Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-29
VAR DRAWS NEAR.
A Day of Portentous Devel-
opments at the Ma
tional Capital.
America and Spain Thought to Be
Closer to a Clash at Arms
Than Ever.
Spain Notified That the Maine Was
Destroyed Through Ex-
ternal Causes.
"a
In Return She Gains That the Re.
verse Is the Case According
to Her Official Reports.
WIN Not Turn BACK Her Flotilla-
Feeling That Her Torpedo Boats
Must Be Intercepted.


Washington, March 26.-The court @
inquiry appointed to investigate tn
cause of the Maine disaster has report
ed that the loss of the battleship wa
8 due to an outside explosion. The stat
department, by direction of the presi
y dent, has cabled United States Ministe
q Woodford at Madrid to notify the Span
ash government of this conclusion. Til
president and his cabinet advisers he'll
two extended sessions Friday, one a
l10:30 a. m. and another at $3.50 d. m
Mt which the report was considered i
detail. Members of the cabinet state
after the meeting that the discussion
was of grave character and that neve
since the wrecking of the Maine has tn
situation seemed SO critical.
Spain Defiant.
The Spanish government has cablet
officially to Washington that the Span
ish naval commission holds the disaste
to the Maine to be of internal origin
The government of Spain, it can b
stated positively, is not disposed t,
turn back the torpedo flotilla now pro
fceeding from the Canaries and woult
tbe disinclined to consider suggestion
from this government tending to inter
fere with the disposition by Spain O,
her own naval forces.
We Are Ready for Trouble.
War preparation on an Unprecedented
scale is being hurried to completion b,
1he war and navy departments, and tn,
country is practically on a war footing
The foregoing gives the record of one
or the most eventful days the nationa.
capital has seen since the close of the
civil war. 1t was day OF profoundly
important action, of the deepest anx.
iiety, coupled with naval and military
activity, one step following another in
rapid succession. Representative men
of the administration, public men in all
branches of official and congressional
are, no less than the public in general
shared in the tension to which the stu.
atlon has been wrought. There was no
lenort among the highest officials. nor
indeed was it possible from what was
clearly apparent in the Developments
OF the day, to minimize the situation.
President Receives the Report.
Viewed In detail, the findings of the
court OF inquiry was the most vital fea-
fure. Commander Mark, Judge advo-
cate OF the court of inquiry, delivered
fhe report to Secretary Long early Fri
day morning, and shortly afterward it
was carried to the white house and
placed In the hands of the president
sAt 10i30 the cabinet assembled. half an
hour earlier than usual, and began the
consideration of the momentous dozen
ment. 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 We're known until
1.-Two O'Clock, when bulletin gave the
information to the country. as well as
The eagerly waiting officials through
out Washington.
Il Finding of the Court.
Inc results, briefly stated, are that
the loss of the Maine was due 70 IN
explosion from the outside, the conrt
being unable to fix the Responsibilities
por the explosion. The court does not
express an opinion as to the character
pf the explosion, but the testimony
goes to show that it was a powerfnl
submarine mine, the exact character of
which Is not determined by the testi-
mcny, though the belief was expressed
nhat 1T was floating submarine mine
lhere were two explosions, the court
mas, the first was from the outside
ana mat set off one of the smaller ma q,
azines.
II was this result, expressed in detail
hnd with the precision of court deem.
~ conscious of its responsibility. 70.
gether with the evidence on Which u
was based, that occupied the attention
ol the cabinet throughout its extended
sessions OF the morning and afternoon.
All other and lesser subjects gave way
20 thls foremost question. There was
no change in the plan of making the
report public and transmitting it to
congress early next week, accompanied
ny prlef message from the president,
Must BE Intercepted.
Whlle interest was thus conferred at
pne white house, the navy and war de-
partments were hurrying forward their
york OF preparations. The advance Of
khe Spanish torpedo fotiila continued
to receive the closest attention Of naval
officials, and while, SO far as could he
hscertained, no definite line of action
was determined upon, the need of inter
eept1ng this heet was urged by the
highest naval authorities. From the
standpoint of the Spanish government,
this movement was not a menace, hay-
Ing been decided upon many weeks ago.
On the contrary, the Spanish govern
ment holds that the extensive arma-
|ment of the Dry Tortugas is more d.
rect hostile act against Spain than any
movement of the fotilla. Instead Of
ftopping the fotilla, the present atti-
fude OF Spain tends toward reinforcing
A. with other Spanish war vessels, not az
menace, but from what the Spanish
government feels lie a requirement
called for by the existing condition Of
lahairs.
Hardly less suggestive than the APP
Proach of the torpedo fotilla was the
Information received by the highest
military authorities that the Spanish
government had hurried to completion
Extensive fortified tions on the island ~