Show I ITS Hit WORK Of AN ENEMY Gen Lee Made Formal Report On Maine Disaster OPINION OF OUR MINISTER TO CUBA Friends of Administration Try to Minimize Its Importance Conflicting Evidence Regarding the Existence of Submarine Mines Under Un-der Havana Sylvester Scovel and the Unexploded magazine Court of Inquiry Nothing Reached In Conclusions Work Around the Maine Wreck Chicago Feb 6A TimesHerald 4jf Washington special says A Consul General Lee has made formal k report to the president that it is his opinion that the Maine was deliberately deliberate-ly destroyed Every effort has been made to keep this information from becoming public pub-lic Even where privately circulated the friends of the administration are trying to minimize the importance of the report by saying that it is only an expression of opinion by the consul general unaccompanied by evidence The fact that Lee has never made a mistake in Cuba however adds much to the importance of his report and has increased the general concern among public men COURT OF INQUIRY Form and Nature of Forthcoming Report Washington Feb 6Yith the proceedings pro-ceedings of the court of inquiry drawing draw-ing to a close attention is now being directed to the form and nature of this report The court has the widest I laUtiide for inquiry and yet certain general features will have to be observed ob-served under the naval regulations governing inquiries of this character These were explained today by Captain Cap-tain Lemley judge advocate general of the navy and Lieutenant Lauchhel mer a veteran In the legal arm of the naval service and author of the standard i stand-ard work on courts of inquiry court martials etc As a general rule it was explained a court of inquiry submits sub-mits rot only the evidence taken but also gives us conclusions drawn from I the evidence Under rule 1726 when i courts are requested to find facts there is to be reported not only a recital of I evidence but also the results and I conclusions of the court from hearing the evidence In this respect the findings are much I more exact and conclusive on all issues of fact than the civiPfindings of a jury I or of an inquest Usually there is a II I precept which specifies the exact I charges on which the court is to make a finding In the present case however the precept sent by Admiral Sicard I was general in terms simply directing the court to inquire into and report on i the circumstances attending the wreck of the Maine This gives the court I wide scope in prosecuting its inquiry In form the renort will be in two parts first the findings of fact and I second the opinion of the court The findings take up each material question ques-tion of fact Involved and give the conclusion con-clusion of the court upon it SECRETARY LONG AT WORK Concluded to Abandon His Plan to Rest Awhile Washington Feb 26 Secretary Long enjoyed a sound sleep last night the first he has had for some time and he felt so much refreshed this morning that lie decided to abandon his proposed pro-posed absence from the navy department depart-ment and continue at his duties So he was early at his desk and in consultation consul-tation with Assistant Secretary Roosevelt Roose-velt and Captain Crowninshield of the navigation bureau As to the outlook he said he thought things were looking much better lie said the public ought not to be under any misapprehension with regard to naval movements that so far they hrd mostly been the ordinary ordi-nary disposition which are made from time to time SYLVESTER SCOVEL ONCE MORE Again He Reiterates That the Big Magazine Is Intact New York Feb 26A special copyrighted copy-righted cablegram to the Evening World from Sylvester Scovel at Havana Ha-vana says I Divers working forward yesterday found absolute proof that the forward I big magazine which could have so damaged the ship is surely unexploded I The sides and floors of this magazine I are practically intact and in such I I i I ii I I 1 I 1 I A DIVER IN ITIS SUAJ READY FOR WORE I shape as is impossible had an explosion I within occurred I New York divers have so sworn today to the investigating board I It is now believed by experts that a big torpedo or mine aided by 500 I pounds of salutine powder in the reserve i I re-serve magazine next to the big magazine I maga-zine might have produced the actual I results found in the wreck Collapsed powder casks found about the magazine maga-zine have hexagonal marks In the thin copper where the external pressure forces It Into its contents of hexagonal hexagon-al powder WRECKING APPARATUS What the Big Machinery Is Expected to Accomplish Washington Feb 26 Judge Adv Ad-v tJ General Lmley has received re-ceived a telegram from W F Hum phrey president of the Boston TowBoat Tow-Boat company one of the concerns engaged in the wrecking of the Maine stating that the big tug Underwriter sailed from Boston yesterday for Havana I Ha-vana to join the Merritt companys boat not at the place The Underwriter is to stop at New York on her way I south and pick up the Merntt and Chapman floating derrick Chief and I later the big i derrick Monarch will follow I fol-low The principal tunctlon of the < latter craft which Is especially engaged at large expense will be to undertak to lift off the turrets and bic guns ol the Maine a weight beyond the capacity I capac-ity of the smaller derricks to hancue NEW DIVERS ON HAND = I Incidents Connected With the Main I Disaster Havana Feb 2GThe court of inquiry in-quiry was in session again today bu did nothing simply waiting to see If i any new developments came from tin work of the divers A strong wine hindered the divers in their operations but the new divers and apparatus brought by the Mascotte are now onboard on-board the tug Right Arm and will be < put to work as soon possible Captain Sampson expects that the Mangrove with the court of Inquiry onboard on-board will sail tonight unless new discoveries dis-coveries are made to detain her I Captain SIgsbee and the other officers of the Maine who are here will probably prob-ably remain until the Mangrove returns re-turns This morning Senator roctor took breakfast