atlantic
,,,h n-.oh Under Captain Sampson, d to he
.ntthrr augmented. Tho cruises cla.
slMhn'i which left PortiiAntonio three
aays lEo under sealed orders, Is fore.
Coit Ut Key West uHd dsbecome a part OF
H'ktalh SRnpaoti'g iIleet, The gunbout