It's a Cold Day When We. Get Left.
VOL. . IX.
HOOD RIVE11, OREGON, FRIDAY, AP11IL 1, 1898.
NO. 45.
1
I
Ship Was Blown Up By
a Floating Mine.
, RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT FIXED
. ' y ft "f'-'y-i : ' ' "': Y' ' - '
Spain Notified of the .Finding of tha
Naval Court Madrid Refuges to lie
call the Torpedo Flotilla and Is
" Actively Fortifying Porto Rico.
Washington, Maroh 28. The' court
of inquiry appointed to Investigate the
.cause of the Maine disaster has report
ed that the loss of the battle-ship was
due td ail outside explosion. The state
department, by direction of the presi
dent, has cabled Minister Woodford, at
. Madrid, to notify the Spanish govern
ment Of the conclusion'. "Y1- YY'Y',
'The president and his cabinet ad
visers, held two extended, sessions today,
one'at 10:30 A. M. And another at 8:80
Pi, M., at which the report was consid
ered'in dotail. "- Members of the cabi
net stated after the meetings that the
discussion was of a grave charaoter,
' and that never since the wrecking of
the Maine has the situation seemed m
critical. .. .'i ' .' x
.The Spanish government has oabled
officially to Washington that the Span
ish naval commission holds the disas
ter'' to, the ' Maine to be of internal
origin. ;..'"''.:' s ' y'' '
The government of Spain, it can be
stated .-positively, : is not disposed to
turn back the torpedo fleet now pro
ceeding1 from-' the Canaries, and would
be disinclined to consider a suggestion
from this government tending to inter
fere with the disposition by Spain of
her own naval ioroes. , ; . - .
War preparations on an unprecedent
ed Scale are being hurried to comple
tion by the war and navy departments,
and the country practically1 is on , a
war footing. ' ' ;' ' '
, The foregoing gives the tecdrd of one
of the most eventful iays the national
capital has seen , since the close of the
civil war. It was a day of. profoundly
important action arid of the deepest
anxiety, coupled with naval .and . mili
tary activity, one step following another
in rapid succession. -
.Representative men of the adminis
tration, publio men in all branohes of
official and congressional life, no less
than the public in' general, shared in
the tension to whioh the situation has
been wrought. - There was no effort
among the highest officials, nor, indeed,
was it possible from what was clearly
apparent 'in tho development of the
day; to minimize the situation. ,'. f
."' i Verdict of the Court of Inquiry.
Viewed in detail, the finding of the
court of ;inqulry was the most vital fac
tor.. Commander Marix, judge advo
cate of Hhe court of 'inquiry,' delivered
the Report to Secretary Long early thia
morning, and shortly afterward it was
carried to the White House and placed
in the hands of the president, !
At 10:80 the cabinet assembled, half
an hour earlier than usual, and began
the consideration : of the ' momentous
document. -Even the rigid rules of
secrecy which prevail at cabinet meet
ings were made doubly strict in this
caaej and no intimation, of the results
reached by the court was : known until
2 o'clock, When a press bulletin ' gav
. the Information to the country, as Well
as to the eagerly waiting .official",
throughout Washington. These re
sults, briefly stated, are that the loss
of the Maine was due to an ' explosion
from, the -outside, the. court being un
able to. fix the responsibility for the
explosion. - .'
The oourt does not express an opin
ion as to the character of the explosion,,
but the testimony goes to Show that it
was a-, powerful, submarine mine, the
exact oharacter of which was not deter
mined, though the belief was expressed
' that it was a floating submarine mine.
' There were two exposions, the court
findB. f The first .was from the outside,
and that sot off one of the smaller
magazines.. , , ; '- .