with General Lee and afterward after-ward walked and drove about the city The wreck of the Maine sinks perceptibly percep-tibly every day into the mud of the harbor La Lucha today insists that the American correspondents are insidious I and perfidious and sending news north that the Maine disaster was not tn accident ac-cident The court this afternoon reexamined Captain Sigsbee Surgeon Henneberger two divers and Consular Clerk Drain They then verified the testimony by the stenographers notes and made preparations for their departure The Mangrove got under way after the farewells had been spoken about 630 oclock Captain Sampson said he had no idea when the court would return re-turn here It is reoorted from Spanish sources that Captain Sigsbeo and the other officers of-ficers of the Maine who are here will be called before the admiralty court in Havana next Monday to give their testimony tes-timony referring to the loss of the Maine This is the usual course it Is said and has been expected The divers will continue work on the wreck next week under the direction of Captain Sigsbee Seaman Frederick O Holzer after a most sturdy fight for life died this afternoon af-ternoon A fatal termination had been feared from the first as the man was terril 7 injured Three bcdles have been recovered today to-day One of them came to the surface and the others were brought up by divers One has been identified as ihat of John W Watson Miss Bartons staff has been augmented aug-mented by three nursos from New York who came today from the Mas cotte ABOUT THOSE MINES Conflicting Evidence Regarding Their Existence In Havana Harbor I 1 r Washington Feb 26The attention i of naval officers has been strongly attracted I at-tracted to the statement made by Representatives Ito I i resentatives of the Spanish government to the effect that then were no mines or torpedoes of any kindin Havana I harbor It can be said that this statement I state-ment exactly agrees with inquiries that 1 have been under way for many months by agents of our government So far i they have been unable to find the I slightest existence of any plan of defense de-fense In the harbor by means of mines or torpedoes much less to locate them I as has been reported In some quarters When the attention of Phillip Alger expert of the bureau of ordnance was called to Senor du Boscs statement he saidThe The statement is Important as representing rep-resenting the position taken by the Spanish officials who haie absolute knowledge of whether or not Havana i harbor was mined It Is of course inherently I in-herently Improbable that tuch mines xisted since it Is not customary to plant torpedoes inthe harbors at all and especially not in harbors constantly constant-ly occupied by friendly vessels Should it be possible to prove Senor du Boscs statement to hf true the whole theory of the Maines destruction by a torpedo will become untenable in my opinion But the only proper couise now to be pursued Is to await pat enty the report re-port of the beard of investigation and to accept their findings as conclusive I When the first news of the catastrophe arrived it was well to attempt to allay excitement by pointing out the fact that the probabilities were greatly in favor I of the explosion having been an accidental acci-dental one Nothing that has yet become be-come known tends to a modification of this view I Is still vastly more probable prob-able that the cause was an internal one than that It was an external one I seems however to be a prevalent feeling feel-ing that the accident theory casts a reflection upon the navy and also that its acceptance would be hurtful to the navys interest The contrary seems tome to-me to be true The wit of men has not yet devised any implement of destruction destruc-tion which accident may not turn against friend with equal force to that which i was intended to produce upon an enemy Accidents will sometimes happen and It is selfevident that the force of the explosion carried by any warship will always be sufficient to destroy de-stroy her if they are accidentally seton set-on fire I it was an accident its cause may be ascertained and a repetition cane can-e guarded against If the modern battleship bat-tleship can be easily destroyed by an enemy as the advocates of the torpedo I theory believe then perhaps it might be claimed with such show of reason Continued on page 2 H e lt h 1iiti J c 0 0 b I 7 T 5 a j a rEp r-Ep 1 r i UNITED STATES UGHTHOTTSE TENDER MANGROVE ON BOARD OF WHICH THE MAINE BOARD OF INQUIRYIS MAKING INVESTIGATIONS INQYI yv c A IVSTIGATONS k J i < i < < f i ITS THE WORK Of AN ENEMY ContinuedIrom pace LI that such ships should no longer be i built But condemn battleships because be-cause an accident may completely destroy son de-stroy one would be to act without rea Madrid Feb 26 Deputy Mesamena an Intimate friend of Genqral Weyler l i I has received a message from the former for-mer captain general of Cuba denying the report that Weyler took from the j war department at Havana papers and plan connected with the fortifications ineaeputy says It is h > i doubly absurd to suggest li General Weyler placed mines and torpedoes in Havana bay to endanger navigation without warn war ing te shipping I Isfurther said that all the documents and plans re lating to jhe campaign in Cuba are among the rChlvesn the war department depart-ment t Havana i J I New TorklTF ib26iiXt the headquar ters 9f theCuban1 juaa in this city today the alleged existence ofmines xien I in the harbor of Havana was e the sub ject of free discussion fn support of 11 the allegations that such mines were laid a local paper of November 1S96 was produced n which Jtwasasserted thata shipment flf six iono dynamite wa made from thlsl port and that the steamer CItidad Curda wlil thit led aboUt the 13th of Jthe month named I I refused to take passengers because I j carried a large Consignment of dyna i mite for General Weylcr I was also I alleged in tbe newspaper flies shown I that about the same time a St Louis i firm was to make a tender on ten tons i ofj dynamite for immediate shipment i to Cuba < I |