New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1911-09-09
AVAILABLE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
MORE LIGHT ON THE
"MAINE.'

The new evidence Of an out
side explosion that has come to
light in exploring the wreck Of thu
battleship Maine has caused some
thing of reversal of earlier opin-
ions Perhaps the country was
right after all in blaming some
unknown Spaniard for it. many
are now saying. Dispatches from
Havana state that "the double
bottom of the Maine is greatly ele-
waited above its normal position.
apparently giving confrmatorv
evidence of a tremendous exterior
explosion. and that curved piece
Of steel has been found in the con
fused mass Of wreckage surround.
ing the bow that is believed to be
what Ensign Powclson identified
before the Sampson Court of In
quiry as part Of the keel. " All
of which leads the New York
Times to conclude that the Samp-
son Courts decision has been just
flied by the facts. Says The
Times:
"When the Sampson Board oe
Inquiry made. a few days after
the sinking of lie Maine. IAN ex-
animation Of the wreck as nearly
complete as the facilities at its
command permitted. the members
reached the conclusion. founded
chiefly on the reports of divers,
that the ship was destroyed by
submarine bomb. the explosion Of
which had exploded two or more
Of the Names own magazines. In
other words, they found that thera
had been both outside and inside
explosions. the latter doing the
greater part Of the damage to the
Null, but itself the direct conse-
quence Of the former, and there
fore not to be regarded as a causa-
tive factor in the case.
"The board expressed no opin-
ion as to who placed or fred the
bomb, and that question remains
to this day. OF the
many stories that have been told.
some duplicating the Spanish au-
thorities of the island and some
the revolntionists. none has been
supported by evidence even to the
point of plausibility, and all have
ultimately been dismissed az mere
inventions. The findings of
the Sampson Board, the accuracy
of which has been so often doubt
ed or denied, are not impugned.
but indicated. All can now see
what the divers dimly saw-parts
of the keel and bottom blown up
ward through the ships decks. |
This can mean only one thing. and |
the one thing is an initiatory out. |
side explosion"
Gathering encouragement from
early comments by American edi-
tors. the Madrid La Correspondent
ria de Espana suggests that the
United States Government "pub-
icly proclaim Spanish innocence
n the explosion" to which the
Harrisburg Telegraph readily re-
plies, eff We are to maintain to-
ward other nations the attitude of
egal fairness which we insist on in
'ur own courts, we must give
spain the benefit of the doubt"
But practical certainty should
'recede apologies. and Spain can
wait, thinks the New York Tri-
'une. To quote:
1.-THE demand Of La Correspond
ncia is premature. obviously. be-
aase the wreck Of the Maine has
ot yet been fully uncovered. No
omplete inspection of it has yet
cen made or is yet possible. i
'ur Spanish friends will certainly
gree with us in thinking that
nal judgment should not be given
ntil final disclosures are made
Further disclosures are con.
IDENTIFY expected BY many editors
no are now more conservative.
[eanwhile. the Government eng;-
GERS are bending to their task
nd the Names keel is gradually
merging from the mud. A CON-
lete report will eventually be
ade by the authorities. unless,
has been suggested, the Golfer
I'm should collapse and effective
bury evidence that i already
'nflicting enough.-Literary Di-
1T.