The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-30
BLOWN UP BY A NINE
THIS WAS The FATE OF THE BAL
TLESRlP MAINE

THIS WAS THE FATE OF THE BAL
TLESHlP MAINE
Tho " ard o, Ell qutry poe, Not Eattea the
Resro asib,l ty-Tte sitaat n7 Very se;i-
nos-Active Pi Picparat.o q Us 10, War Be1rg
Pusheo-0l ea t Exc temer in Washington
The Court of Inquiry appointed to
investigate the cause of the Maine
disaster has reported that the loss OF
the battlsship was due to an outside
explosion. The state department, by
direction OF the President, has cabled
United States Minister Wocdford at
Madrid to notify the Spanish govern
ment Of this conclusion. The Spanish
government has csbled officially to
Washington that the Spanish naval
commission holds the disaster to the
Maine TO be of internal origin.
The commission finds that the Maine
was blown up by an explosion from
the outside, but is unable to fix the
responsibility for the explosion. The
court does not express an opinion as
to the character of the explosive, but
the testimony goes to show that 1t
was q powerful submarine mine, the
exact character of which is not deter
mined by the testimony, though the
belief was expressed that it was float
ing submariae nina. There were
two explosions, the court finds the
frs. from the outside, and that set OF
one Of the smaller magazines. /! ~as
this result, expressed in detail and
with the peecislon OF 8 court deeply
conscious of its responsibility, toge:h'
er with the evidence on which IL was
based, that occupied the attention OF
the cabinet throughout lis extended
sessions of the morning and afternoon.
The government OF Spain, 1t can %
stated positively, is net disposed 10
turn hack the torpedo dotilla now pro.
ceeding from the Csnaries and would
be disinclined to consider suggestion
from this government tending to inter,
fers vito the disposition by Spain Of
her own naval forces. War prepara.
ton on an Unprecedented scale IS be
ing hurried to completion by the war
and navy departments, and the coun'
try practically is on a war footing.
The foregoing gives the record OF
one of the most evSstful days the ma,
tional capital has seen sincs the close
of the civil war. It was day OF pro-
foundly important action, of the deep.
est anxiety coupled with naval snd
military activity, one step following
another in rapid succession. Repre-
sentative men of the administration.
public men in all branches of official
and congressional life, no less Than
the public in general, share IN the ten
sion to which the situation has been
wrought. There was no effort among
the highest officials, nor indeed was It
possible from what was clearly ap
parent in the developments of the day,
to minimize the situation.
Hardly less suggestive than the ap.
proach Of the torpedo 6o!illa, was the
information received today by the
highest military authorities that the
Spanish government had hurried to
completion extensive fortiications on
the island of Puerto Rico, lying just
off Cuba, and the only Spanish pos.
session in this hemisphere other than
Cuba. The exact character Of those
new defenses has been made known
here, and they are being given weight
with the military authorities as show
ing the disposition of Spain.
The order issued by the navy de.
partment during the day covered
every branch of naval armament.
The flying squaoron" was definitely
established with Commodore w. S.
Schley in command. The squadron
is to consist of exactly five ships.
Those of the squadron will be the
crack armored cruiser Brooklyn, the
battleships Massachusetts, and Texas
and the cruisers Columbia and Min
nespolis. Other ships which are,
now or hereafter. at Hampton Roads,
will not be of the f7ing 50 quadrou, but
will belong to the Nortn atlantic sta
ton under Captain Sampson. The
flying squadron is 10 be a small COM
pact heet of the best ships in the navy,
for quick service at any point along
the atlantic.
At the same time the North Atlantic
ststlon, under Captain Sampson, is to
bs further augmented. The cruiser
Cincinnati, which left Port Antonio
three days ago under sealed orders is
to report at Key West and become
part OF Captain SIMPSONS fleet. The
gunboat Wilmington, also en- route
from Port Antonio, will likewise re-
port to Captain Sampson at Key West
as will the gunboat Vicksburg, now At
Hampton Roads. The following YES
sells compose the North Atlantic squad
ron: New York, Iowa, Indiana, Mian-
tonomoh, Fern, Puritan, Terror, Mar
blehead, Montgomery, Castine, Nash
vile. Helena, Wilmington, Vesuvlus
torpedo boats, Foote, Dupont, Erics-
son, Gushing, Porter. Wlnslow; tugs,
Leyden and Samoset,
Late Friday the battleship Texas was
ordered from Hampton Roads 10 the
New York navy yard to repair her ma
chinery for hoistlng ammunition and
guns. Favorable answers were received
from the New York naval militia OF
their readiness on short notice to sup.
ply, officers and mer 10 man the single
Iurret monitors now called into ser
vice. Orders were issued Friday 10
have all the warships painted black,
color that Is better adapted to hoslli
ties because the vessels will not afford
as good q target.
The President and cabinet advisers
held two extended sessions Friday,
one at 1880 a. N. and another at $50
p. m., at which the Maize report was
considered in detail. Members OF the
cabinet stated after the meeting that