It was thjs. expressed in detail, and
with the precision of a court deeply
conscious of its responsibility, together
with the- ovidenoe upon which it was
based, that occupied the attention of
the cabinet throughout its extended ses
sions of the morning and afternoon,
All other subjeots Lave given way to
thiB foremost question. s There was no
change in the plan of making there
port public and transmitting it to con
gress, accompanied by a brief .message
from the president.' y -
The afternoon cabinet session lasted
until , nearly 6:80. The entire situa
tion was discussed at length, but no
definite point was reached. The situa
tion is regarded as deoidedly critical,
and it" is feared" there will be great
difficulty In avoiding trouble. ? ',. y
While interest was thus centered at
the White House, the navy and war de
partments were hurrying forward their
work of preparation.
THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.
No Recommendation Is Made Regarding
Action to Be Taken.
Washington, March 29. The presi
dent today sent the following message
to congress: ; - .' . .. .' .' y. '
"To the congress of the United
States For , some time prior to the
visit of tho Maine to Havana harbor
our consular representatives pointed
out the advantages to follow the visits
of naval ships to Cuban waters in ac
customing people to the presence of our
flag as a symbol of good will and of our
ships in fulfillment of the mission of
protection to American interests, even
though no immediate need therefor
might exist. ;- Accordingly, on the 26th
of January last, after a conference with
the Spanish minister," in which a re
newal of the visits of our vessels to
Spanish water was disoussed and ac
cepted, the peninsular authorities at
Madrid and Havana were ..advised of
the purpose of this government to re
sume friendly naval visits at Cuban
ports, and that with that end in view
the Maine would forthwith call at the
port of Havana. ' ' ' ';'
"This announcement was received
by the Spanish : government with ap
preciation of the friendly oharacter of
the visit of the Maine and with notifl
cation of an intention to return the
courtesy by sending Spanish ships to
the principal ports of the United States.
Meanwhile the Maine entered the
port of Havana on the 25th of January,
her arrival being marked with no spe
cial inoident besides the exchange of
customary salutes and ceremonial visits.
y "The Maine continued in the harbor
of Havana during the three weeks fol
lowing her arrival. No appreciable
exoitement attended her stay. On the
contrary, a feeling of relief and confi
dence followed the resumption of long
interrupted friendly intercourse. So
noticeable was this immediate effect of
her visit that the oonsul-general strong
ly urged that the presence of our ships
in Cuban waters should be' kept up y
retaining the Maine at Havana, or in
the event of her recall, by sending an
other vessel there to take her plaoe.
- "At 40 minutes past 9 o'clock in the
evening of tha 15th of February, the
Maine was destroyed by an explosion,
by which the entire forward part of
the ship Was utterly wrecked In this
catastrophe, two officers and 260 mem
bers of er crew . perished, those who
were not killed outright by her explo
sion being penned between decks by
the tangle of wreckage and drowned by
the immediate sinking of the hull.
Prompt assistance was rendered by
neighboring vessels anchored in the
harbor, aid being especially given ,by
the boats of the Spanish cruiser Al
phonso XII and the Ward line steamer
City of Washington, which lay not far
distant. The wounded were generously
cftred for by the . authorities of Ha
vana, the hospitals being freely opened
to them, while the earliest recovered of
the bodies were interred by the munici
pality in the publio cemetery in the
dity. Tributes of grief and sympathy
were offered from all official quarters
of the island.
"The appalling calamity fell upon
the people of our country with crush
ing force,' and for a brief time intense
excitement prevailed, which, in a com
munity less just and selfishly con
trolled, must have led to hatsy aots of
blind resentment. ',; This sprit, how
ever, soon gave way to the calmer pro
cess of reason and .to a resolve to in
vestigate the facts and await material
proof before, forming . judgment as to
the responsibility, and if the faots
warranted the remedy due. This
oourse necessarily recommended itself
from the Outset to: the -exeoutive, for
only in the light of a dispassionately
ascertained certainty could it deter
mine the nature and measure its full
duty in the matter, y , :
"The usual procedure was followed
as in cases of casualty or .disaster 'to
national vessels of any maritime state.
