Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-05
THE CASE AGAINST SPAIN.
Strong Probability that One of These De-
stroyed the Mnine-Fising Span
ish Responsibility.

London. April "details have been
obtained by the Associated Press of the
manufacture of submarine mines In
London for Spain which was first
brought to the attention Of the United
States embassy and cabled to the AS
ISOLATED Press on March 4th.
a man whose cards described him as
being an electrical engineer and whose
name was forwarded Mt the time to
Washington, then said he sold to Span
ish officers In London, several years
ago, u large number of mines eight or
ten of which were placed in Havana
harbor He said they We're made In a
special way. had a specially con-
structed cable, which he can identify If
the smallest piece is produced and, he
added. that some of the mines were
fixed so that they could be fired from
Il fort. while two of them had bulbs so
arranged that they would explode upon
a vessel coming into contact with them.
The man added. however. that he did
not believe the bulbs would be used In
water as shallow as that of Havana
harbor Finally the man exhibited
plans Of one of these mines. which he
said was the most likely to produce the
effect described as causing the wreck
OF the Maine. II was numbered "2,
and was constructed to contain 500
pounds of gun-cotton.
Lieut. Commander j. c. Colwell. the
United States naval attache, has since
investigated that matter,and he made
report on the subject to the United
States government. The facts learned
strongly tend to show that Havana
harbor. was mined. and they unques-
tionably provo that Spain purchased
mines for that purpose.
ha lynn nf I.nttipNpr Rhodes q
Clark electrical engineers. during 1857
1888 filled Il large order for Spain of a
lot of mines In which were used four
teen and half tons of gun-cotton. The
work was directly under the Hurveil-
lance of Gen. Fernandez and Capt, BUS
tnmento. The latter was then the head
of the Spanish torpedo school, BY or
der of these officers. the mines were d.
vided into four consignments. for Ha-
vana, Ferrol, Cadz and Carthagena.
The mines We're manufactured under
the direction of ]. p. Gibbons after
ward Gibbons's patents, which are de-
scrbed in Scemen's book on torpedoes
and mines
Gibbons, from whom representative
of the Associated Press obtains the In
formation and who furnished Lieut.
Commander Colwell written state
ment of the above facts and outlined
his theory OF the explosion which
wrecked the Maine. was then em
ployed by the firm as superintendent OF
the torpedo department He also says
similar lot OF torpedoes was manu-
featured for Spain in 1896.
The manager of the Western Engi-
neering company. which is the success
or of the aforementioned irm,and with
which Gibbons Is connected, confirms
the latters statement as to the manu-
facture of mines for Spain.
Gibbons, who is an ex-sergeant of en-
gineers and government inspector of
torpedoes. believes the Names first
explosion was caused by what Is tech
nicnlly called ground mine, contain
ing 500 pounds Of gun-cotton, several OF
which were manufactured for Spain.
He has experimental with these
mines largely ut Portsmouth, and says
that once laid they retain their proper
ties for fifty years.
In addition, Gibbons asserts that It IA
absolutely impossible for them to ey
plpde accidentally. az the electrical cur
rents for their explosion are formed
only by the manipulation of compll-
Gated key especially devised to avoid