Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-24
THE WRECK PUZZLE
Belief That the Forward Maya
zine Was Not Exploded.
TT MAY HAVE BEEN A PLOT
0fWhioh the High Spanish officials
Were Wholly Ignorant.
AMERICAN OFFICIALS OPINION.

AMERICAN OFFICIALS OPINION.
II 1t Is Proven That the Disaster Was
Due to Outside Agency War Must
Speedily Follow-Ha would Sur
render to Admiral Sicard's Demand
without the Necessity of Firing a
a Shot, Though IF Necessary the
Forts Could Be Demolished With a
six Founder.
Havana, Feb 24.-The situation, which
may be changed at any moment by
fresh discoveries, may be summed up,
when this dispatch is sent, substanti-
ally as follows:
The divers have discovered cases of
brown hexagonate powder for the 10
inch guns unexploded, and believing
also that others unexploded will be
found in the 10-inch magazine on the
starboard side forward, the conviction
grows that this magazine did not blow
up. If this be so, and many have in
Their conviction is forced that the ex-
plosion which wrecked the Maine came
from the outside, on the port bow.
AS previously wired, the main por-
ton of the wreck as seen from above
and noted from below, was blown to
starboard.
The highest American officials here
are confident that General Blanco and
i
knowledge, direct or indirect, Of the
conception or execution of plot to
blow up the Maine, if such a plot ex-
listed, but they believe the junior Span
ish officers, who, from the nature of
things, are more conversant with
modern explosives than their elders and
superiors, were at the bottom of the
disaster, if there were any outside
agency. It is pointed out that it would
not be impossible to plant a mine Of
wet and dry gun cotton near where
a foreign war vessel was directed to
anchor, such a mine communicating
with an electric battery on the shore.
1t is regarded as an interesting point
that the Maine, for the first time dur
ing her stay in the harbor lay at the
particular spot where she was at the
time Of the catastrophe, and it is said,
though not officially verified, that the
Maine was the first foreign war vessel
moored to this particular buoy since
the troubles in Cuba grew acute.
All stories as to lax discipline on the
Maine are without shadow of truth.
On the contrary Captain Sigsbee was
complained of by some for the rightly
of his rules, and the strictness with
which he enforced them.
In reply to a question put by this cor
respondent to a high American official
as to what the outcome would be if it
were proved that the disaster was due
to an outside agency, the official in
question said:
sSir, the American people could not
be restrained. mean war. Still, 1
doubt whether it would be necessary
to fire a shot. Admiral Sicard could
anchor the Iowa, the Indiana, the Mass
achusetts and the New York outside
Havana harbor to prevent the ingress
of the food supplies, without which the
city could not exist fortnight. Cuba
is waste of ashes and desolation.
Even the hotels and cafes here in Ha-
vana live from hand to mouth, on sup
plies brought from the United States.
render of Havana, giving "a hours for
the removal of the women and children,
surrender would follow. The forts are
old structures, and could be demolished
by a six FOUNDER. Such new guns as
have been mounted are short of am
munition, and have never been tried.
If General Blanco should decline to sur
render the Spanish merchants here,
who represent 80 per cent of the prop
erty and pay rs per cent of the taxes
of the island, would compel him to ac-
cede to Admiral Sicard's terms. AS for
the volunteers, the men are for the
most part the employees of these mer-
chants and the volunteers officers are
largely their sons or their junior part
ners.
1T is well to look these things in the
face. At the same time it is well for
the Americans to restrain themselves
until there is some proof of an outside
agency of explosion. We can afford to
wait a little longer, seeing that we have
waited so long. We could not wait af-
ter 1t had once been proven that the
Maine disaster was the result of das-
tardly plot. Spanish officers from the
old country hold to the unaccountable
belief that their arms would overcome
us in a few weeks, but the Cuban mer-
chants have no such delusion, and they
would control the situation. Hence, I
believe that no shot from big Ameri-
can gun will be necessary"
These sentiments fairly represent
those of the best informed Americans
here. Any moment, however, may
chronicle discoveries at the wreck that
would change all this.
One thing seems certain, if the Maine
was blown by an outside agency, the
agent was a mine, and not torpedo.
A large quantity Of clothing has
been taken from the wreck of the
Maine, and after it has been dis
infected it will be given to the recon-
centrados. The bodies of the missing
officers, Lieutenant Jenkins and AS
sistant Engineer Merritt, have not been
recovered.
Thus far the sharks have given no
trouble, but the vultures have left
scarcely anything but skeletons of the
three men who were entangIed in the
debris very near the surface of the
water. The bodies were not noticed by
any one until the foul birds had COM
pleted their CHASTITY work. From the
hand of one Chaplain Chadwick re-
moved a deeply chased ring for pur-
poses of Identification.