Evening Star Newspaper, February 17, 1898, Page 9

THE EVENING STAR, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1898-14 PAGES. The Busy Corner, 8th and Market Space. S. Kann,Sons&Cc. - Remnant Day. We Can Always Depend on Friday As a Busy Day. No special season for Remnants—the right goods and the proper prices are all that is necessary to attract special attention. We offer the biggest card of the season tomorrow in our Remnant. Department, 3d floor, and our first floor bargain tables. 5.00 YARDS OF 45 AND 50-INCH ALL-WOOL FOULES AND RROCADES, IN ALL THE NE FINE QUALITIES, IN SKIRT AND = TW S8e. A YARD. . DRESS LENGTH — WHICH BLACK IMPORTED SERGES ¥ SPRING FAtren xt SUPER 89e. A HUE RTMENT OF 36 4 Goovs "K AND COLORS, WOULD CosT YOU YARDS FINE KY NUMPI FRENCH ‘OF TH WEEK 0} JEL SHORT LENGTH... ATED PACIFIC MILLS HAVE SHIPPED US 5 CASES MORE OF TH B LAWNS. THEY MAY NOT BE AS FI AS SOM! ¥ AND THE PATTER PrertTy Duck Suitings—all sorts, white, plaids and fancy stripes. Worth 124 and 15c. a yard Black Sateen Remnants—colors three times the price.. LU DING SPRING AS HIGH AS 49¢. A YARD-IF CUT FROM THE PIECE.... “MLIN-THE GREATESA FRENCH iD. ALL THE NEW tS AND FLORAL EFFECTS, AS MENT OF COLORS: RS ARE FAST HALF-WOOL DRESS DVELTIES. WHICH 19e. ORGANDIES. WE_ARE NOT SUPERSTITIOUS TO OFFER ARDS ON SUCH A DAY AS TOMORROW, SEUL DEAL WE EVER MADE WAS ON FR 7 THE YEAR—THE BECAUSE THE ae 15e. ‘ABe, 2986. navy and colored grounds, bias you paid 834c. AY. THE 13TH 13 ‘ACTURERS OF PLAIDS—THE as fast as they would be if 1,200 vards Fine Colored Sateen, in large and small checks, neat and gaudy plaids and novelty stripe 834c. Plain Colored Chambray—nearly as fine as the French kind—in a variety of colors..... -- 6IZe. 1 case of Dress Linens—white and natural grounds, with dots, stripes and small figure—fine and sheer. Worth 20c. a yard. 450 yards of Light Colored Satin Stripe Wool colorings—in large brocade designs. . 10c. Challies—bright -- 15e. 3 cases of New Percale Remnants—garnet, navy, black and white grounds, with neat effects........... Bed Ticking Remnants. Worth 12$c. a yard - Oc. An odd lot of about 300 yards of Ginghams, Crepes and Cheese Cloth... .- Light and Dark Double-face Outing Flannel—same as the 8c. qual- 34ke. Muslin—the 5¢ quality. In Remnants, IZ. 3 cases of the celebrated yard-wide New York Mills Fine Bleached Muslin—12$c. everywhere. Remnants......................- -6%c. CAN The. PERCALINE, 1. EVERYTHIN Silk Remnants! OFT MOIRE FE LORS, Bic. Lining Remnants. IN THE THIKD FLOOR REMNAN HED PERCALL ST CAMBRIC 5%e.—TWILLED § COLORS, DEPARTM Silk Remnants!! Silk Remnants!!! 500 picces more or less of Pretty Silk Ends, ranging in length from: 1 to 7 yards—in colors and black—suitable for trimmings, wai skirts. Prices— s and 19c., 25c., 35c., 39c., 49c. & 59¢, ist FLOOR FRONT— BARGAIN TABLE. Remnants of Table Linen, bleached and unbleached and Turkey red, 1} to 4-yard lengths. . From 20c. up Remnants of Plain and Fancy Cotton and Linen Crash and Kitchen Toweling S. KANN, SONS & CO 8th and Market Space. THE SAMOAN DISASTER. the Warships in Harbor. The only parallel to the Maine horror in the history of the Un dd States navy was the great Samoan disaster in March, 188), when four officers and forty-six men of the e COu: squadron lost their lives in a ne which swept the harbor of Apia, and surrounding waters March 15 When this hurricane started there Wreck of Apia - in the harbor of Apia the following of-war: The U. S. S. Trenton, Van- : the British ship Calliope, vessels Adler, Olga and Sber and a few merchant ships and smail craft. Adm forces, on the notwithst commanding the naval artment a long report r, in which he showed that s the utmost efforts of the officers ar en and a display of the most expert hip, the Vandalia and Nip- Bic we ed on a reef. The Vandal! lost and thirty-nine men, the Nip: man, w cident aboar: The admira!’s report showed that the Ad- ler had been thrown high up on a reef and was cureened on her side; that the Oiga had been beached in a good position. He said the Eber was nowhere to be seen, and reported that the Calliope, having suc- cessfully run out of the harbar during the beginning of the storm, had returned show- ing signs of having’ experienced heavy weather. In repor berly said d the Trenton, one as smashed by an ac- ship. ng on the disaster Admiral Kim- During the entire time Capt. Farquhar show at care and good judgment in © ship through this terrible and never left the bridge. He w: seconded by his executive and navi- . who did all in their power In fact, so far as I could all the officers behaved extremely gre handling t gale. ably observe, well under the trying circumstances, and performed their duties cheerfully, effective- ly. and as well as could be desired. This disaster 1 classify among the incidents and accidents inseparable from the prosecution of duty. Its magnitude, however, gives it a distinguishing feature, which, fortunate- ly. the service is rarely compelled to wit- ee Apple Exports Fifty Years Ago. From the Milwaukee Sentinel, February 8, 1848. The London Sun he arrival of States of America and the in extent, y tine. In arrived from Ss many the