The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 2, 1898, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 189S. WHILE THE CABINET TALKS PEACE UNCLE SAM MAY SOON INTERVENE Probable Action to Be Taken in Reference to Cuba. Stand of the President Will Now Depend Upon the Report of the Naval Court on the Maine Disaster. NEW YORK, March 1.—The Herald's Washington correspondent telegraphs: It is not the present intention of the administration to make any move in regard to the general Cuban question until all the facts in regard to the Maine disaster have been ived and acted upon. This statement was made to me by a high official of the State Department in ly to a question as to numerous reports in circulation about intervention policies, time limits glven for success of autonomy, etc. ster occurred it f the President 1y distinct mat- Since the Maine been the purp« to regard it as an nt ter from the question as to the atti- tude of the United tes toward the Cuban insurrection. What the Pres- next step will be depends large- n Spain t war in Cuba notes which have since gone to i authorities no specific date r future” would nonstrate the success or failure of | - onorr | Rockets, Parachutes of Fire and There is little doubt that the admin- | Colored Lights Used in Suc- istration now considers it a failure, but cessful Signaling. B dence. wivine reports of consular | flashed over this city last night. Rock- ers in Cubd, which will indleatelthe | & Pamatamted| oF See ¢ amd colored SR Db ‘o Do Seith. | lights wrote war messages on the dark al 2 el background of the sky. Only to thos held from Congress-until an official re- | 2 = e s B el initiated were the messages known. A | Za {f S e FAS DG | vast majority who saw the rockets go In editing this correspondence the State De ent authorities have artr been careful to strike out any expres- sions of regarding the pinion from cons ure of autonomy, and 1d by a specified date. In his to Congress he care- iing mentioning any time, | ular officers | ! and with less risk to himself and equal benefit to both dogs by making the lower one let go and dragging him out, he will do it, and ought to. It may be said that Spanish pride would not brook such interference, but it might be wel must efther accept this and retain nominal sovereignty, or intervention, much more humiliating, would involve the loss of the island. “Is the political independenceof Cuba worth a war with the United States, and cannot everything of real value to Cuba be secured without it? Will not both Cuba and the United States be better off if Cuban success stops short of it? As I strenuously asserted, if it is justifiable and competent for the United States, in its own Interests and on the ground of humanity, to demand that Spain give up everything, is it not at least competent and justifiable to require Cuba to yield something? We have no right to interfere to e: tablish Cuban independence and inter- vention on other grounds would keep in view the rights, claims and feelings of both parties.” tion to Congress he | | UP INTO THE SKY. up and colored lights float over East River thought they were merely wit- nessing an interesting exhibition of fireworks. The signals were sent up from the | Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the mes- it would appear that the adminis- | ;g0q they conveyed were read with tration is not at the present time pre- | ease three miles away. It was the fir pared to officially declare itself in re- | experiment with a new code of signais to the progr of autonomy in| between ships of war. The present its future plans toward | system consisted of the use of three ce in that island. age to Congress the Pres- “Of the untried m---ur The recognition of igerents; the recogni- ndependence of Cuba; neu- ention to end the war by im- z a rational compromise between the contestants; and intervention in favor of one or the other party.” 1g stated that he regarded the tion of the insurgents as bel- nts undef existing conditions as ssible, it is therefore President’s next move will be 1e of one of the three follow- In this connection a of the Government gave views to-day in regard to the of neutral intervention and In his ident His views have the approval of at least one member of the Cabinet and have been called to the attention of the President. He said: “It is as- sumed that the existing conditions will not be permitted to continue indefinite- ly in Cuba and that they can be ter- minated only by the active intervention of the United States. This has been proposed in but one way—requiring Spain to d t from further attempt to subdue the insurrectio proach the problem from the