The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-26

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people and the army. 1t is not for me
to conceal the intentions of the gov
eminent, which are to conclude an
honorable peace which will, in the
first place, satisfy the aspirations of
the army. After that, if Senior Sagasta
should think fit, he will ask the queen
regent if she still has confidence in
her present advisers"
8 p. m.-The leaders of the newspa-
pers waited upon Senior Sagasta late
this evening and urged him to abolish
the state Of siege and censorship.
A dispatch from San Juan de Porto
Rico says a new insular cabinet has
been formed under the presidency OF
Senior NuleZ RIVERA.
Paris, July 22.-The Matin today
publishes a paragraph saying that
while nothing definite is known, it is
rumored that Senior Leon Y Castillo
(the Spanish ambassador at Partis)
has been instructed to approach Gen
eral Horace Porter (the United States
ambassador to France) with the view
of opening secret peace negotiations"
General Porter, the American am
~bassadOr, said to a representative Of
the Associated Press: You can deny
in the most emphatic manner tina
any peace negotiations have been
opened up to the present moment. I
cannot conceive what originated The
Mathis statement"
Washington, July 22.-The Madrid
government officially has recognized
the proposed return by the United
States of the Santiago prisoners to
Spain. This recognition came today in
the form of a letter to General Shat
ter from General TOral, commander
of the Spanish troops at Santiago. The
fact of the receipt of the letter was
communicated TO the war department
tonight in the following dispatch from
General Shafter:
Santiago de Cuba, July %.
H. G. COrbin, Adjutant General,
Washington:
Il am just in receipt of a letter form
General Toral, saying the Spanish sec
rotary of war desires the troops land
ed at Vigo Coruna, on the Atlantic,
and at Sander, in the bay Of Biscay.
"SHAFTER,
Major General"
The request of the Spanish govern
ment will be complied With unless
something unforeseen should prevent.
London, July 23.-The Madrid spe-
cial dispatch this morning to The
} Times, Daily News and Standard
. agree that no real step has been taken
toward peace and, moreover that the
idea that the ~capitulation of Santi-
g was a preliminary to peace must
be abandoned.
A special dispatch from Madrid says.
1.-The arrival Of General Polavieja
has increased the persistent ak of a
cabinet crisis. The queen regent is
credited with exclaiming Thank God,
when she knew he was coming. Opin-
ions differ as to whether a semi-mili-
tary cabinet would make for peace or
for a continuance of the war, but all
are agreed that it would at any rate
put an end to the present i~nvertebrate
policy. Certainly considerable conf
dence is felt in General Polavieja, in
the present difficult ju~ncture.
"The belief is current in Madrid that
! the delay in Commodore Watson's
starting is due to a desire to give Cen
eral POlavieja time to form a cabinet
to negotiate for peace"
Correspondence of Associated Press.)
Off Santiago de Cuba, July 12.-"Any
doubt that may have existed that the
Maine was blown up by an outside ex-
! plosion has been dissolved by the ex-
of the destroyed Spanish
Ships" said a member of the board Of
survey that examined the remnants of
Admiral Cervera'S fleet. "Of fOu
ships examined three had been blown
up by their magazines" he continued,
and Of these one had every magazine
exploded and torpedoes in addition,
yet on none of them was there the
same effect as that produced by the
explosion on the Maine. There was
no upheaval of the keel and little bulg-
ing Of the plates except in the immedi-
ate vicinity of the explosion. The eff
feet was nearly altogether upward, in
some cases the protective deck being
lifted, but, outside of the springing Of
a few plates, the hulls were intact"
The examination of the wrecks of
the Spanish ships, three of which were
burned and all their magazines ex-
ploded, was made, first for the purpose
of aScertaining the effect of American
gunnery and, secondly, to find the eff
feet of internal explosion. Both sub
jects bore upon the Maine incident, as
noted above, and the awful effect of
we'll aimed shots was demonstrated in
the rapid sinking of the fleet. When
it is tina the Almirante
0Quendo and the Infanta Maria Teresa
were both sunk within forty minutes
of the time they left the entrance of
Santiago harbOr, the work of Ameri-
can gunner may we'll be considered as
remarkable. The AImirante Oquendo
was struck over fifty-five times and
the Infanta Maria Teresa thirty-seven
times, but by larger prOjectiles.
The record of the damages to these
ships is one of great interest. The
light started at a range of 5000 yards,
or three miles. At 1000 or $500 yards
two torpedo boats and two cruisers
were annihilated. The closest fighting
vas lone at LOO and 1000 yards by
the Brooklyn and the NiZcaya, with
annihilating effect on the Spanish ship
But two projectiles larger han S-inct
struck a vessel. both of these. either
! Il or 13-inch, being put through the
, Infanta Maria Teresa. The S-inch
l 6-inch, 5-inch and 6-pounder propec-
> tiles did the bulk OF the work and were
frightfully destructive. Some idea OF
, the effect can be obtained from a briei
1 summary of the injuries to each ship
? as found by the examining board. Tht
=, board had upon it such capable mer
| as Executive officer Rogers, of the
: Iowa: Executive Officer Mason, of the
D Brooklyn, an expert on the effect o,
shells on armor; Lieutenant Huesller
of the Texas, who has made som