The record-union., 1898-03-18
NEW SQUADRON
NAVAL VESSELS,
Continued from First Page.)

tCOut4HueO from FIRST PdSe.J
over an hour Both parties to the
conference were extremely reserved at
its conclusion. 1t is understood how
ever, that it developed no new phases,
but was a general talk in which pacific
assurances We're exchanged and
hopeful view of the situation expressed.
AT that time the naval orders taking
the battleships Texas and Massachu-
! setts from Key West and assigning
| them to the fleet at Hampton Roads
was not known at the State Depart
ment, SO the Minister was not officially
Informed of the fact He heard it
later, and was naturally much graft
fed, as the gradual Strengthening Of
the fleet at Key West had been the
subject of grave apprehension by the
Spanish Government
The semi-official statement given out
at Madrid advising the Government
that demand for indemnity based on
Spanish responsibility for the Maine
explosion would be Indignantly rapeilad
by Spain attracted much interest in
official circles There has been little
doubt for some time that Spain was
| preparing for the contingency Of an
adverse report by the American Court
of Inquiry, and to that end was pre-
pairing to anticipate and offset it by
making clear the Governments policy
by standing by the report of the Span
ish Commission. The report of the
latter body was due in Madrid yester-
day, and while its conclusions are not
officially known, it is a foregone CON
clusion that it will find that the Maine
disaster was due to accident resulting
in internal explosion. This was fore
shadowed in the advance utterances Of
Captain Peral, head of the Spanish
Commission, who stated positively sew
eral days ago that the theory of ex-
ternal explosion was untenable.
Along the the semi-official statement
from Madrid that demand for in
demnity will be Indignantly repelled. is
the further statement from reliable
sources that Spain has made il clear
to the authorities here that interyen-
tlon may lead to war. The prospects
of such Intervention appear to be s.
r1ously entertained by Spain, 3nd
strong efforts have been made to avert
it by showing that the condition of tbe
reconcentrados did not warrant the
step, and also that it would threaten to
end all prospects of further pacific ne
gotiations
Both Governments have been sound
ing each other on the activity Of the
other in searching for ships. but there
mas been little ground for objection on
either side, as both have been in the
same markets. The American Gov
ernment explains its buying of ships
on the ground that Spain's attitude has
peen SO menacing as naturally to call
for an augmented navy while Spain
taxes the same view, that the activity
IN the United States requires suitable
preparations by the Spanish navy
Ihe report that Spain had protested
against filibustering expedition ia
Puerto Rico cannot be verified. as
officials here say this expedition has
not as yet got away.
nave determined to give it publicitv
Therefore, even the admirably designed
naval cipher code could not be relied
on with complete satisfaction and at
the PRESIDENTS instance Admiral Sicard
| was directed to place the documents
In the custody of some naval officer
according TO the usual method and
forward them to Washington in that
manner. Whether this officer has
started or not is not yet known but
! II he and Admiral Sicard have eye
cuted their orders with regular naval
promptness it will not be long before
the President is placed in possession
of such information and conclusions as
| the court has so far reached
| 1t is not even known positively that
| these conclusions are final. but if the
! ordinary routine of the courts inquiry
| has been followed in this case they
| probably are, unless the Secretary of
the Navy, after looking into the testi-