other end and require the ir to accept | autonomy; at least to try the experi- ment. “I should seek the concurrence of Spain in this method - and insist upon any modifications of her plan of autonomy which m essential to | give Cubans genuine free government. | I should then send a commissioner to | I should ap- | the Cuban camp and say to them in | effect: ‘This struggle must stop here | and now. We »gnize that you have | the right to revolt, but in all this time vou have not established a government, and considerations of humanity and in- teres of the United States demand that the struggle should cease. Spain has admitted the right of sovereignty d ownership of the soil,and what she rs you is a great gain—more than many revolutions have accomplished; accept it at once and try the experi- sigt on its being fairly | ade, and at the worst, after a period | in which he believed it should | arc lamps on the mast of a warship, and a mile off these lights blend to- gether and render the signals useless. Therefore a new em was devised. An order was recently received at the rd to have experiments made in view of the present compli- Henry J. Paine, a fireworks maunfac- | turer, s | naval offic | W. 8. Sherry, Commander W. Swift of | the Bureau of Ordnance, and Lieuten- | ant Dougherty began them last night. | Bombs were sent up near the stone | drydock. Each bomb, on going to a | certain height, burst into a parachute | with a string of colored lights hanging { in the air beneath it. These lights ed a message. Commander | Swift, on Blackwells Island, three miles | off, and Lieutenant Dougherty, in Wil- liamsbur; read the message without difficulty. Message after message was sent up, the lights and their positions varying with each one. | THIS JOURNAL NOT ANXIOUS FOR WAR. One Spanish Organ Does Not Believe America Will Go to War Over the Maine Disaster. yrighted, 1598, by James Gordon Bennett. MADRID, March 1.—The Correspon- | dencia, which is one of the serious pa- pers here, s Supposing the Amer- ican committee considers the Maine dis- | aster criminal, we shall have to hear the opinion of the Spanish commission. We remain firm in the belief that the Yankee commission will not find the explosion due to exterraneous causes and in case of a doubtful verdict, we feel sure President McKinley would not wage war against Spain in the face of a European verdict to the contrary and that of the semsible portion of the American people. CAPTAIN SIGSBEE WRITES TO HIS WIFE. Says He Is on Deck in Command and His Pennant Is Flying From the Maine. WASHINGTON, March 1.—Mrs. Sigs- bee recelved a letter to-day from Cap- tain| Sigsbee. He writes that he has recovered from all fatigue and is on deck in command, and his pennant is | represented to Spain that she rest and recuperation, you can, - if | flying from the Maine. He makes no to It, revolt again; but the|comments on the d:sz.sqterfl mln rfl;er- J: ed States wi 0 ! 2 t ates his great sorrow at the loss of so United Bealeg WL OO0 ermit you to | e ay brave men and of his fine ship. continue this,attemptlonesr. He is impatiently awaiting the arrival “The advantages of this method| ;¢ q3itional clothing sent and news of seem to me to be: First, that it avoids | his home and family, including his tiny | x Py 7. a war which intervention from the | first grandchild, Anna Louise Kittelle, other end would necessitate, and not who was born one month ago to-day. only the frightful losses it would in- AR 3 Removal of the Wounded. volve, -unprepared as We are | . ,gHINGTON, March 1.—The only Ot Bug '?:f;’“"e"; word received by the Navy Department Haatlity §RO0L L F DR fror Havana came to-night in the fol- successful war would bring. Second, it would give the desired results much more promptly than the other. Third, it would raise no question of our being compelled to take possession of the | island, which an unqualified success of the insurrection would undoubtedly do and which we ought to avoid. lowing telegram from Captain Sigsbee: “Bache leaves to-day for Tortugas with all wounded men now here, five in all, as follows: Mattison, Cahill, Allen, Webber and Mack. All able to walk except Mattison, whose jaw was broken. Bacher takes one unrecog- nized body. Will probably take four wounded men from Tortugas to Key _“Finally, to use a homely fllustra- “tion, if a man wants to stop a dog Bzht and can do it much more easily ‘West. Cannot tell when more bodies may be expected at Key West, but ] Bache should promptly return.” Commodore George Melville, Engineer-in-Chief of the Navy. TRIBUTE T0 THE HEROES Memory of the Men Who Perished on the Maine to Be Perpetuated. The Senate Adopts a Resolu- tion