Amer Lrought fruit of known he <cellent description town pippin.”” s+... Se. up "9 SYMPATHY FROM SPAIN. Oficial Expression of Regret at Acci- dent to the Mnine. The following semi-official rote has been issued by the Spanish government at Mad- rid: The news of the disaster, of the Maine has caused a painful impression in Madrid. It was at first feared that there had been Some act of imprudence to which the ca- tastrophe was attributable. Afterward as the details arrived the fears were dispelled and took the form of feelings of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortune which has occurred. The captain general, the commandant of the arsenal, the sailors of the cruiser Alfonso XII, the crews of the merchant vessels and all the available forces hast- ened to succor the injured.” The government has expressed to Min- ister Woodford the regret it feels at the catastrophe, more especially as it occurred in waters within Spanish jurisdiction. An admiral in full uniform, in the name of the minister of marine, and the entire Spanish cabinet called on’ General Wood- ford today and informed him that the government had telegraphed to the author- tiles In Cuba to do their utmost to relieve the distress of the injured and to furnish the officers and crew of the Maine with everything which they may need. ——_+e-__ Be Proud of Red Hatr. From the Philadelphia Ledger. Instead of being dissatisfied with their lot, women with red hair should study how to use it becomingly, and be proud of the distinction of having it. There appears to be an impressicn among women with red hair, says an exchange, that almost any shade of blue can be worn by them, because, as a usual thing, they have fair and delicate complexions. But, as a mat- ter of fact, blue is the one color, above all others, that they ought to avoid. The con- trest is too violent and the combination is not harmonious. The shades most suit- able to be worn with red hair are bright, sunny brown and ail autumn-leaf tints. Alter these may be selected pale or very dark green—but never a bright greea, pale yellow and black unmixed with any other color. Mixed colors are not becoming to red-haired people, as they nearly alwa: give them a more or less dowdy appe: ance. In fact, red hair is usually so pbril- lant and decided that it must be met on Its own ground, and no vague, undecided scrt of things should be worn with it. Soup experienced chefs alone Your grocer can supply Mide “The Finest Yet.” ‘Blue Label have the delicate flavor that . Our kitchens are models of cleanliness. The materials used are always the best. The qual- ity is unvarying. Packed by us in hermeti- cally-sealed, tasteless cans. Nineteen varieties, CURTICE BROTHERS CO., ROCHESTER, N. Y. know how to impar you. by AMONG THE DEAD Some of the Brave Men Who Went Down at Havana. AN EX-SHIPMATE TELLS OF THEM Two Examples of the Crew of the Maine. YOUNG AMERICANS “I find the names of more than a dozen of my old shipmates in the mournful list of the Maine's dead,” said a Washington man who was formerly a chief petty officer in the navy to a Star reporter this morn- ing. “They were all fine, rugged, loyal fel- lows, too; not a sneak nor a small man in the lot. I remember Axel C. Anderson, a Danish seaman, particularly well because when we were shipmates I did a bit of writing for him that helped, perhaps, to extricate him from a bad job of trouble that he found himself in owing to his im- proper gauging of the strength and effec- tiveness of the sort of liquor that is dished out to sailormen in towns contiguous to navy yards. Anderson was as perfect a Picture of the Viking, as we conceive the sea rover of the dim ages to have been, as I ever saw. He was a compact Dane, 0} huge strength, with yellow hair and beard and blue eyes, who had been to sea since his early boyhood. His muscular develop- ment was so great that he could snap a Lieut. F. Jenkins, three-quarter inch bar of square iron only a foot long across his knee as easily as a boy breaks a lath, and aloft he was as act- ive as a cat and as nimble as an acrobat. He had been in the United States navy for eight years without ever getilng a black mark tacked opposite his name on the ship's writer's books, when he fell into this bit of trouble I speak of. Our gunboat was at the Mare Island navy yard, under or- ders to sail for Honolulu. Anderson was the cox’un of the steam cutter. On the morning that the ship was to get under way for the islands Anderson drove the launch back and forth from the ship t Vallejo, the little town across Napa creek from the navy yard, a dozen times, am every time he made the landing at Vallejo, the weather being misty and cold, he tool a swig of the raw, villainous red stuff pe itely termed whisky in the navy yard town. He was not used to drinking anc the stuff got to his head all of a sudden. So, on the last trip back from Vallejo t the ship, which was anchored in mid- stream, the Danish cox'un decided to makc @ little crutse of his own._ He gave the oiler at the throttle of the cutter’s en- gine ‘four bells’ and turned her nose down the stream. . The cutter started for the heads of the Golden Gate, about thirty miles