The times., 1898-04-15

when they did answer. 1t was very
peculiar thing; they seemed TO have no
experience of other nations vessels.
Asked what was the probability regard
ing the Maine explosion, he SAID
Il am not certain in my mind whether
to attribute it to a temporary mine. or
a permanent one 1t is a curious TACT
that the officers OF the deck say we never
swung in that particular direction before.
The Maine is lying now in about the posi-
ton she would have taken TO play on the
Spanish batteries-the Morro and cana
mas. That is TO say, If the Maine had
taken notion to play on the batteries,
she would be in that position.
"If a mine had been placed there.
where the Maine could play on the bat
teries, assume it would nave been plant
ed in just that place where the Maine
was blown up If mine were planteH
in range with the buoy, of course, when
the Maine swung to that buoy, it would
show the mine was under the ships keel
1t was my business to note all these
things
~ that ship had swung into position
to fire on the castle and torpedo had
been placed, or mine placed. under water
so as to blow the ship up IN case she did
fire, then it would have been placed ex-
actly where you were blown up?'
'It would have been placed there"
THAT suggests the possibility of its
having been placed there before you
were located there?'
ut does"
''If that mine had been placed so, how
would it have been eXploded?'
81 infer they never would have put
a contact mine there that would have
been exploded by contact with the bot
tom of vessels because other vessels
were coming and going all the time. but
an electric mine. having wires leading
ashore or elsewhere.
ITO have the explosion at a time when
they could have control of it?"
Yes"
"If that was the condition who would
be likely to have charge Of the electric
battery which exploded the mine?'
"I am unable to say that; 1 infer the
navy"
IAN official?"
AZ have a certain reason for believing
this"
Taking the lights on the ship. which
had not been extinguished at the time
of the explosion, I understand they would
furnish the observer on the shore the
position of the ship. Would such an OBJ
server be able at night to ascertain that
that ship was at that moment in such
bearing as she could fire on the battery?''
I'VE have a forward and after light
! showing and even without a light he
| could have seen it by the smokestacks,
| which are large"
| Questioned about the dead fish theory,
| Capt Sigsbee said that he regarded that
| excuse as rather peculiarly Spanish" p"
Capt Sigsbee said that Capt. Stephens,
! of the City of Washington, that nighs
or the next day said in all his ex
| perieuce he never knew a vessel to be
I,,a, -a1 In - hat rNIa md I hints
| some others said that" he added. "Ts
was almost in the same position as one
! of the regular plotted buoys, No. f. ana
| there was nothing to make anyone sus-
picious The vessel blew up on the pors
| side. and the starboard side was to tho
| Spanish vessel
Senator Foraker-"T saw statement i'll
paper that a Spanish vessel was the
| last one before you anchored at that
/ buoy?"
THE La Gasca came out and anchored
| the day before or the second day befors
we went in. She has torpedo tubes. l
was informed several days after the ex-
| plosion by a Cuban who said his father
was an American citizen that the La
Gasca was General Weyler's dispatch
boat. the one used by him in any tour
about the waters of the island. The cap
tain of that vessel never called on me
| ! do not know why. Perhaps he thought
| his was too small a vessel 7 permitted
myself to suspect him. but / must say
never had anything in the nature OF
proof"
Senator Morgan-Had you any intima-
tion of danger?
Never, except one day when I was
! going to a bullfight [ received a placard
handed to me in the street and l took II
and put it in my waistcoat pocket and
went on to the bullfight.
WAS there any writing on it?'
! THAT was another. which was SEM
through the mails. and on the bottom
! was written, Look out for your ship
! These cards are sent by these people
| General Lee gets them periodically When
some one complained of it, he asked il
| there was any date on it. He said the
| people generally fixed a date for his as
| sassipation. 1t also said, Viva Wey-
ler,' and Viva SPAIN and Down with
the United States Of America. etc"
Els testimony closed with the response
81 have none whatever-none from the
first minute, to the question of Senator
Foraker, You have no doubt your shiI
was destroyed by an explosion from the
outside?"
Commander f. B. Bradford. United
States Navy, who is at present chief OF
the Bureau of Equipment, Navy Depart
ment outlined the various kinds of tor
pedoes and mines now in use. Questioned
BY Senator Morgan regarding the danger
from the Spanish fotilla of torpedo boat:
and topedo destroyers. he said: Il am no
impressed as much as many naval officer:
with the dangerous character of torpedo
boats and topedo destroyers. They art
frai craft, because everything is sacri
feed 10 speed and weights are kept dowI
fer that reason, and. very thin plates
I5ced i'm their construction, very Sligh
frames, and they are easily deyanged
may say that they are boats of possibili
ties rather than of probabilities. Unde
certain conditions they are 10 doub
very formidable. Their chief value, il
my opinion is in preventing blockades,
in ports that are attempted to be block
AIDED"
Asked his opinion as to the cause of tn