New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-03
4 GUESS AT THE MAINE FINDiNu'
NAVAL OFFICERS IN HAVANA sAiD ~
RELIEVE IN THE THEORY OF
rro.r1NG SUBMARINE MINE.

FLOATING SUBMARINE MINE.
r,ra,. f,,, Kcv west). March 2.-Wthout
adding unnecessarily to the flood OF surm,se'
,o,,oc,rro ard nronhecy concerning the finding
Of the Court Of Inquiry 1t is fair to say that' as
n matter NJ fact. most Of the naval officers mere
and NJ Kew West incline to the opinion that the
Court Of Inquiry will find that the disaster u
tho Maine was caused by the explosion Oh
eoo.,nr submarine mine under the port size Oh
tho shin forward of amidships. Opinions dHer
nc N whether this mine was made OF high eX-
n,osives such as wet and dry gun-cotton OF
ordinary gunpowder.
Oninions concur not only as TO the existence
NJ mines in the harbor. hut also tnat tnis o"e
was laid purposeIy near the buoy where iore'e"
war vessels were directed to moor and WAS Hieu
nv n fash from an electric battery on shore'
II ,s believed barely possible that the expio-
sion OF the mine was the result OF the
moss or ignorance Of Spanish officers In charge OF
,ho wilma station KEYS. when testing the circuit
r. tho latter supposition is not felt to be PROB
49, 7. ,s further regarded as settled by the
evidence before the Court that the por' ''u'
-. ,,o hull forward was completely blown 10
,,ooos and that the only explosion on the Maine
except Of Isolated cases Of fixed ammuhi'ioh'
was that OF 1000 pounds OF saluting po"oe''
stored forward and OF which no trace can De
found.
These views are gathered from officers VINO
,,,k with great reserve and only upon the as
surance that their identity Will never DC re-
veaIed The fact remains that only the he-
hers Of the Court Of Inquiry know all the 'es"-
n,onv elected and no one Is authorized 'o ih"N.
nublic the opinion OF members IN ao'a"'e Va
the final Judgment g..
A good deal OF surprise was Expressed ny
.,,ar,c,ns here at learning that Spanish divers
were TO be permitted to make an examination
=, Tho wreck ~ the Maine especially as 1t was
s.,d that American naval officers here would
Give such divers all consistent facilities anu
,s .hro,, M obstacles in the way OF thor
ou ~ submarine inspection. 1t was not al nrs'
...,sou.,ood as Il came to be later that the
cnor,sb search was to be entirely INDEPENDENT
"a that while II was being made the American
Investigation would proceed under captain" "'e'
bees supervision.
Tho, anv important testimony berore the
co,,r. bos found its way to the public Is unlike
i, coue ~ the witnesses have told certain
corresnondents of alleged testimony ut III every
- ;rves,ieation has shown their stories
.ud,,, ,mnrobable and controverted by KNOWN
facts or else absolutely irrelevant. some VI
tho correspondents have tried to extract iiiio'
walton from members OF the Court vi i'o''
Naval witnesses by putting what were uee"'eN
bv the ouestioners clever hypotheucai in'e'
suo,or,os But the questioners were not ex-
20. T., naval architecture and the questioned
We're So the results were unsausiac.oiy.
n.o.oh,,, tho Court knew before II left Havana
49, Vo, West whether the 10-inch magazine
-, .he starboard forward did or did not expiooe'
-. ,ho members gave no sign. and the divers
,,.ho talk At all contradict each other