away, at a t-fteen-knot clip, and Anderson would preb- ably have gone to midsea with her, or, an; how, as far as the coal aboard the cutter would take her, had not the oiler hopped up forward and induced him, after haif an hour or so, to swing ship'and make back for the man-of-war. When Anderson pulled tke cutter alongside the g: sway the otticer the deck, a young ensign, was waiting for him. He had seen from’ the poop the queer movements of the cutter. Anderson made the cutter fast to the gangway float and stumbled up the gangway ladder like a man dazed. “"Cox'un,’ said the officer of the deck, ‘what did you mean by that bit of compas: testing? “The Vallejo liquor had made the cox’un insane, and he raised his hand as if to strike the officer of the deck. In a jiffy the master-at-arms and the marine sergeant had him, and he was carried struggling to the brig and double-ironed. In double irons he went down to Honolulu. When h awoke from his stupor he didn’t remem- ber anything of what had happened, but he did not emit a whimper. After we had been at Honolulu for a month or so another American man-of-war came along on her way to China, and, there being enough otti- cers for the convening of a gencral court- martial, Anderson was general court-mar- tialed and sentenced to dismissal from the navy and a term of imprisonment at the Mare Island naval prison. He took his medicine like the rugged, manly man he was. His nerve sort of appealed to me, and I volunteered to write a letter in his name to the Secretary of the Navy, asking for clemency in his case on the ground that his record had been a notably fine and clean one up to the time he had made his ir- responsible break. He refused outright to make any such appeal at first, but when 1 prepared the letter and read it to him, he reluctantly placed his signature to’ it. Meantime, the young ensign, who was offi- cer of the deck at the time Anderson had fallen into his trouble, had been detached from the ship and ordered to Washington. When Anderson's letter reached the Navy Department the ensign, who felt sorfy for Assistant Engineer D. H. Merritt. the cox’un had a word to say in his favor, and, practically by return mail, Andersen's naval prison term was not only remitted, but he was restored to duty. I had all 1 could do to prevent the poor fellow from blowing in two or three months’ of his ac- cumulated pay in buying me curios of the Hawaiian Islands. Another of the Dead. “Peter Roos, the sailmaker’s mate, who is listed as among the Maine’s dead, was a shipmate of mine on another vessel. He was a thoroughly Americanized Swede, and he had been in the navy for many years. Many a sailor man who died at sea had ‘Old Canvas Pete,’ 2s we called him, sew him up in his hammock ready for his trip to Davy Jones’. This sort of gruesome work never bothered him a little bit. “Don't it sort o’ make you creepy? the young fellows aboard used to ask him. “The sailmaker would look at them with hb eyes begat 2 4 aie ““Ay not gat creepy, no,’ he wor re- ply. ‘Hay is better off,’ referring to the dead man. ‘What better way for sailor to go than in hammeck hay is used to? Ay tank Ay fale all right in may hammock When may time comes.’ “But the poor old chap,has been denied, it seems, a hammock fun: over the sid: with a shot fastened to his legs. about as cheerful a man as ever the outfit. He was a very fine Pann tower on the to listen to him er, and, up in thi to’gallant fo'c’sle, for hours, playing old German lieder songs and crooning to Bi§ zither accompaniment the plaintive folk songs of Sweden. YounE' Mmericans. “All.the rest of, twelve-or fourteen of former shipmates: ine who met their death on the Maine were-oung Americans of en- ergy, ambition and character, who entered the navy for the lence to be acquired in‘a‘cruise or two in foreign waters and to give themsetves -dfscipline that they felt they needed for successful lives ashore. I have had letters most of them since I left the service, all of them filled with a wistful peering into the future when they should be finally’ off,’ doff the blue- jacket uniform, and assume the duties of citizenship ‘on -the- beach,’ as sailors phrase it. “It arouses.a peculiar feeling within a man to read of the violent passing of his former shipmates-.. Last summer, for in stance, it broke me all up when I read in the newspaper dispatches the _announce- ment of the murder of Master-at-arms Tommy Kenny on a ship at the Brooklyn navy yard. Kenny and I used to play chess and checkers by the hour to while away the long smoking-lamp periods when we were on a ship together cruising on the west coast of South America, and he was a clever Irishman and a fine shipmate. On this day last summer he was serving out beer in the beer line when messgear was piped at noon, when a drunken coal passer named Carter, who had just returned to the ship from shore liberty, staggered up to him and demanded beer. Kenny, seeing the man’s condition, declined to let him have any, and Carter drove a knife into his heart. I can never get it out of my mind that former shipmates who meet their death on board ship in a way so violent as to call for public chronicling, are not