Providing for a Bronze Tablet. | In Touching Language Perkins Spoke ofthe Glory Achieved by Gallant American Tars. Special Dispatch to The Call. Call Office, Riggs House, ‘Washington, March 1. Shortly after the Senate convened to- day Perkins of California, of the Com- mittee on Naval Affairs, presented a { tavorable report on Mr. Bacon's reso- lution providing for the erection in Statuary Hall of the Capitol of a bronze memorial tablet commemorative of the officers and sailors who lost their lives in the Maine disaster in Havana harbor. In the course of his report upon the resolution, Perkins said: “It is fitting at all times for a na- tion to recognize the heroism of those who have yielded up their lives in iis service. In this respect no nation is more generous than ours. It has stood and still stands ready to show its ap preciation of bravery and devotion to duty. It cares for its helpless veter- ans who battled on land and sea; it strives to mitigate the hardships im- posed on those who were grievously wounded while fighting for the flag, and as far as possible it seeks to aid the widows and orphans of our dead soldiers and sailors. But it is not in battle alone that heroic qualities are shown; neither is it only in time of war, Death may come in the perform- ance of duty while peace reigns, as well as while the conflict rages. But whether in war or in peace, the soldier and the sallors stand ever ready to give their lives in the performance of duty, and when they so die they die like he- roes and deserve well of their coun- try. “Every man who stood beneath the flag of the battle-ship Maine had, by his very presence on its decks, signified his willingness to die for the defense of the nation and maintenance of the national honor: He was ever ready to go where duty called, whether to brave the tempestuous seas, or to return shot for shot with his country’s enemies. When death came in the awful shape it took in the harbor of Havana, the dead are no less heroes than if they had fallen before hostile guns. The liv- ing have shown the heroic mold in which all were cast. If it were ever fitting to recognize the devotion to the country of brave men it is now fitting to erect a tablet in memory of those who Jost thelr lives in the destruction of the Maine. The sailors of the navy have ever been the pride of the Union; their heroism has been recognized throughout the world, and their deeds have brought forth praises from all chivalrous people. What the sailors of the old and glorious.fleets of the United States have been, that are the sailors of the new navy of our coun- try. The great disaster at Havana has shown that there exists the indomita- ble courage, which heretofore has made our fleets victorious and which is an as- surance that victory will still follow our flag upon the seas. As our fleets are strong and our men ‘are brave, so shall we compel and maintain that re- spect among the nations which is as necessary to national prosperity as the respect of his fellows is to the prosper- ity of the individual.” Morrill of Vermont suggested that Stautuary Hall was scarcely a proper place to erect the tablet, and Hoar of Massachusetts thought some other place for it might better be desig- nated. 2 The resolution was so amended as to provide for the erection of the tablet at some suitable place in the Capitol. As amended the resolution was adopted. FEWER THEORIES AND MORE FACTS. Late Caution Sent Out by the Navy Department as to. Talking About the Disaster. WASHINGTON, March 1—Fewer theories and more facts will be the policy of the Navy Department here- after. This morning Secretary Long and Assistant Secretary Roosevelt is- sued an orderio all subordinates to re- frain from giving opinions as to the cause of the Maine explosion. The or- der comes a little late, as nearly every official from the Secretary to the most humble member of the construction corps has been interviewed, but cently the opinions of navy office some of whom have no technical knowl- edge, have been given and exploited in the newspapers, and have embar- rassed the Secretary. It hasnot been dif- ficult to get an ‘“‘official opinion” to-suit any theory, so many and varied were e private views entertained. The me caution has n sent to Havana, > an official con- oard of Inquiry to ncing views or theo- v nection with the refrain from adv. ries. VARIED TESTIMONY IS FREELY OFFERED. That Spaniards Blew Up the Maine. KEY WEST, Fla, March 1.