A naval court of inquiry was at once
organized, composed of officers well
qualified by rank and practical experi
ence to discharge the onerous duties
imposed npon them, and, accompanied
by a strong force of wreckers and div
ers, the court prooeeded : to make' a
thorough investigation on the spot,
employing every available means for an
impartial and exact determination as
to the cause of the explosion. ' Its oper
ations have been, conducted 'with .the
utmost deliberation . and judgment,
and while independently pursued, no
source of ' information was neglected
and the fullest opportunity was allowed
for simultaneous investigation by the
Spanish authorities. ? '.-j? t f
; i VThe findings of the court of Inquiry
were reaohed after 23 days' continuous
labor, on the 21st of March, and hav
ing been approved on the 22d, by the
commander-in-chief of the naval force
of the North Atlantic station, were
transmitted to the executive. It is
herewith laid before congress, together
with the voluminous testimony taken
before the court, which is in brief as
follows. . . : . ,
. "When the Maine arrived at Havana
she was conducted by a regular govern
ment pilot to buoy No. 4,. to which she
was moored in from 6 to 6 fathoms
of water. -The state of discipline on
board and the condition of her maga
zines, boilers, ooal bunkers and storage
compartments are passed in review,
with the conclusion that excellent order
prevailed and that no indication of aDy
cause for internal explosion existed in
any quarter.- y .- yyi , . .y -,- -
"At 8 o'olock in the evening, on
February 15, everything had been re
ported seoure and all' was quiet. ' At
40 minutes past 9 o clock .the vessel
was suddenly destroyed. There were
two distinct explosions with brief in
tervals between them. The first lifted
the forward part of the ship very per
ceptibly, the second, which was more
prolonged, is attributed by the court to
the partial explosion of two or more of
the forward magazines. . '
"The evidence of the divers estab
lishes that the after part of the ship
was practically intact, and sank in that
condition a very few minutes after the
explosion. The forward part was com
pletely demolished. '; . ', y
"Upon the evidenoo of concurrent
exteral cause, the finding of the court
is as follows: 'y
" 'At frame 17, the outer shell of
the ship, from a point 11 feet from
the middle line of the ship and six feet
above the keel, when in normal posi
tion, had been forced to about four feet
above the surface of the water, there
fore, . about 84 - feet above where it
would have been had she sunk unin
jured. -The outside bottom plating 1b
bent into a reversed "V" , shape, . the
after wing of which, about 15. feet
broad and 83 feet long (from frame 17
to frame 25), is doubled back upon it
self against a continuation of the same
plating extending forward. : , 1 '
" "At frame 18, the? vertical keel is
broken in two and bent into a singular
angle, formed by the outside plates.
This break is about six feet . below the
surface of the water and about 30 feet
above its normal position. , "' ;
," 'In the opinion of the court ; this
effect could have been produced only
by the explosion of a mine situated un
der the bottom of the ship ' at : about
frame 18, and somewhat on the port
side of the ship.'- "'" 1
"The conclusions of the court are:
" 'The loss of the Maine was not in
any respect due to the fault of or negli
gence oh' ' the part of any officer or
member of her crew.
' " That the ship was destroyed by
the explosion of a submarine mine,
whioh -caused a partial explosion of
two or more of her forward magazines,
and that no evidenoe has been obtain
able fixing the responsibility for . the
destruction of the Maine upon any per
son or persona' ','"
. "I have directed that the finding- of
the court of inquiry and the views of
this government theron be communicat
ed to the government .of. her. majesty,
the queen regent of ; fipainr" and I do
knot permit myself to doubt that the
sense of justice of the Spanihs nation
will dictate a oourse of action suggested
by honor and friendly relations of the
two governments. -'
"It is the duty of the executive to ad
vise Congress of the result and in the
meantime deliberate consideration is
invoked. WILLIAM M'KINLEYY
''Executive Mansion, March 28,1808."
PERISHED ON AN ICE FLOE.
Terrible Fate of Forty-Seven Sailors on
a Newfoundland Sealing Steamer.
St. .John's, N.', F.. March .80. -The
steamer Greenland - has reached this
harbor with a grewsome cargo. Twenty
four corpses were on deck and 65 men
were moaning in terrible suffering in
the hold . in the pain of frostbitten
limbs and bodies. The dead bodies
were on the decks disfigured and almost
unrecognizable. The effects of the ter
rible suffering which they had endured
presented one of the most( horrible sight
human eyes ever beheld. "; , ,',..