still cruising around the world, somewhere or another, the same old careless, hearty, cgme-good-come-evil chaps that I used to know them.” ——>__ DISPOSITION OF WOUNDED. Once Formidable Battle Ship Now Presents Pitiable Sight. A dispatch from Havana last night says: Of the 354 persons, officers and men, who were borne on the pay rolls of the wrecked battleship Maine but ninety-six are now alive, the death list thus reaching the enormous total of 258. Seventy or inore of the survivors are more or less badly wound- ed. Twenty-nine injured men are at the military hospital of San Ambrosio, thirty- six are being cared for on the City of Washington, and a score more are scat- tered about in the Alfonso XII Hospital, in sanitary headquarters, and aboard the Spanish crufser Alfonso XII. All bat five of the officers and a number of the men were sent to Key West on the Olivette to- day. The heavy rainfall which immediately followed last night's horrors sill coutin- ues in a dreary, dismal drizzle. Out in the bay lies the wreck cf tne once proud Maine. Her steel upper deck forward has been completely lifted and turned ever on her starboard side. None of the big guns in the turrets is visible. The Maine is siightly listed to port, and ali forward of the massive cranes for unloading ship's boats have completely disappeared. The big funnels lie flat upon the twisted and gnarled iron braces and pieces of ste: deck. From the funnels aft the ship see to be intact. She has settled until the water has covered the top of her super- structure, and the stern the rapid-fire gun, look ov. below them. } At the time of, the, explosion the Maine Was at anchor about 500 yards from tue arsenal and somé 200. yards from the float- ing dock. The explosion put out the street lights near the wharf and blew down tele- Phone and telegraph wires in that vicinity. Cause of the Explosion. The definite cause Of the disaster has not yet been arrived at. |The first explosion is said to ave been: caused by over 600 pounds of gun cétton, and the subsequent explosion is alleged tb have been caused by shells and cartridges. Capt. Sigsbee, fyteryiewed this evening by the correspondent of’ the Associated Press with reference to the cause of the expio- sion, sald: sae “I cannot yet detérinine the cause, but competent Inyestiggtors will decide wheth- et the explosion’ Was” produced ‘from an interior or exterfor‘¢ause. I cannot say any- thing until after such an investigation has been! made. 1 will not and cannot con- scientiously anticipate the decision, nor do I wish to make any unjust estimate of the reason fer the disaster.” Lieutenant Commander Wainwright ad- vances the belief that the explosion was due to the short-circuiting of a dynamo. Another theory is that the original explo- sion was that of the boiler which furnished steam to run the dynamo. It appears also a third explosion occurred on the deserted ship about 2 o'clock in the morning. Ordered to Flood Gun’ Cotton. Lieut. Commander Wainwright was half undress 45 p.m., and was smoking inshis cabin, next to that of Capt. Sigsbee, it is said, when the explosion occurred. and put out the electric lights. Liout. Com- mander Wainwright then lit a match and went to Capt. Sigsbee’s cabin. The cap it appears, Fad been thrown fr: but was uninjured. They both went on deck and ordered some men to flood 4 pounds of gun cotton which was on hoa The order was carried out, but the never returned. Havana, ‘however, saved from a still more terrible explos Four boats were lowered, all manned hy officers, and one of them was lost. Admirai Manterola and Gen. So! off to the Maine soon after the . and offered their services to Capt. Sigsiice, Captain Sigsbee went in his own launch on board the Spanish cruiser Alfonso X11 to thank her captain and officers. H. afterward went on-board the City of Wash- ington, where Consul General Lee, Dr. W. T. Brunner, acting sanitary inspector of Havana, and the correspondents of the American newspapers had already gath- ered. on. Sud Scene at Dock. lt was a sad scene at the dock tonight, as strelchers were carried to‘the waiting umbulances by artillerymen, and the suf- ferers tenderly placed on seats for convey- ance to the marine hospital. The brave fellows bore their suffering admirably and some limped through the lane of eager faces with their arms in slings, heads hound "and blood-stained bandages on legs or_trunks, The crowd has been yelling as only ex- cited Cubans’ and negroes can yell, but a great hush has fallen upon the assem- blage as the head of the procession filed from the deck house, at the sight of the ectually wounded "heading those of sound. Excited women grew hysterical and many a Latin prayer was heard from lips that had been shouting‘a moment before. Every possible arrangement for the com- fort. of all who were disembarked ha?.been made and all who could talk praised high- ly the kindness of the Spanisir officials, who opened their hearts and wardrobes to the survivors. 