The record-union., 1898-02-28
THE MAINE DISASTER-THE CASE
TO THIS DATE.

Pending the receipt of the official re-
port of the Board OF Inquiry, judgment
concerning the Maine disaster must be
suspended. But this BIZ no means i'm
plies that silence concerning it should
be maintained. 1t is legitimate and pro-
fitable to review the facts thus far de-
veloped worthy Of being denominated
such. An examination will serve to clear
the intelligence of the mass of rubbish
and fiction the sensational press has
been forcing upon public attention.
Very careful examination and note
taking of all dispatches of every char
acter received and published in the
newspapers OF all classes having regular
or special means of ascertaining facts
and publishing news, justify these con-
clusions under present lights, and they
include careful weighing Of the opin-
ions of naval and other experts, and the
statements Of Government officials
First-There is no known torpedo that
could possibly have directly caused such
a wreck, no matter how placed on the
exterior of the ship. But a mine OF
sufficient capacity could be planted so
as TO have produced the effects now
visible at the wreck.
Second-A torpedo, or missile floating
or carried, might have been placed un-
der the Maine that would have caused
explosion of one or more of her maya
zines and have produced the effects that
followed the wrecking Of the ship. 1t
IS a fact that the wreck of the Maine
is sinking into the bottom of the small
bay, which bottom is lined with mud
and the waters are not of great depth.
There is some significance in this in
support of the theory that the explosion
came from without and excavated or
Shattered the bottom beneath the Maine
so that she is sinking rather than set
tling. So, too, it is fact that at the
time Of the explosion the forward part
of the ship was lifted, and that this
tends to support the theory that the as
sault was from without and below.
Third-The Spanish Charge d'Affaires
ut Washington, with and by consent Of
bis Government, has made an explicit
and emphatic denial that the harbor OF
Havana was planted with torpedoes or
mines. While this is not official denial
by Spain, it is much the same thing.
Spain declines to make an official state
nent directly, because any request for
1t woald challenge the honor of the ma
ton
Fourth-It is a fact that spontaneous
combustion of coal in ships bunkers
takes place, and that the burning may
go on a very considerable time before
discovery, or indeed. may not be dis
covered until too late. Also, generation
Of gases in coal bunkers by reason Of alb
normal heat might cause an initial ex-
plosion that would result In the setting
Of Of one or more of the ships maya
zines. Or excessive heat in the bunk
ers might fire a magazine But against
this the fact is established that the in
dicators on the Maine disclosed only
normal heat in the coal bunkers.
F1fth-It would have been possible for
an enemy to have deposited bomb or
similar missile in the Maine that would
be sufficient to fire the magazines, one OF
more Of them.
Sixth-The ships boilers, it is reason
able 10 believe. from examination made
TO date did not explode. But if one OF
them did it could not have caused such
destruction on the Maine as did take
place.
Seventh-There is not a particle of
testimony thus far indicating, even re-
motley that the Spanish Government
was priv-y to or had any knowledge OF
the explosion. There is some reason to
suspect that Spanish Cuban volunteers,
who bitterly hate the United States,
or Spanish fanatic, or even a fanatieai
Cuban insurgent may have sent
against the Maine destruct-
i've missile sufficient TO cause sec
ondary explosions capable of wrecking
the ship.