' The frostbitten men "number 55. AH
will recover. . '. J -, . k ;i
The Greenland set sail from." Si.
John's about the first of Maroh on her
fateful voyage. . - She was commanded
by Captain George, Barbour, and oar
ried a crew of nearly 800 sealhunters.
The steamer prooeeded northward with
the rest of the sealing fleet, but after
a couple of hours she diverged on a
separate tack, and. reached- the hunting
grounds not long after.1 All went well
until Tuesday last; Seals were quickly
encountered, and several good packs
were secured. ' y , y ,
": On .Tuesday morning the hunters
left the ship about 7 o'clock, as usual,
when the lookout reported iod plentiful
around them.' The men were clad in
light clothing, for the slaughtering of
seals in exhausting I work. Scattered
over - the ice field, they wandered far
from the protection 6f the ship, and a
gale and snowstorm shut them out from
view. .The' ice floe parted , and they
drifted away from the steamer. Long
ere the 'storm subsided many of the un
fortunate fellows had succumbed to the
terrible cold and exposure. Those who
did not die were terribly frosbitten and
suffered exorutiating pain. ' y. ; 1 1
The long night passed, but morning
brought no help, for the storm still
raged and the atmosphere was thick
with snow driven by the gale. - Snow
continued . nearly all day, and, the
evening brought no -cessation to the
high wind. Another night was passed
in untold agony. y Some of the. victims
had already given up hope, and in de
spair laid down and died. . Every hour
witnessed at least two deaths. "'-
Toward morning the storm subsided
and dear weather enabled the eurvivors
to see that the Greenland was not far
away, searching for the missing. The
steamer bore down on the drifting field
of ice, and began the work of picking
up the stark bodies of the dead and the
lifeleea bodies of the living. '
il
Barely, Admits There
j ..... , -.
Was an Explosion.
DIFFERS MUCH ' FROM ' OURS
A Full Synopsis of the Report of the
Spanish Naval Commission Com
; plete Text of the American Court of
y - Inquiry Into the Maine Disaster. ?
' ' Washington, March 80. A full syn
opsis of the report of the Spanish naval
commission which investigated the de
etruotion of the battle-ship; Maine is
here given. It is taken from a copy of
the original report, which is now on its
way here, from Havana, the synopsis
being cabled and today being in the
hands of this government. ;' , y 1 ,.'j
' The conclusions are directly Opposite
to those in the report of the oourt of in
quiry submitted - to congress today,
The synopsis is as followst ', T , , y.-y
The report, contains - declarations
made try ocular witnesses and experts:
From these statements it deduces and
proves the absence of all those attend
ant ciroumstances which are invariably
presented on the occasion of the explo
sion of a torpedo. , ' :
" The evidence of witnesses compara
tively close to -the Maine at the moment
is to the effect that only one explosion
ocourred; that no column of water was
thrown into the air;' that no shock to
the side of the nearest vessel was felt,
nor on land was qny vibration noticed,
and that no dead fish were found. - ,
The evidence of the senior pilot of
the harbor states that there is abund
anoe of fish in the harbor, and this is
corroborated by other witnesses, The
assistant engineer of the works states
that after explosions were made during
the ' exeoution of works in the harbor,
he has always found dead fish. - The
divers were unable ; to examine the
bottom'of the Maine, which, was buried
in the mud, but a careful examination
of the sides of the vessel, the rents and
breaks, which all point outward, shows
without a doubt that the explosion was
from the inside.
A minute examination of the bottom
of the harbor around the vessel ' shows
absolutely no sign of the action of a
torpedo, and the judge-advooate of the
commission can find no precedent for
the explosion of the storage magazine of
the vessel by a torpedo.
The report makes clear that owing to
the sepcial nature of the proceedings
following, the commission baa. been
prevented from making such an exami
nation of the Inside of the vessel as
would determine even the hypothesis
of the internal origin of the accident.