3 5; Boats from the@pmnish crulser Alphonso Doce were among the’ first to reach the Maine, and Captatw‘eneral Blanco placed all his resourcesrat ithe disposal of Gen. Lee. oT : Thorough WaFegpigation Ordered. The: United States,coast survey: steamer Bache is expeéte@@here in the morning with wrecking ‘tipiments, when an ex- amination of tix eS hull wili be made. The naval boar, of inquiry convened by Admiral Sicard 43 algo expected to arrive shortly. A thorquehainyestsation into the causes of the digaster and the extent of the Injuries to the Meine will be, held, Thirteen—Washed Ashore. The mutilated!-s6@ies of thirteen mea were washed a&fiér@\at Regla and Casa Bilenca, opposite Mavana. Seven bodies wére-Jdentified by Chaplzin Chadwick-as those-of Graham, McDonald, Kays and Nero Kinsman, Dirking ard Brown. Two other bodies which” had not yet been identified. They have been taken to the morgue and'will be buried tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Marquis de Esteban, mayor of Havana, will head the ceremonies. The brrial-expenses wil be paid by the mu:§- cipality. Gen. Solana will also assist at tke funeral, representing. Captain Generai Elenco. The bodies will be exposed in the city hall after 1 o'clock. _ ‘The funeral ceremony will be impressive. Manuel Santander, the bishop of. Havana, has donated ground for the burials. High mass for the repose ofthe souls of the dead sailors wiil goon be celebrated in ‘the Merced Church, DISCUSSING THEORIES Mystery Continues of the Maine’s Destruction. HARD 70 ACCOUNT FOR AN ACCIDENT A Bomb Secreted in the Coal or Submarine Torped IN MAGAZINE AND BUNKERS Th> hours that have passed since the first news of the destruction of the Maine was received have accomplished little to- ward clearing up the mystery. There is Uitle beyond the construction and testing of theories based on expert knowledge. No tenable thecry assuming the explosion to have been the result of an accident has been advanced which could stand the test of examination in the light of known con- ditions. Great importance should not be attached to the fact that the President and the Secretary of the Navy advance the epinion (with reservation), that it was an accident. For aither of them to intimate a suspicion that the destruction of the Maine had been by design would be equiv- alent to charging treachery upon Spain, or at least upon some Spanish subject. They can entertain no suspicions. To them the catastrophe must appear an accident until proven otherwise. They must not affront Spain by suspicions. For them to do so Would mean war at once. At the same time, it is found that the accident theory is the most difficult to sus- tain. Th2 burden of evidence tends to slow that there was nothing in the for- ward magazines of the Maine to cause an explosion. The ammunition there was of a character combustible rather than ex- plosive. A lighted torch thrown into this magazine would not have caus3d an ex- picsion. A man with a hammer pounding on the ammunition cases could not have caused them to explode. The theory that the dynamo engine might have burst and caused the explosion by d2tonation is dis- posed of by the fact that there was no dynamo engine, and if there had been one, the engines used for this purpose ar2 of a class which lav: been tested, and found to be incapable of explosion, the seams part- ing under pressure without an explosion in th2 most severe test given. The maga- zine might have been exploded if the coal in the bunkers surrounding it had caught on fire and been burning for a long time. Cases of this coal becoming ignited have eceurred. in one instance> heat so great as to char shelving in the magazine and ignite some of the brown powder was caused by the cecal bunkers catching on fire, and then no explosion occuried, and the fire was put oui with hore. Then, the fire had been burning for hours, Magazine and Coal Bunkers. In the case of the Maine the magazine and coal bunkers had been examined, ac- cording to reports, and as is the custom, about three-quarters of an hour or a lit- Ue more before the explosion occurred, and then there was no sign of fire nor sen- sation of heat. If there were gun cotton in the magazine it might be exploded by detonation or by chemical acuon. sui, ac coruing to the dispatches irom Havana, whatever gun coitun Was on the Maun capea on by being drencheu. dispa ys that the men were orderea 9 Heod 2.00 pounds ef gun cotton which Was on beard. Lhe order was carried out, but the men never returned. Havana, however, wus Sayed from @ still more ter- ribie explosion Atsis aiso alieged that there was no gui cotton where the explosion occurred, but there seems to be uncertamty about’ this. The fixed ammunition, explosive —shelis, could be exploded, but hardly by any acci dental means. Only some terrific shocl could cause their explosion, unless all in formation as to their character is at fault The compartment containing these shells was located in the very bottom of the ship, and there appears to be no conceivable way that the detonation necessary to an explo- sion could be conveyed there, except by i severe explosion from the cutside or b3 design from within. If a torpedo had been exploded under the 10-inch shell room th« detonation would probably have caused the explosion within; or if a dynamite bom} had been discharged in tne vicinity of