Evening star., 1898-04-14
THE MAINE DISASTER
Report of the Senate Investigating
Committee.
GEN. LEES IMPORTANT TESTIMONY
He Thinks the Ship Was Blown
Up BY Spanish Officers.
o 7 Fl E R E VID E N G E

The testimony token before the Senate
ccmnittee on foreign relations in connec-
ton with the investigation into the rela-
tions between the United States and Cuba
vas made public today. It constitutes o
ok OF sbout $50 pages. and includes not
only the testimony taken since the disaster
to the Maine, but also much that was taken
before, and running back for a year or
more.
The statement which contains the great
est current interest is that made by Consul
General Lee on the 18th instant. In this
settlement, General Lee said that he was
Informed on very good authority that the
Sraniards had placed two rows Of torpe-
does just at the mouth of the Havana har-
Dor by MORO Castle within the past two
months, or subsequent to the Maine dis
aster, and that the switchboard is in a
room in the castle. He said, however that
he had no information of the placing of
any torpedoes before the Maine was de-
stroyed. and none in regard to the pur-
chase abroad by the Spanish authorities
Have you any reason to suppose that
the harbor was mined at all before the
blowing up of the Maine?' asked Senator
Frye
mo, sir; had no reason to suspect any
thing of the sort up to that time" He
then went on to say that General Weylers
letter to Santos Guzman had led him to
believe that mines might have been placed
there previous to the Name incident, and
he said that this supposition was strength
ened by a telegram from General Weyler,
of which he had cognizance. Upon the
whole he thought the Weyler letter the
Laino letter. was a correct copy of genu-
Inc letter. The telegram to which he re-
ferred was addressed TO Eva Camel. a noted
Spanish woman. and an admirer OF Wey-
lcr's, and to Senior Guzman, and it reads as
fellows:
Grave circumstances cause me to ask
YOU to destroy the last letter of February
49,
General Lee said that this telegram had
never before been published, and he found
in it a strong confirmatory evidence Of the
genuineness of the Weyier letter.
Responsibility for the Maine.
With reference to the responsibility for
the destruction of the Maine General Lee
said:
Il am satisfied the explosion was brom
the outside. / cabled the State Department
a
it was almost certain that the explosion
was from the exterior. l have always had
an idea about the Maine that, of course,
1t was not blown up by any private indi-
vidual or by any private citizen, but it was
blown up by some of the officers who had
charge of the mines and electrical wires
and torpedoes In the arsenal there, who
thoroughly understood their business. for
it was done remarkably well.
Il do not think General Blanco. the pres
ent captain and governor general of the
Island of Cuba. had anything to do with
it. l do not think he had any knowledge
of it. 1 saw him just shortly after the oc-
currence. 1 was sitting in my room at the
hotel and from the balcony of the hotel l
could hear this. heard the explosion and
saw a great column of fire go up in the
air. few moments after ascertaining
that 1t was the Maine 1 went right down to
the palace and asked for General Blanco.
He came in directly by himself. He had
just heard it and was crying; tears were
coming out of his eyes. He seemed to re-
gret it as much as anybody l saw in Iia-
vana; but 1 think it came from some Of the
subaltern officers who had been there un-
der Weyler. and who were probably anti
Blanco anyhow, and who had full kEowl-
edge of the business"
General Lee said that he had seen a copy
of a telegram from Admiral Mantero.ia,
dated In Havana prior to the explosion OF
the Maine, to the Spanish commission In
London, asking the commission TO hurry
up the electrical cables"
Whether that referred to wire for sub
marine mines or torpedoes do not KNOW"
he continued. Il tried to ascertain If any OF
the wire electrical cables had arrived
here, but they came on Spanish ships and
could not find OUT
General Lee said that this testimony in
regard to Mantcrolla, and also that with
reference to the Weyler telegram, had been
furnished to the court of inquiry which in
vestigated the Maine disaster but had not
been sent to Congress nor published be-
cause of request of his made to the State
Department not to make them public, las
was afraid the Spanish papers there
would republish it and they would prob
ably kill the man that gave it to me-"
Continuing his testimony. Gen. Lee said
that ten minutes after the explosion he
was at the palace talking to Gen. Blanco.
and that the latter gave him an order for
a boat to take him out into the harbor.
Senator Morgan asked II when he got to
the waters edge he saw any lights burn
ing.
No Electric Lights Went Out.
Il did not notice that" said Gen. Lee.
but have made inquiries since, and have
asccrtained that no electric lights went
cut. / sent for electric light men and gas
n en-. Some gas Jets went out in one or
two places, caused by the shock or some
thing. but could not ascertain from these
Ten that a sirgle electric light went out
One Of the electric light men whom called
up is a friend of mine. and ne sent for the
man who has direct charge OF the lights.
who came to my office. This man said he
had not heard of any such thing 1 said 1
want to know with certainty The man
then made an explt ration of an hour or
two, and returned, saying that, with the
exception of one electric light near the
harbor and one at another place not very,
far distant, where he thought perhaps.
~ A STNmT A