This is to be attributed to the regret
table refusal to permit a necessary con
nection of the Spanish commission with
the commander and crew of the Maine,
and the different American officers
commissioned t'o investigate the cause
of the accident, and later with those
employed on salvage work. V,; r
The report finishes by stating that
an examination of the inside and out
side of the Maine, as soon as such ex
amination may be possible, 'as also oi
the' bottom where the vessel rests, sup
posing that the Maine's wreck be not
totally altered in the process of extrica
tion, will wan ant the ; belief that the
explosion was udoubtedly due to some
interior cause, . ,f.y. v , ,-y;
AMERICAN REPORT IN DETAIL.
Full Text of the Findings of the Maine
j ' ' . Court of Inquiry
' TJ. S. S. Iowa, first rate. ; ,; ' 1 -'
Key West, Fla Monday, March 21,
1898. After a full and mature considers
tion of all the testimony before It, the
court finds as follows: y .' '
First That the United States battle-ship
Maine eTived In the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, on the 21st day of January, 1898,
and was taken to buoy No. 4, In BV4 to 6
fathoms of water, by the regular govern
ment pilot. The United States consul then
at Havana had notified the authorities
at that place the previous evening - of
the Intended arrival of the Maine.
Second The state of discipline on board
the Maine was excellent, and all orders
and regulations in regard to the care and
safety of the ship were strictly carried
out. All ammunition was stowed away in
accordance with Instructions, and proper
care . was taken whenever ammunition
was handled. Nothing was stored in any
one of the magazines or shellrooms which
was not permitted to be stowed there.
The magazines and . shellrooms were al
ways locked after having been . opened;
and after the destruction of the Maine
the "keys were found in their proper place
In the' captain's cabin, everything hav
ing been reported Becure that evening at
8 P. M. The temperature of the maga
zines and shellrooms were taken dally
and reported The only magazine which
had an undue amount of heat was the
after 10-lnch magazine, and that did nol
explode at the time the Maine was de
stroyed. Tha torpedo warheads were all
stowed in the after part of the ship under
the ward room, and neither caused nor
participated in . the destruction , of the
Maine. The dry gun-cotton primers, and
detonators, were, stowed In the cabin aft
II
and remote from the scene of the explo
sion. .' '.-1 y. y... .;
The waste was carefully looked after
on board the Maine to obviate danger.
Special orders In regard to this had been
given by the commanding officer. Var
nishes, dryers, alcphol and other com
bustibles of this nature, were stowed on
or above the main deck, and could not
have had anything to do with the de
struction of the Maine. ' : The medical
stores were stowed aft. under the ward
room, and remote from the scene of the
explosion,, ' No dangerous stores -of any
kind were stowed below In any of the
other storerooms, or In the coalbunkers.
Of those bunkers adjoining the forward
magazine and shellrooms, 1 four were
empty; namely; B3, B4, B5, B9. A1B had
been in use that date, and A16 was full
of .new river coal. This coal had been
earefully inspected before receiving It on
board. The bunker in which it was stowed
was accessible on three sides at all times,
and the fourth side at this time, on ac-:
count of bunkers B4 and B6 being empty.
This bunker, A16, had been Inspected that
day by the engineer officer on duty. The
Are alarms In the bunkers were In work
ing order,, , and there had never been a
case of spontaneous combustion of coal
on board the Maine. The two after boil
ers of the ship were In use at the time of
the disaster, but for auxiliary purposes
only, with a comparatively low pressure
of steam and being tended by. a reliable
watch. These boilers , could not have
caused the explosion of the ship. The
forward boilers of the ship have since
been found by the divers, and are in fair
condition. On the night of the destruction
of the Maine, everything had been, re
ported secure for the night i at 8 P. M.
by reliable persons, through proper au
thorities to the commanding officer. At
the time the Maine was destroyed tha
ship waa quiet, and therefore the least
liable to accident caused by movements
from those on board; :'y.': '' 'V: .' ' '; :y
Third The destruction of the Maine oo
curred at 9:40 P. M. on the 15th day of
February, 1898, In the harbor of Havana,
Cuba, being at thei time moored to the
very same buoy to which she had been
taken upon her arrival. ; There were
two explosions, of a distinctly different
character, a very short but distinct In
terval between them, and the forward
part of tha ship was lifted to a marked
degree at the time of the first explosion.