—A cor- respondent placed before the court of inquiry to-day a letter signed “Mau- quinista” (machin details of the filling pedo holes with and thelr subseque ric wires f the Maine’s tor- dynamite L explosion by elec- The member of the court in developments had fore the court. The Cubans here are nstantly recelving mysterious mis- ves from Havana, purporting to re- veal the methods by which the Maine was sent to destruction, but as there are as many Suggestions or theories as there are letters little reliance can be placed upon any. The general situation here remains the same. The fleet has not moved, though there are signs of activity which give rise to a rumor that an im- portant naval step is Admiral Sicard, when this point this afterncon, merely re- iterated his remark of yesterday: “There IS o movement to-day. The ships have steam up always, and they can go anywhere.” been sunset with a large scow in tow and other wrecking apparatus. She bound for Havana. The report that the remains of a sub- marine mine, alleged to have been ers at Havana with the electrical wires in which they had been entangled, were brought here on Sunday by the Mangrove, and are now in the ware- house of the lighthouse department, is denied in high official quarters. Captain Merritt, who is in charge of the artillery here, expected General Merritt to-day by the Mascot, General Merritt did not arrive. APPROPRIATIONS FOR WAR PREPARATIONS The House Naval Affairs Committee Agrees Upon a Million for A Smokeless Powder. WASHINGTON, March 1. — The Hcuse Committtee on Naval Affairs this afternoon agreed on items of $1,000,000 for the purchase of smokeless powder; $92,000 for erection of build- ings on Government ground for the the necessary machinery and equip- ment, and $60,000 for arming and equip- ping the naval militia. The latter item is an increase of $10,000 over the esti- mates of Secretary Long, and provides for the arms, accouterments, signal outfits, boats and their equipments and the printing of the necesssary books of instruction for the naval militia of the several States, under the Naval De- partment regulations. The item for the purchase of smokeless powder is jdentical with the estimate. Several other items of less importance also were passed on. 3 Cubans at Havana Anxious to Show | ), giving alleged | cartridges | question sa!d neither the letter nor its | officially be- | contemplated. | questioned on | The tugboat Merritt passed here at ! is | raised by the United States naval div- | but | manufacture of smokeless powder, with | GREAT FUNERAL DEMONSTRATION Appropriate Obsequies to Be Held on Ameri- can Soil. Due Naval and Military Hon- ors to Be Accorded the Victims of the Maine. Survivors of the Horror in Havana Harbor to Act as a Special Guard of Honor. Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett. KEY WEST, March 1.—There will be another great funeral demonstration in honor of the Maine's dead. This time it will be on American soil at Key West and will probably occur on Thursday. The uncertainty as to the date is due to the fact that it is not known just | when the coast survey vessel Bache will Iarrlve here with the bodies of the | Maine’s victims which have been re- ceived. The order went into effect yes- terday to transport to this country all the dead received hereafter. The Bache will probably be at Dry Tortugas with | the rest of the wounded men from the | Havana hospital, and Captain For- | syth, commanding the station at Key West, does not expect her to reach here { before Thursday morning. The details | of the funeral arrangements have been placed in the hands of Captain Bow- | man H. McCalla of the cruiser Marble- head. As it is not yet known how many bodies will be brought on the Bache Commander McCalla has engaged all | the hearses available in this island and in addition provision has been made for a number of wagons, which are being appropriately draped as improvised hearses. The Maine’s heroes are to be buried here with full military and naval hon- ors. 1 learned from Captain Forsyth that six or eight companies of blue- jackets and probably two companies of marines will be disembarked from the fleet to act as a guard of honor, and two companies of artillery from the Key West garrison will repreésent the army. The survivors of the Maine, officers and men, will walk on either side of the.hearses as special guards of honor, and a representation from an unusually large number of naval offi- cers. This party will accompany the cor- | tege either in carriages or on foot. The | usual funeral volley will be fired after | the interment on plats selected for the | purpose in Key West Cemetery. It is not believed here that there is any truth whatever in a sensational re- port published in New York this morn- ing that the Spanish authorities have forbidden further work on the Malne |wreck until the report of the