the magazine it might have caused the fixec ammunition to expiode. No other sugges tion seems to meet the conditions surround ing this explosion, if the character of th: ammunition stored in such magazine wa such as is described. Effect of a Torpedo Explosion. Authcrities differ as to what the effect of a torpedo explosion would be. In the case of the old-time vessels of war a tor- pedo would lift them from the water, leay- ing no doubt as to the character of the expiosion. But experts are not familiar with the effect of a torpedo upon vessels constructed as was the Maine. She was weighted down heavily from the top with armanent and ordnance, while the bot- tom was comparatively like paper. it may readily be imagined, therefore, that a tor- pedo exploding wculd simply crush in the frail bottom without overcoming the im. mense weight above to lift it from the Water. An examination of the wreck is relied upon to prove whether the explosion came from without. Yet this may be by no means conclusive, for the reason that if there was a torpedo explosion from without, that was followed by a still more terrific internal explosion, which would be likely to destroy all evidence of the first. There would be better prospect, if a tor- pedo or mine explosion occurred to deter mine this f-om its effect upon the bot- tom of the harbor under the vessel. As has been befcre stated, it has been repeatedly alleged, not only ‘at this time, but months ago, that the Havana harbor was planted like a checkerboard with tor- pedoes, connected with an electrical switchboard, ach torpedo having a corre- sponding number on the switchboard. If this be true, a fanatic, familiar with the plans of the torpedo defense, might have had it in his power to explode a torpedo or mine under the Maine. This would be shown, however, by the effeet of the ex- plosion en the bottom of the harbor under the boat. A Secrcted Bomb. A theory held to with considerable tenac- ity by some who are astute and well in- formed is that a bomb was secreted in the coal. This is a thing that is known to have been done in the case of merchant vessels, and which has been apprehended in taking on supplies of coal for the navy. The meth- od is well understood, and yet the bomb is easily overlookcd. The method of con- struction Is to have an irregular chunk of iron, holHowed to receive the explosive, to” dip it in tar, and then cover it with the coal dust, so that by its irregular shape and external appearance it is not distin- guishable from the ordinary big chuuk of coal. It is known to a certainty just how much coal any particular vessel wil! con- same.in a given number of hours or a given distance. ‘It is known, too, that the -coal from the forward bankers is first used, so that the lightening of the vessel by the con- sumption of coal will be felt in the bow rather than in the stern. Such a bomb may, therefore, be placed in the coal bunk- er with u practical certainty as to the time when it will be reached and exploded. If a bomb of this sort had been planted in the Maine's coal its explosion when put into the fire might readily have caused un ex- plosion of the magazine. By whom -such an act might have been committed is a sub- ject of surmise, just as are all the thecries advanced as to the cause of the explosion. But there are-fanatical devotees of Spain Watching every vessel that sails from Key ‘West or even from other ports for Cuba, and it-wijl be remembered that two or three filibustering Havana harbor, and that immediately be- fore that Minister de Lotne, whose activity in circumventing filibastering expeditions has been so great, should have placed him- self in a position requtring his instant re tirement from the country. — MIGHT RAISE THE MAINE. Naval Constructors That Say as Big Ships Have Been Recovered. Secretary Long late yesterday afternoon telegraphed to Admiral Sicard to appoint a board of naval officers to proceed at once to Havaaa, employ divers and gen- erally to make such inquiry as the regu- lations of the navy demand shall be made in the case of the loss of a ship. it is explained by both constructors and crdnance experts that it is possible for a tcrpedo to have exploded under the vessel, and the outward force of the magazine explosion to blow the plates out again and still leave it uncertain how the vessel came to be sunk. Constructors adhere to the opinion very strongly that by no possibility could the Maine's ammunition have been set off except through explesion of a boiler, a stick of dynamite or tne concussion of a torpedo from the outside. The fact that no boiler was near the magazine takes the question of that kind of an explosion cut of consideration, they claim. The War Department is said to have known that a number of torpedoes were planted in the harbor of Havana in the past two years, and that all of them worked by wire from the shore and we not of the kind that exploded on imva These torpedoes were assumed to “dead,” but in readiness to be charged in an emergency. An admiral who holds a high office under the department says it is pos- sible that a torpedo was floated out from the shore and under the vessel. Might Raise the Vessel. The