Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-03-03
TIE CAUSE OF TIE DISASTER.
American Naval Officers Generally
Agree That the Maine

Agree That the Maine
Was Blown Up by Floating Tor
pado or Mine at the Port Side OF
the Bow of the Ship, and That
There Was No General Explosion
ofAmmunltion on Board the Ship.
The Mine Is Believed to Have Been
Placed Purposely Near the Buoy
Where Foreign War Vessels
Were to Anchor a Conservative
Statement Of he Situation.
Havana via Key West Fla, March
! 2-Without adding unnecessarily to
the food Of surmises. conjectures and
prophecy concerning the finding Of the
court Of inquiry, it is fair to say that,
as matter Of fact, most OF the naval
officers here and at Key West incline
to the opinion that the court will ind
that the disaster to the Maine was
caused by the explosion Of floating
submarine mine under the port side oil
the ship forward. Opinions differ as
to whether this mine was made OF
high explosives, such as wet and dry
gun cotton or ordinary gun powder.
Opinions agree not only as to the
+ existence oil the mines in the harbor,
but also that this one was laid pur-
posely near The buoy where the foreign
war vessels were directed to moor and
was fired from an electric battery on
shore.
Ii is believed barely possible that
! the explosion Of the mine was the re
suit ot the carelessness oil ignorance
oil Spanish officers in charge OF the
mine station keys When testing the
circuit, but the latter supposllion is not
felt to be probable. 1t IS further re-
| garded as settled by the evidence be-
fore the court that the port side of the
hull forward was
/ COMPLETELY BLOWN TO PIECES
and that the only explosion on the
Maine, except the isolated cases OF
fixed ammunition, was about OF 1000
pounds Of saluJing powder. stored for
ward and Of which no trace can be
found
These views are gathered from Off
GERS who talk with great reserve and
only upon the assurance that their
identity will never he revealed. TIE
fact remains that only the members OF
the court OF inquiry know All the te5ti-
| mony elected, and no one is authorized
| to make public matters in advance Of
| the final judgment
A good deal of surprise was eN-
tpreaaed by Americans here at learning
| that Spanish divers were to be per-
mitted Id make an examination OF the
wreck Of the Maine, especially as u
was also said that American naval OF
fcers here would give such divers all
consistent facilities, and would throw
no obstacles in the way of thorough
submarine inspection. 1t was not al
first understood, as it came 70 be
later. that the Spanish search was 70
he entirely Independent, and that WhlIo
it was being made the American m
vestigation would proceed under Caps
Sigsbees supervision AS understood
here, the Spanish request made right
after the disaster for an Investigation
was promptly refused at Washington,
but after a cabinet consultation it was
agreed that tile Spaniards had moral
and international right to discover
THE CAUSE or THE WRECK
for themselves IL possible. Therefore,
permission for an Independent eXami-
nation was granted on the ground, as
understood here, that it could not ba
refused to a friendly power in her own
harbor. That the permission was not
accorded until after The court OF inqui-
ry had finished it's work here and gone
to Key West is regarded ais signif~
IL E.aIIl
ulation.
Some assert that the court now has
no objection to a Spanish inquiry for
one Of two reasons: Either the court
has sufficient evidence already of aoa
cident or malice-eyidence that caaa
not be contrOverted by the Spaniar6ts
or after d diHgent search, the mys-
terry remains as deep as ever and the
court does not think the Spanish will
reach conclusion where the Ameri-
cans have failed
OF course all this refers principally
to inspection of narts of the ship other
than the hull Until the guns. decks,
engines and debris Of all kinds have
been removed and the mud has beeN
pumped from the hull it cannot 10
examined thoroughly by any one.
Good authorities think it will be nee
essary
TO BUILD A COFFERDAM
around the wreck. piles being driven,
etc.
That any important testimony before
the court has found its way to the
public Is very unlikely Some of the
witnesses have told certain corres-
pondents of alleged testimony, but in
every case investigation has shown
their stories to be wildly improbable
and controverted by known facts, or
else absolutely irrelevant Some OF
the correspondents have tried to eX-
tract information from members of the
court and from naval witnesses by put
ting what were deemed by the ques-
TONERS clever hypothetical interroga-
tories. But the questioners were nos
experts in naval architecture and the
Questioned We're; 50 the results were
unsatisfactory Probably the court
knew before 1t left Havana for Key
West whether the ten inch magazine
on the starboard side forward did or
did not explode but the members gave
no sign. and the divers, when they
talk at all. contradict each other
Doubtless even the contractors for tbs