Naval | Court of Inquiry has been made snown | to” the Spanish Government. I can | say of my own knowledge that up to 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon work on the Maine was progressing as usual without the slightest sign of Spanish interference. Both Admiral Sicard and Captain Forsyth laughed at the report when called to_their attention to-day, and Captain Forsyth added that if it had | any truth whatever he would certain- |1y have been notified by Captain Sigs- bee or Consul-General Lee. The convalescents of the Maine now in the Marine Hospital are doing well. Two of them were doing so well last night, in fact, that they escaped the vigilance of the doctors and nurses | and started out for a look through Key West streets. They were discovered | and taken under arrest to the marine | barracks, where, after being roundly lectured and threatened a court-martial if the offense is repeated, they were re- | turned to the hospital to sleep it off. L —————————— Headache Quickly Cured. | Dr. Davis' Anti-Headache never falls. 250.% “THINGS GROWING QUIETBR.” Individual Opinion of Sec= retary Long as to the Disaster. However, No Interferenc of It Is Evident That e on the Part Spain Concerning the Maine Will Be Tolerated. NEW YORK, March 1.—The Herald’s Washingtoncorrespond- ent telegraphs: “It seems to me that things are growing quieter. At any rate, the element of offi- cial participation of the Spanish Government in the blowing up of the Maine is practically elim- inated.” This statement was made by Secre- tary Long after the Cabinet meeting to-day, but with the distinct under- standing that it was simply an individ- ual expressicn of opinion and had no reference to the views of the President. The Secretary told me he based his opinion upon the disclaimers made by the Spanish Government that there were no mines or torpedoes located in the harbor of Havana, and that the Maine could not therefore have been destroyed thrcugh any such agency. The opinion held by Secretary Long is shared by other members of Presi- dent McKinley’s Cabinet with whom I talked. The Maine disaster was a pro- lific topic of discussion at the Cabinet meeting to-day. The authorities con- fess that they have no information oth- er than that which is in the possession of the public, and that they are await- ing the report of the Court of Inquiry which is investigating the matter be- fore taking any steps. There has been some discussion among the members as to the course which this Government shall pursue in case the report of the court should de- clare that the Maine was destroyed by an external force. The President is naturally anxicus that any motion that may be taken shall follow close upon st = % = = 8 = <3 i3 % the submission of the court’s report, | and he desires in so acting to occupy an impregnable position from the point of justice and international law which will place the United States in the right in the eyes of the civilized world. From an administration point of view it is asserted that while the President's course in case the Maine disaster should prove to have been due to de- sign has not yet been definitely deter- mined upon, and if it were that it could not be divulged, it will be such as to win the warm approval of the entire country. Although the Maine is at the bottom of the sea, the American flag and the pennant of her commanding officer are still flying and she is there- fore American territory just as much as the battleship Iowa is American ter- ritory. This statement was made to me by the official in answer as to my question as to the reports that Spain would decline to allow the removal of the wreck. The reason why the de- partment has not ordered Captain S. D. Sigsbee to return to the United States is that his detachment from the Maine would show that this Government merely regarded the Maine as a wreck and not as a ship of the United States navy, which would injure any claim for reparation that this Government may make in the future. The administration does not believe that the Spanish will interfere in any way with the removal of the equip- ments of the hull of the Maine, and if it should, such action will call for a sharp protest. As far as the intelligence officers of | the War and Navy departments are concerned the disclaimer made by Se- nor DuBosc that no mines are in the harbor of Havana is correct. It Iis known, however, that Spain some time ago made preparations for placing mines in the harbor of Havana, went so far as to contract for and re- ceive ninety tons of high explosives for torpedoes and mines. of official information from sources in Spaln and Cuba the administration ac- cepts the