naval constructors, in the light of the dispatches thus far received, say that it is by no means certain the Maine can- not be raised and again carry the flag. They say that while she is a big ship, others as large have been raised, and at Havana the new floating dry dock would receive her if she could once be gotten above the water. Captain Sigshee cyvt- dently was taking an interest in the fu- ture of the ship when he sent a telegram to Commander Forsythe at Key West sug- gesting that @ light house vessel or som: such small craft be stationed in Havana harbor to watch the wreck. The latter, even if beyond resurrection, contains val- uable ordnance and other properiy that doubtless can be secured by divers. The Boller Explosion Theory. The boilers and engines of the Maine were constructed at the Quintard iron works, New York. Members of the firm ex- pressed themselves as puzzled over the disaster. They did not see how an explo- sion could occur in the magazines at night, while the vessel was lying motioniess in the harbor. “Seeing that the ship was stationary,” said Henry Mason, superintendent of the fron works, “it would have been almost impossible for the boilers or engines to have exploded. According to a dispatch, General Bianco ascribes the explosion to the bursting of a dynamo boiler. Now, there is no dynamo boiler in the ship. She has Scotch boilers. The sides of these are 1 1-22 inches thick. “Had the forward boilers burst the fiy- ing metal could not have done much harm The nearest ammunition room is the shell room. Between it and the boiler is a coal bunker heaped with fuel. The bunker is also a bulkhead, with light doors, made es- pecially strong to withstand pressure. “The shell room is below the forward tur- rei and is one of the magazines. The tor- pedo store room, in which the gun cottor may have exploded, is under the crew’ quarters. The torpedo operating room is beside the bow. After it comes the store room where the torpedoes are kept. Di- rectly beneath this is the room where the torpedo heads are placed.” A Splendid Vessel. The Maine was accounted a splendid ves- sel, one of the best of the service. Few were her superior among the second-class battle ships, and sh was the most costly vessel the American naval rervice ever lost. She cost more than half dozen ships lost in battle in the last war. She was freer from defects than many vessels of the navy. She was designed before many of the present features were worked out or devised, and was regarded as a thor- ovghly equipped, well-manned and superb- ly officered vessel. As Naval Constructor Hichborn said when the vessel was first ordered to Havana: “The vessel is in fine ccudition and will render a good account of herself if occasion arises.” The loss of the ship is one that will mate- rially affect the strength of the fleet now under Admiral Sicard, and probably the present cruise evolutions around the Dry ‘Tcrtugas may be suspended or abandoned entirely. When she sailed into Havana no vessel of the navy was in better figh condition. ——_+ e+ -—____. CAPT. PHILLIPS’ VIEW Commander of the Tex: Does Not Believe Explosion Theory. A dispatch frem Galveston, Tex., says: Officers of the battleship Texas and the cruiser Nashville were shocked at the news from Havana. Captain Phillips said: “I cannot how an explosion cn board the Maine would be possible. Neither can I imagine the possibifity that a torpedo was exploded under the Maine. It is unreason- able that any cne would have done such a thing and thereby incur the enmity of the whole world.” This afternocn Captain Phillips tele- graphed to the Navy Department that he still had on board the Texas twenty-six apprentices, whom he brought from New York for the Maine, but who had not been transferred to that ship. His object in giv- ing this information was that the parents of the young men may be relieved of any anxiety they may feel by reason of their supposing that their sons were on board the ill-fated Maine. Their names are as follows: Richard Andrews, Charles L. Birdges, Michael J. Branghal, Frank 8. Blakeley, John Donovan, John DeLong, Edward A. Fisher, Michael J. Flaherty. Edward W. Furey, William J. Glass, Thos. Glazier, William H. Holmes, A. G. John- son, Patrick J. Kenny, Michael H. Keva Joseph Bonds Muich, Raymond Ru: sell, William M. Sandman, Peter Schuester, Wil- liam J. Weber, George H. Wheele: be however, that is, not kept loaded, e+ STRUCK BY A TORPEDO. Thinks It Was Fired at Alfonso XII. Captain Robley D. Evans, who is in New Orleans, in speaking of the Maine gisaster last night, said: “There are certain points beyond perad- venture in my judgment. The explosion was in one of the forward secondary mag- azines. An explosion in one of the main magazines would have blown the ship to atoms. The statement that there was an explosion of the dynamo boiler is silly, as the dynamo has ne boiler, the dynamos being run by steam from the main boilers. ‘The gun cetton-theory may be left out of ccrsideration, as the only gun cotton on board was in the form of disks, and these were stewed on cylinders filled with water and could not be exploded by detonation rafter being placed in