The Washington herald., 1912-03-25

cause of the ships destruction was an
exterior agency placed beneath the ves-
seI The Vreeland board went so far
as to declare that this agency was a
submarine mine of low pressure combus-
tion. This point alone confirms the
statement as published in The Herald as
TO the agency used AS to how this
mine was placed and how It came TO be
exploded, l do not believe there Is any
official record. / have heard. however.
in whispers, l might say, from persons
VINO assured me that they have learned
70 their own satisfaction. that this mine
was manufactured by and placed near
the Maine by officers of the government
then in control at Havana
Another orf1cer now on duty in WASH
ington gave an account OF later devel-
! opments which the older officer declined
to state further than to admit that they
he heard IT. The second officer gave
the story as Il had been told 10 him by
an, officer who was on, duty for some
time in Havana, subsequent TO the
Maine disaster. He said that offlcer
had spent much of his spare time in
making a personal investigation and had
developed what he declared to be TO his
satisfaction the following facts:
That the mine was made either from
powder. with an electric cable attached.
The authorities at Havana had made
plans TO blow up the Maine in the event
of declaration of war. II was sur
missed that in case the American gov
ernment declared war the Maine would
Immediately leave the harbor so as TO
avert the possibility Of falling a victim
Of mines. The mine was conveyed TO
spot near the Maine on a lighter,
nd urh ntIf n
timony OF Capt Sigsbee before the
Sampson court, came near fouling the
battle ship by reason OF the current,
was discovered by the captain, and
warned by him that she was violating
the harbor regulations and was running
without lights at a great risk.
Sigsbee had no authority over the har-
Dor and could say no more.
To Provoke War.
The men on the lighter had already
accomplished their purpose and had
planted the mine between the two buoys
marking the channel through which the
Maine would be compelled to pass on
her way out to sea. 1t was planned that
no chance should be taken as to the
possibility OF war II the Maine should
weigh anchor. Even though no war was
declared and the Maine was leaving as
peacefully as she came. the authorities
were TO take no chance on an uncer-
tainty Of future developments, but were
TO get even with the American govern
ment for the aid that had been provided
the rebels by fIibustering expeditions in
this country and by the moral support OF
the Americans generally.
The mine was placed on the night of
February II. Next day the secret fell
into the hands of the rebels through the
man in whose house or shed the contact
button had been placed. A few rebel
leaders who almost Immediately learned
of this decided to take the situation into
their own hands and act the following
night This prompt action was decided
upon for fear that war might be declared
at any moment, or that the Maine might
leave at any moment. and that they
would thus lose the aid of an important
weapon of the American navy.
The rebel plan was to set on the mine
and thus infiame the American nation
by what would appear an attempt of
the government TO blow up the battle
ship. And so. shortly after nlghtfall, the
button was pressed. Nowhere was there
greater CONSERVATION than among the
rebels themselves when the result be-
came known. The explanation of how
the ship came over the mine confirms
that OF the testimony in the court of
inquiry. By a peculiar current in that
channel of the harbor. caused by the
trade winds at that season, the ships
anchorage had become changed every
two or three days, passing almost from
one buoy to another, and by this action
of the current had swung over the mine
at the time the button was pressed.