statement made by Spain that | the harbor of Havana is free from mines and torpedoes, and to this state- | ment may be credited the belifef of the officials that the condition of affairs is likely to improve as time goes on. The Court of Inquiry will return to Havana on the lighthouse tender Mangrove. Secretary Long said that the fact that the Mangrove would be used for this purpose indicated that no man-of-war would be sent to Havana for the pres- ent. Spanish officers for the United States and the sympathy they felt for this Government in the loss of the Maine, this letter received by Lieutenant Al- exander Sharp Jr., navai alde to As- sistant Secretary Roosevelt, from Lieu- tenant Albert Cleaves, commanding the Cushing, is of interest. and | In the absence | As showing the friendly feeling of | ent opposed them. The committee thea took up the regular annual naval ap- propriation bill and began its first con- sideration in the full committee. When this bill is reported to the House it will carry the provision for additional en- listments asked for by the department. Should the Secretary of the Navy in the meantime consider that extraor- | dinary precautions for an emergency | are required he will be supported by the naval committees and by both houses of Congress, if he quietly antici- pates action on the annual appropria- | tion bill and enlists the men he re- quires for immediate service. As a matter of fact the legal limit has al- ready been exceeded to a slight extent, £0.as to have enough men to put the Miantonomoh and Katahdin in com- mission without making it necessary to place any other vessels out of service. HEARD THE CRUEL TALK OF SPANIARDS. Just Before the Maine Disaster One Fiend Said the Sailors Would Soon Be in Hell. NEW YORK. March 1.—A Ports- mouth (Va.) special to the Herald says: Walter J. Holland, representing a firm of commission merchants at Chicago, was in Portsmouth to-day. Knowing that for several years past he traveled in Spanish-speaking countries a corre- spondent sought him out, and was in- formed that he was in Havana on the night of February 15, and from the dock witnessed the explosion of the Maine. Holland said: “Just before the awful dull roar fol- lowed by two sharp detonations I heard one Spaniard remark to another, ‘In -two minutes all of the Maine’s crew {'will be in hell.” The scoffing and laugh- ing among the rabble while our poor sailors were struggling in the water was horrible to my ears. The next morning I heard a burly Spaniard curse at an American lady, but to have interfered would have precipi- tated trouble of perhaps a serious na- ture. The Maine disaster ended my trade in Havana, my old patrons re- fusing to patronize an American house.” g Mr. Holland is satisfied from the re- mark he had heard and the air of ex- pectancy that seemed to surround many Spaniards that they were not surprised by the destruction of the Maine and really expected it. He took the Washington steamer last night. He positively refused to state the nature | of his business at the nation’s capital, or to say whether he would see the President or Secretary of the Navy. He speaks Spanish fluently. e To Open Subscription List. NEW YORK, March 1.—Admiral Bunce, commandant at the navy-yard, received permission from Washington to-day to open a subscription list at the navy-yard for the benefit of the families of the men killed by _the ex- plosion on the Maine. The list was posted at once. ADVERTISEMENTS. Our $10 Suits and Overcoats lead all others. We make the cloth, we make the clothing, and we make the price to you. $10 Buys Single or Double Breasted Sacks and Cutaway Suits, in Oregon City Cassi- meres, Cheviots, Tweeds and Clay Worsteds. Overcoats, blue and black Kerseys, Meltons, Covert Cloths, Cassimeres, ete. Buy of the maker. Come to the BLUE Signs, second block from Market. Captaln of the torpedo boat Cushing— Sir: In the name of my officers and men, deeply affected by the catastrophe to your armored crulser Maine, I have the honor | to send you and your officers and men the expression of our true condolence. Yours sincerely, JUAN DE.CARRAUSA, Lieutenant First Class in Command M. Gunboat Diego Velasquez. It was settled to-day that there is to | be no action by Congres on the emer- gency bill transmitted to Chairman Boutelle of the House Naval Commit- BROWNBROS = Wholesale Manufacturers Selling at Retail, 121-128 SANSOME ST. tee unless it should appear that war is much more probable than it now ap- pears. The first meeting of the Naval Com- mittee since that letter was received was held to-day. Boutelle gave the other members of the commiitee his views on the subject and no one pres-