the torpedoes ready for service, the detonators being kept in the foretops 100 feet away from the mag- azires. The cylinders containing the gun cotton could be plated on a cooking siove for twenty-four hours without danger of accident. “The disaster, therefore, must have been caused by fixed ammunition or powder charges for the 19-inch guns. The difficulty of exploding the fixed ammunition is wel. known, and as the powder charges for the 10-inch guns are carried in copper cylin- ders, hermetically sealed, the chances oi explosion from within the ship were scarce- ly worth considering. When we look at the outside conditions it seems to me that we But Capt. E Maine, and a torpedo fired at her and miss- ing its mark could have caused this disas- ter. This seems to me the most ble theory.’ oe ACTION BY THE HOUSE. ae A Resolution of Sorrow Unanimously Adopted. Just before the adjournment of the House yesterday afternoon, Mr. Boutelle, chair- man of the naval committee, offered Stronger Than Beef Johann Hoff's Malt Hxtract For Sale by All Druggists and Grocers. following resolution, mously adopt>d: “Resolved, That the House of Represen- tatives has learned with profound sorrow of the great calamity which has caused th» destruction of the United States battle ship Maine and the appalling loss of mcre than 2 lives and the wounding of many others of the gallant defenders of our flag, and that the House expresses tts sympa’ for the injured and its sincere condol>n with the families of those who have lost their lives In the service of the nation.” Before the question was put, Mr. Bailey ask-d Mr. Boutelle if his committee was in Possession of any information which threw any light upon the cause of the accident. I regret to say that we have no infor- mation,” replied Mr. Boutelle on which a conclusion could be based. My own im- pression, which may not be of value, ig that it was an accidental occurrence.” sat oo IT OF THE VIZCAYA. of Possible Mis- ap to Her. which was oni < v Some Appreh According to published reports of Spain's Purposes, a Spanish man-of-war may be expected at the entrance to the harbor of New York on any day. Her visit, tt is sald, 1s to be a friendly return for the call of the Maine at Havana. The question has been suggested whet! it would be expedient to permit this vc sel to proceed up to New York. She m do some damage, or an “accident” mig happen to her, for it is not to be doubt there would be adventurous spirits qut ready to return the compliment. If { vessel should appear it may be thoug it best to warn her off, as her preseace ts Ikely to lead to fresh complications. ictaceaenthaseee REJECT ACCIDENT THEORY. Caba Believe a Plot & Spanish Officials Were implicated. From the New York Herald. Dr. Joaquin D. Castillo, Cuban subdele- gate, who was formerly a surgeon in the United States navy, speaking of. the dis- aster to the United States shif Maine, said to me yesterda: ae is such a serious affair it fs hard for me to believe it was not accidental, yet I am forced to suspect treachery. On reading the early reports of this sad event I vas inclined to think the explosion was not the outcome of a plot on the part of the Spaniards to destroy the American man-of-war, but rather the result of spon- tancous combustion of gun cotton on board the Maine. As more detailed accounts of the occurrence become known, however, the opinion which 1 had formed at the first moment was altered. I Legin to suspect that there was some foui play.” Suspects Spanish Officials. Horatio 8. Rubens, counsel for the Cuban junta, expressed himself freely. He sald: “I do not believe the blowing up of th Maine was an accident. 1 am of the opin- fon that the cxplosion was the result of cutside work, and I am led to this con- clusion from the conservative of Capiain Sigsbee’s telegram. “If Captain Sigsbee believed that th picsion wa cidental he would instead of wiring to asking the American people to cision. “It would be a comparatively easy matter for one or two men to place a_ tory where it would do such effective work. The Spaniards will try to throw the blame on the Cubans and say they did it for the purpose of creating sympathy for them- selves. Taking into consideration the fe the Spaniards against the officers a: rew of the Maine, it is not improbable that one of them would do this act. It is only a few days ago that the men of the war ship Were insulted while attending a bull fight. “But no cne man or number of citizens covli ge: enough explosives to do this act without the knowledge and help of Spanish officials. “I do hope that divers will be able to tell whether the explosion was from out- side or inside the vessel.” Remembers the Virgin Benjamin J. Guerra, treasurer of Cuban junta, said: I believe the blowing up of the Maine was the deliberate work of some rabid Speniard. While the Spanish government may not be directly concerned in the plot, I think the investigation of the affair will shew that some anti-American officiais are at the bottom of the scheme to destroy the American battle ship. “I remember during the ten years’ war in Cuba the case of the Virginius. 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