New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-05
MINES BOUGHT FOR HAVANA
DETAILED STATEMENT BY THE MAN
WHO MADE THEM.
HE BELIEVES THB MAINE WAS BLOWN Up By A

HE BELIEVES THE MAINE WAS BLOwN Up By A
GROUND NINE. AND SAYS 1T COULD NOT
HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT.
London. April "details have been obtained
by the Associated Press of the manufacture Of
submarine mines In London for Spain. which
fact was first brought to the attention Of the
United States Embassy and cabled to the Asso-
catcd Press On March >. A man, whose card
describes him being an electrical engineer,
and whose name WAS forwarded at the time to
Washington. then said he sold to Spanish officers
in London several years ago a large number Of
mines eight or ten of which were placed in
Havana Harbor He said they were made In a
special way. and had a specially constructed
cable which he can identify II the smallest piece
IS produced Some Of the mines fixed so
that they could be fred from fort while two
OF them had bulbs so arranged that they would
explode upon a vessel coming in contact with
them He added however. that he did not be-
lleve the bulbs Houd be used In water as shall
low as that Of Havana Harbor. Finally, he ex-
hibitcd plans Of one Of these mines, which. he
said was the most likely to produce the effect
described in the wreck Of the Maine 1t was
numbered ID" and constructed to contain
five hundred pounds Of guncotton.
Lieutenant J. c. Colwell. the United states
Naval Attachh. has since investigated the matter
ard has made Il report on the subject to the
United States Government. The facts learned
strongly tend TO show that Havana Haroor
was mined. and they unquestonably prove that
Spain purchased mines for that purpose. The
firm of Lattimer Rhodes e. Clark, electrical
engineers. in 1SS1SS filed a large order FOR
Spain Of mines in which were used fourteen ana
n half tons Of Guncotton. The work was done
undcr thu supervision o. General fernann'Z anu
CAPTAIN BusillnontO. The latter was then head
of tn. 81 luish Torpedo school. BY the order OF
thcso officers the mines were divided INTO loui
consicnmcnts for Havana. Ferro Cadiz ana
Carthagena The mines We're , manu I.ac 1,,
LrdDr thu dir. rtion of J. p. Gibbons. after GlD-
l,ns's patents. which are described IN SIcinch
book on torprlocs ana mines.
Gibbons. from whom representative o. the
Associated Press obtains the Information, ana
who furnished Lieutenant Colwen with WrIt-
ten statement of the foregoing facts and out,
lined his theory - the explosion which wrecked
th. Maine was then employed by the firm as
suporinteniort ~ the torpedo department. He
also says a similar lot Of torpedoes was manu-
factur,d for Spain in 1916. The manager OF the
Westminster Engineering Company which Is
tn, successor of the firm Of Lattlmer, Rhodes
& Clark. and with which Gibbons Is connected
confirms tho lattcr's statement ms to the manu-
f1cturc ~ mines for Spain.
Gibbons. who is a former sergeant Of en-
ginecrs ard "a Government inspector OF tor
prdocs. believes the Names first explosion was
caused by what Is technically called ground
mine containing Ave hundred pounds Of gun
cotton Several such mines were manufactured
for Spain He has experimental with these
mines largely at Portsmouth. and says that once
laid they retain their properties for nifty years.
In addition. Gibbons asserts that II Is aDso-
lutely impossible for them to explode accident
ally as the electric currents for their explosion
are formed only by the manipulation OF a COM
plicajcl keyboard. especially devised to prevent
accidents Three keys are necessary, which are
always kcp; in the possession OF different OFF,
Gers and even II an outsider obtained pos
session Of them. II would be impossible TO ma
n.pulaie the keyboard without Instructions
Gibbons further says the mines and their con-
Meeting cables are numbered. and he asserts he
would he able TO Identify them II any part were
secured