The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-03-31
OUTSIDE EXPLOSION.


was due to an outside explosion.
The state department, by the direc.
tion of the president has cabled
United States Minister Woodford at
Madrid to notify the Spanish govern.
ment of this conclusion. The presi.
dent and his cabinet advisors held two
extended sessions Friday, one at 1880
q. m. and another at $3.50 p. M, at
which re port was considered in detail.
Members of the cabinet stated 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 cabled
officially to Washington that the Span.
ish naval commission holds the disas.
ter to the Maine to be of internal ori.
gin. The government of Spain, it can
be stated positively, is not disposed to
turn back the torpedo fotilla now pro.
ceeding from the Canaries, and would
be disinclined to consider a suggestion
from this government tending to inter-
fere with the disposition by Spain OF
her own naval forces.
War preparation on an unprecedent-
ed scale is being hurried to completion
by the war and navy departments, and
the country practically is on war
footing.
The foregoing gives the record of
one of the most cventful days the
national capital has seen since the
close of the civil war. 1t was day
of profoundly important action, of the
deepest anxiety, coupled with naval
and military activity, one step follow
ing another in rapid succession Rep.
resentative men of the nistration.
public men in all branches of Of.
fetal and congressional life. no
less than the public in general,
shared in the tension to which
the situation has been wrought.
There was no effort among the highest
officials nor indeed was it possible from
what was clearly apparent in the de.
velopments of the day to minimize the
situation. Viewed in detail, the fnd-
ings of the court Of inquiry was the
most vital feature. Commander Ma.
riX, judge advocate of the court of in.
quiry delivered the report to Secretary
Long early Friday morning, and
shortly after it was carried to the
white house and placed in the hands Of
the president. At 1890 the cabinet ,ls.
sembled, half an hour earlier than us.
ual, and began the consider.
alton of the momentous document
Even the rigid rules of secrecy which
prevailed at cabinet meetings were
made doubly strict in this case, and no
intimation of the results reached by
the court were known until o'clock,
when press bulletin gave the infor.
nation to the country, as we'll as the
eagerly waiting officials throughout
Washington.
These results, briefly stated, are
that the loss of the Maine was due to
explosion from the outside, the court
being unable to fix the responsibility
for the explosion. The court does not
express an opinion as to the character
of the explosion, but the testimony
goes to show that it was
powerful submarine mine, the exact
character of which is not deter.
mined by the testimony, though the
belief was, expressed that it was
floating submarine mine. There were
two explosions, the court finds; the
first was from the outside, and that set
off one of the smaller magazines 1t
was this result, expressed in detail and
with the precision of court deeply
conscious of it's responsibility, together
with the evidence on which it was
based, that occupied the attention of
the cabinet throughout its extended
sessions OF the morning and afternoon.
All other and lesser subjects gave way
to this foremost question. There was
no change in the plan of making the
report public and transmitting it to
congress early next week. accompan.
led by brief message from the prcsi.
dent
While interest was thus centered at
the white house, the navy and war lie.
partments were hurrying forward
their work of preparations. The ad.
vance of the Spanish fiotilla continued
to receive the closest attention of ma.
val officials, and while SO far as could
be ascertained no definite line of action
was determined upon, the need of in.
tercepting this feet was urged by the
highest naval authorities.
WASHINGTON, March 26.-No definite
arrangements have been made by the
department for the calling of the naval
militiamen into service, but such ar.
rangements will be made perhaps be.
fore Saturday night. tits not unlikely
that the naval militia of New Jersey
also will be called upon to assist in
manning the old monitors. As to the
rumored likelihood that the naval mill.
tia of Ohio, Illinois and Michigan
would be called into service, navy
department officials said that no steps
to that end had yet been taken, but
the intimation was broadly conveyed
that they would be called upon to
serve upon the monitors. The depart
ment Is satisfied that not only the ves-
sells themselves, but also the crews, in.
experienced though they may be, will
give a good account of themselves il
any emergency should arise that would