The. first explosion was more In the na
ture of a report, like that of a gun,
while the second explosion was , more
open, prolonged, and of a greater vol
ume. 1 The second explosion was. In the
opinion of the court, caused by the par
tial explosion of two or more of the for
ward magazines of the Maine.
: '.' Condition of tho Wreck.
Fourth The i evidence bearing on this
being principally obtained from divers,
did not enable the court to form a defi
nite conclusion as to the condition of
the wreck,' although It was established
that the after part of the ship was prac
tically intact, and sank In that condition
a very few minutes after the destruction
of the forward part. The following facts
in regard to the forward part of the ship
are, however, established by the testi
mony: ' ... --. . '.',.:
, That portion of the short side of the
protected deck which extends from about
frame 80 to about frame 41, was ' blown
up aft and over to port. The main deck
from about frame 30 to about frame 41
was blown up aft and slightly over' to
starboard, folding the forward part of
the middle superstructure over and on top
of the floor part. This was, In the opinion
of the court, caused by the partial explo
sion of two or more of the forward maga
zines of the Maine. ; ' -vy .'..'.
Fifth At frame 15 the outer shell of the
ship from a point 11 feet from the mid
die line of the ship, and six feet above
the keel, when in its normal position, has
been forced up, so as to be about four feet
above the surface of the water, there
fore about 34 feet above where it would be
had the ship sunk uninjured. The outside
bottom plating is bent into a reversed
V-fshape, the after wing of which, about
15 feet broad and 32 feet In length (from
frame 17 to frame 25), is doubled back upon
itself, against the continuation of the
same plating extending forward.
At frame 80 the vertical keel Is broken
In two, and the flat keel bent Into an
angle similar to the angle formed by the
outside bottom plating. . This break Is
now about six feet below the surface of
,the water, and about 10 feet above its
normal position. In the opinion of the
court, this effect could have been pro
duced only by the explosion" of a mine,
situated under the, bottom of the ship, at
about frame 18, and somewhat on the
port side of, the ship. y Y
Sixth The court finds that the loss of
the Maine on the occasion named was
not in any respect due to fault or negli
gence on the part of any of the officers
or members of the crew of said vessel.. . '
, Seventh In the opinion of tho court,
the Maine was destroyed by the ' explo
sion of a submarine mine,, which caused
the partial explosion of two or more of .
her forward magazines. .
Elghth-yThe court has been unable to
obtain evidence fixing the responsibility
for the destruction of the Maine upon
any person or persons. ' Y
, W. T. SAMPSON, ''-:
' Captain, U. S. N., President'
, ; Y-. 'y - - .a. ii. marix, ; y - ;
U. S. N., Commander, Judge-Advocate. ?
The court having finished the Inquiry It
was ordered to make, adjourned at 11
A. - M., to await the action of the con
vening authority . ' i ' .
. - y - W. T. SAMPSON, ,.; ,
Captain, U. S. ' N:, President
; - y 'A. H. MARIX, .;' .-;.
V. S. N,' Lieutenant-Commander, TJ.' S.
N., Judge-Advocate., ---l' -' '' .' -
U. S. Flagship New York, March '22,
1898, Off Key "West, Fla. . ' ;
The proceedings and findings of the
court of . inquiry in the above case
are approved. M. SICARD,
Rear-Admlral, Commander-in-Chief, U. S.
Naval Force of the North Atlantic.
Epitome ( of the , Telegraphic
; , : News of the World, y
VERSE TICKS FROM THE WIRES
r-n Interesting Collection of Items From
' the New and the Old World In a
Condensed and Comprehensive Form
The United States supreme court has
decided that a person born in this coun
try of Chinese parents is entitled to
citizenship, y- ,: Y" i.'YY V' ,
. Chicago Typographical union has tel
egraphed the Illinois representatives in
congress calling for the intervention of
the United States toward ending the
inhuman war in Cuba. .
