San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-18
Battleship in Harbor Of
Havana on Friendly Mis-
sion Blown Up With Loss
of 25S Lives, Causing a
War.

the message that, on the night of
February 10, 1898, flashed under the
waters of Havana harbor, still vibrat-
ing from the shock of the terrific ex-
plosion which but a few hours before
had taken the life of 25S American
sailors and marines, and of two naval
officers. The message was from Capt.
Charles ID. Sigsbee, in command of
the Inflated Maine, to John d. Long,
secretary of the navy. 1t was filed
at the cable office in Havana shortly
before midnight, and few hours later
was on the tongues of millions OF
Americans.
That was % years ago, and the
events of that night, the events that
led ND to it. and those which fol-
lowed are recalled by the anniversary.
THE sinking of the Maine marked the
elimination OF years of strained dip
lomatic relations, and the closing
chapter of Spanish misrule in the
| Western hemisphere The sinking of
the ship, in itself, did not cause the
war. In the words of Captain Sigs-
bee. 1t was the ultimate incident
| which impelled the people of the
| United States to regard Spain as an
impossible neighbor.
Maine Ordered to Havana.
Ignorant of the role that they were
! to play in shaping the destinies of
| nations the crew of the Maine, on
| the night of January "a, 1898, had
banked their fires and were prepared
to turn in when the orders came to
90 to Havana. At that time the ship
| together with squadron composed
of the New York, Iowa, Massachu-
| sets, Indiana and Texas, was anchor
| ed off the southeastern entrance to
Tortugas Roads. The squadron had
| not long before then been at the south
ern drill grounds to the ei st of Cape
Charles, and was then cruising the
Atlantic seaboard awaiting orders. The
order came in the night and the Maine
got under way at once.
Captain SigsEee's orders were to
proceed to Havana to make friend
ly visit. At the same time a mes
sage was sent to General Fitzhugfr
Lee, United States consul general at
Havana, by the Department of State
at Washington, stating that 1t was
the intention of the government to re-
sumo friendly naval visits to Cuban
ports, and advising that the Name
would arrive in a few days. Ih3e
had been serious rioting few days
before between Cuban revolutionists
and the forces of General Blanco and
General Lee advised the State De-
partment Immediately upon receipt OF
the message, telling of the proposed
visit of the Maine, to postpone the
visit six or seven days, until the last
excitement had disappeared. The or
ders, however, had already been given
and the ship was under way.
In the early hours of morning, jan
nary %, it arrived off the coast of
Cuba Captain Sigsbee did not wish
TO reach the harbor at early daylight,
preferring rather to enter when the
city was fully awake, 81. he eStab-
lished a landfall well to the westward
of the port and had the ship put in
order, When all was in, readiness, the
shin under full steam and almost
paralleling the shoreline proceeded to-
ward the city. In response to a sig
nal given by the ship, pilot put out
and ,ook it through the narrow en-
trance and into the harbCr. Slowly
the ship, the pride of the American
navy, moved N and was moored to
buoy No. 4, chosen by the pilot. The
ship never left the buoy, taking 1t
down when the explosion sent 1t TO
the bottom.
Courtesies Are Observed.
Following out his orders to pay a
friendly visit to Havana, Captain Sigs-
bee proceeded with the conventional
forms of etiquette and interchanges OF
courtesies that are ObserN ed between
the navies and governments, of friend
lv nations. Statutes were fire and Of
fetal visits made. Unfriendly demon
STATIONS which it was at first feared
. vould result from the ships visit did
not materialiZe, and it seemed that
the avowed purpose for tie snip s
presence in the harbor would be real
lied. in spite of the fact that Spanish
authorities, according to messages sent
by General Lee to the State Depart
ment, chose to think the United States
had Interior purposes IL Mid. mat
the ship had as part of its mission
the protection of Americans in Cuba
was common knowledge. That there
was need for this protection, was a
matter which over-zealous patriots
ignored. They could see nothing in
the visit but an insult and in pam
phlet and speech they advocated
death to the Americans. Death to
autonomy"
However, these were only few and
the visit continued without flaw in
its peacefulness until the night of the
EXPLOSION. All of the 26 officers but
four and all members of the crew
: BIS in number-were aboard. The
crew except those on the night watch,
had turned in. Some of the officers
were in their staterooms or in the
mess rooms below, while others were
on the main or upper deck. Captain
Sigsbee sat at the table in the ad-
miral's cabin writing home. At taps,
ten minutes after nine, ..e laid down
his pen to listen to the call. In the
still oppressive night, he recounted
afterwards, it sounded singularly beau
tiful. and he remarked the faGcis""'
effects given to it by the marine bu-
gler. Newton. The call meant "turn
in and keep quiet" and when its
echoes had died away absolute ST.
lence prevailed n the sh;p. Captain
Sigsbee returned to letter writing and
was Just enclosing. the last one in an
envelop when the explosion came.
Knew What Had Happened.
The ship, moored to the buoy where
II had first been made fast by the
Spanish pilot, was headed in the usual
direction. that is to The northward and
westward. A short distance astern
WIS the American steamer City OF