The record-union., 1898-02-17
THE TRAGEDY OF THE MAINE.


over the loss of the brave men of that
devoted ship, and the tears of their
mourning friends mingle with those OF
q nation.
Loss of life in battle is terrible, but
Its horror is mitigated by the refiec-
ton that the soldier or sailor is fight
ing valorously for home and country
and their honor, and has at least q
chance for life. The sentiment of he
roism surrounding the soldier, of patri-
otto devotion by the sailor when in the
field of war, reaches back into the
homes of the land and softens the
stroke of death. But such catastro-
phe as that of the Maine paralyzes and
egonizes beyond expression. The aw-
fulness Of the wreck; the horror Of the
instant destruction of hundreds of the
nations sailors and marines; the fear
full thought of the suddenness with
which death must have come to some,
and the unutterable agonies of others
who writhed in torture before merci-
fully released; the rending of human
bodies, the scattering of limbs and
parts, torn, mangled and burned-these
things are unspeakable. unutterable for
their fearful horror.
The whole nation is shocked to the
soul; the men and women Of America
are stricken to the heart with grief.
Beneath all there is waiting for the
truth that is awful and significant. Was
this massacre, assassination, or was
the catastrophe accidental? If the
first, then will come sweeping and
merciless reckoning. The blood of our
butchered officers, blue jackets and ma
rines will not smoke in vain. There
will be such an accounting as will make
treachery more hateful than any in this
world have ever before esteemed it.
AT this writing, at a late hour, no
positive judgment has been arrived at
as to the cause of the appalling disas-
Ter. Examination of the sunken hull
Of the Maine, it is believed, will reveal
the truth. If say experts, the plates
of the hull at the point of greatest
shock are driven inward, the conclu-
Sion Will be legitimate that the assault
was from without; if the plates are
driven outward, the logical conclusion
will be that the disaster was caused
from within.
If the first is developed as fact, then
by either Of two methods the ship may
have been wrecked; by accidental or
purposefuI explosion of a mine or tor
pedo- If the plates are driven out
ward, then the wreck may have been
made by either of two causes, over
heating of partition plates by which
explosives in one of the magazines
We're discharged, or by the blow from
without of a missile that, by concus
sion, caused stored explosives within
to be fired.
This last IS the least probable of all,
since an exterior blow is difficult to de-
liver below the waterline, and because
the magazines are surrounded by pro-
1ective walls Of coal-bunkers and ice
chambers, and because explosives oper-
ated by conclusion are never stored in
contact with any wall or partition of
the ship.
1t is related that the Cincinnati was
very near to destruction once from
spontaneous combustion of coal that
brought the magazine plates to a red
heat. Fortunate escape Of a thin line
OF smoke led to discovery of the fire in
time to save the ship. It would seem
that naval architects ought 10 be able
TO so surround magazines with con-
Etantly replenished water Jackets that
heating by coal combustion would
cause escape of vapor through an indi-
Gator on deck. and thus give timely
warning OF what did happen on the
Cincinnati, and what may have caused
The horror on the Maine.
On ali these warships there are de-
vices for indicating abnormal heat in
1he coal bunkers, but clearly they are
not reliable or the Cincinnati would not
aave been imperiled, and the Maine
would not have been lost-assuming
that she was accidentally wrecked from
heat within and not by treachery, or as
has been limited by an English paper
by unforeseen action of stored chemicals.
Itsis charged that the harbor of Ha-
wanna is sown with planted torpedoes
and mines connected by electric wires
with Moro Castle. If so, why did not
the Spanish authorities indicate TO the
commander of the Maine a safe anch-
orage? Why, also, did not the COM
znander of the ship. who must be pre-
sumed to know of the torpedo plants In
the ha~bor. positively assure himself
of safe anchorage?
II 1T should develop that the wreck
was caused by torpedo or mine, while
the judgment Of the people viii point
TO Spanish treachery, it will still remain
a theory that the torpedo may have
been accidentally. not purposely fired.
This. however, could scarcely have hap
pened If the electrical apparatus was.
as it should be, disconnected from the
source Of electrical energy, as ought TO
be the case in a harbor open to the
entry of friendly ships. and into which
steamers and vessels Of commerce and
peace daily pass.
The presumption must be, therefore,
until overcome by proof TO the con-
srary, that there are no torpedoes
planted in Havana harbor, or, If there
are. that they are wholly disconnected