Frank B. Clark, of Chicago, has pur
chased 1,000 feet of . river frontage at
Linnton, a few miles below , Portland,
Or., and is negotiating for more. He
will construct a large ship-building
plant. '':-) ':;-.. yv
'A-diet kitchen and dispensary, whore
2,000 sick will be cared for daily has
been started in Havana. The kitohen
was built by the central committee, and
serves its purpose excellently.; The sick
and feeble will find the dispensary a
great source of comfort and help.
The dispatch of the British fleet from
Halifax to Bermuda, following the agi
tation for an Anglo-American alliance,
is considerably commented upon by
diplomats in London. . The authorities
explain that it is merely considered de
sirable that the British ships should be
in the vicinity of Cuba in order to
safely guard British , commerce and
British subjects, in case of war. - The
idea of Anglo-American co-operation in
Cuba is scouted. '
The levee on the Wabash river, near
Sullivan, Ind.l went out with a break
of 100 feet, entailing a loss of $100,000.
Twenty thousand acres , of land are
overflowed, and hundreds of families
are rendered homelesB and destitute.
Citizens are responding for miles
around in the effort to remove families
and stock. Hundreds of cattle and
horses are hemmed in.. Such a rush of
water was never known in this section
of the country before. . y v' ,
Deep interest is felt in Havana in
the news , received from the - United
States. La . Luoha, in an editorial.
says: "The United' States' istte to
Spain demanding that a date be fixed
to end hostilities is simply a declara
tion of war. It was , not issued until
after the finding of the United Statoa
court of inquiry had been received,
which finding is .. without ' scientific
basis,' and is open to question even
upon the part of the most prejudiced."
' The most significant of the naval or
ders issued by the navy department re
cently was the detachment of Com
mander Horace M. Elmer, from Cramps'
ship yard, and ordering him to -duty
"in the mosquito fleet. " This auxiliary
organization of the navy, which is to
be called into service in time of war,
is to be composed of small craft of all
binds that may,; be obtainable by the
department upon which a gun may be
mounted, and other defensive devices
placed. As far as practicable, it is the
intention of the department that there
shall be a separate set of ships for the
defense of the seaooast cities, the whole
to oompose the "mosquito fleet.',' In
the event of necessity for a rendezvous
of several of these looal fleets it can be
arranged, as the- primary idea is for
each looal fleet to form the "mobile de
fense'V of the particular city where it
will be called into service to assist in
furnishing armament for vessels, and
in the event of war, naval officers will
be assigned to the oommand of each of
the several local fleets. , ; ',
An explosion ocourred at the Mano
wan coal mine near Monongahela City, ;
Pa. Two men are known to have been
killed. Five were injured, and from
15 to 25 are said to be entombed in the
mine.';, y Y;y.Yy v-.y-y;;
An explosion "took place ; at San
Rafael, Cal., at the United States
Bmokeless powder works, whioh result
ed in the death of two men, Charles
A. Jenks and Charles Nelson, who were
employed in the material roonu . Two
buildings were completely destroyed,
and the roofs torn off the other build
ings close by and windows broken for
miles around. , y
'A Havana dispatoh alleges that Captain-General
Blanco and General Man- :
terola have notified the Madrid govern
ment that they will resign their offices
if the Spanish torpedo fleet is to be de
tained at the Canaries in obedience to ,
the demand of President : McKinley.
Captain Eulate, of the Vizoaya, is also
alleged to have sent a similar message
to the Spanish admiralty. i
, , Chaplain Chidwick, of the Maine,
has completed his mortuary report, '
which shows that 257 men and two
officers perished in the catastrophe.
Six succumbed to their. Injuries while
lying in San ' Ambrosio hospital; one .
died on the Spanish transport; 171
bodies have r been recovered from the
wreck, of which 61 have been identified;
161 have been buried in Colon cemetery
and 11 at Key West. This is the offi
cial report, made publio after careful
correction,