The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-24
summed up. when this dispatch was sent

summed up, when this dispatch was sent
this afternoon, substantially as follows:
The divers having discovered cases of
brown hexagonal powder for the ten-inch
guns unexploded, and believing also that
others unexploded will be found in the ten
inch magazine on the starboard side for
ward, the conviction grows that this maga-
zine did not blow up. If this be So and
many have insisted from the first that it is,
the further conviction is forced that the
explosion which wrecked the Maine came
from the outside on the port bow AS pre-
viously wired, the main portion of the
wreck, as seen from above and noted from
below, was blown to starboard.
The highest American officials here are
confident that General Blanco and the
ocher high Spanish officials had no knowl-
edge, direct or indirect. OF the conception
or execution of plot to blow up the Maine,
If such plot existed, but they believe the
junior Spanish officers, who from the ma
ture of things are more conversant with
modern explosives than their elders and
superiors, were at the bottom of the disas-
ter, If there were any outside agency. II
is pointed out that it would not be impos-
slble to plant a mine Of wet and dry gun
cotton near where a foreign war vessel was
eating with an electric battery on shore. 1t
is regarded as an interesting point that the
Maine, for the first time during her stay
In the harbor, lay at the particular spot
where she was at the time of the catas-
trophe and it is said, though not officially
verified, that the Maine was the first for
eign war vessel moored to this particular
buoy since the troubles in Cuba grew
acute
All stories as to lax discipline on the
Maine are without shadow of truth. On
the contrary, Captain Sigsbee was COM
planned of by some for the rigidity of his
rules and the strictness with which he en-
forced them. Moreover, the Maine has been
IN commission for years and never had a
serious accident until anchored in this quiet
harbor.
In reply to a question put by the corre-
spondent to high American official as to
what the outcome would be If it were
proved that the disaster was due to an out
side agency, the official in question said
Sir, the American people could not be re-
strained. l mean war. STILL l doubt wheth-
er it would be necessary to fire a shot Ad-
min al Sicard could anchor the Iowa, the In
diana, the Massachusetts and the New
York outside Havana harbor to prevent the
ingress of the food supplies, without which
the city could not exist a fortnight. Cuba
is waste of ashes and desolation. Even
the hotels and cafes here in Havana live
from hand to mouth, on supplies brought
from the United States. If Admiral Sicard
demanded the surrender of Havana, giving
twenty-four hours for the removal of the
women and children, surrender would fol-
low. The forts are old structures and could
hn cIA1 hxra et~y-
guns as have been mounted are short of
ammunition and have never been tried. If
General Blanco should decline to surrender,
the Spanish merchants here, who represent
50 per cent. of the property and pay rs per
cent. of the taxes of the island. would COM
pei him to accede to Admiral Sicards terms
AS for the volunteers, the men are for the
most the employees of these merchants, and
the volunteer officers are largely their sons
or their junior partners.
1T is well to look these things in the face
At the same time it is we'll for the Ameri-
cans to restrain themselves until there is
some proof of an outside agency of explo-
sion. We can afford to wait little longer,
seeing that we have waited so long. We
could not wait after it had once been
proven that the Maife disaster was the re-
suit of a dastardly plot. Spanish officers
from the old country hold to the unaccount-
able belief that their arms would overcome
us in a few weeks, but the Cuban
merchants have no such delusion, and they
would control the situation. Hence, l be-
lieve that no shot from a big American gun
will be necessary
These sentiments fairly represent those
of best informed Americans here. Any mo-
ment, however, may chronicle discoveries
at the wreck that would change all this. A
member of the court of inquiry who con-
versed with the correspondent to-day
strongly deprecated any premature express
sion or evidence of resentment on the part
of the people of the United States until it
was proven that the disaster resulted from
some other cause than accident, careless
ness or the visitation of Providence. Ger
tainly the members of the court of in
quiry, cool, experienced and judicial, will
not lose their heads. One thing seems GER
tain, if the Maine was blown up by an out
side agency the agent was a mine and not
a torpedo, as no torpedo known could have
produced such tremendous results
-1-
A DAYS DEVELOPMENTS.