The Yale expositor., 1898-03-04
BEGINS TO LOOK NARL|KE.
Investigation of the Maine Disaster
Shows Treachery.
UNCLE SAM is GETTING READY.
Will not be Caught Mapping IL War Should
be the Outcome of the Afair-Con-
sul-GeneraI Lee Advised Americans to
Leave Havana.

Special cables from Havana state
that the naval court of inquiry has
practically concluded its Investigations
at Havana and will now secure testi-
mony of survivors of the Maine at Key
West. II is believed that the court is
unanimously of the opinion that the
Maine was destroyed by an outside ex-
plosion. Unfortunately, for the pub
lie is eager for an official settlement of
the vexed question of who caused the
Names loss, it is not certain that a
public announcement of the conclusions
reached by the board will follow inn
mediately. Upon the report of these
conclusions to the secretary of the
navy, in the discretion of the depart
ment, it is not unlikely that public
action may be somewhat delayed. 1t
is even possible that, for prudent rea-
sons, the filing of the boards report
may itself be delayed beyond
date when its expeditions work
would seem to warrant conclusion of
its labors.
Bottling up navy officers by threats
of courtmartial does not prevent the
leading facts of the Maine inquiry be-
coming known. The divers arc dcvcl-
oping important results. From ex-
animation of the interior wrecIagc
they have secured evidence which
seems conclusive that the explosion
came from underneath the ship. Some
of the smaller magazines may have eX-
ploded. The main 10-inch magazine
did not explode.
q 1t has been discovered that the for.
ward part of the keel Of the Maine,
with its ribs and plates, was stove SO
far upward that parts of the shattered
double bottom show out OF the water,
and in places sections of the grecn-
painted outer hull are visible.
The hull is now Embedded in the
mud to the depth of eight feet. The
divers sink to their armpits in the mud
and have the greatest difficulty in
prosecuting their work.
A message has been received at the
state department from nsul-Gencral
Lee, expressing the opinion from what
he knows that the disaster to the Maine
was not an accident. This, of course.
is not the final verdict of the court of
inquiry, but it gives the administration
warning OF what is to come. The New
York Herald, which has been very con-
sentative, says There is no longer any
reason To- doubt that the explosion
which wrecked tho Maine came from
underneath the vessel and that her
magazines had nothing TO do with the
initial explosion, and played a Inuch
smaller part IN the general disaster
than was At first supposed
The Washington Star, which is cX-
trcncly conservative and strongly adj
mlnlStrdtion, states gudrdcdly that the
administration has concluded that war
Is inevitable. but is determined to post
pone 1T a. long as possible. IN order
that we may be better prepared. a
member of the foreign relations com
mIttce is authority for the statement.
There is no use mincing words or us.
ing qualifying phrases, President Me-
KInley is being forced into war. II is
now practically only question Of ways
and means His long delay in taking
action on the Cuban question was to
induce Spain to sell Cuba to the insur
gents, and II is believed the he would
prefer to settle the Maine matter by
Spain paying large indemnity in case
il IS shown that the destruction OF the
Maine was not accidental But the
voice Of patriotic people burning for
vengeance is being heard from all sides
and the President will be found in line
with the people 1t is believed that
il will be well To delay the inevitable
as long as possible We are ready, in
general way. but there are certain
points Of weakness which it is imper-
alive should be strengthened before
active hostilitieS are invited
There is not department in the
government in which their is wanting
the active evidences Of the fact that
every one in authority believes there
will be trouble and it is high time to
prepare for it. In the navy department
there is manifest the greatest activity.
One of it's earliest steps following the
destruction OF the battleship was the
issuance of an order TO the commander
of the European squadron calling all
of his vessels out of the Mediterranean
sea. 1t would have been exceedingly
foolish, to have allowed these ships to
have remainded in that inland sea,
where they might have been caught by
the Spanish navy at disadvantage.
These ships will rendezvous off the
Portuguese coast in the vicinity of Lis
bon, where they will await further or
ders. 1t is probable that they will at
once be'ordered to the United States.
At no time since the war Of the re-
bellion has the military branch of the
government been so active as it is to-
day. 1t does not follow that war will
come, but activity in both the war and
navy departments is too unmistakable
To be concealed.
Waiting is the word that character
ICES the attitude of the administration.
The President waits with anxiety for
what the board of inquiry may report.
There can be no doubt that he will be