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Newspaper
The Progress
Location
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States of America
Date
Feb 19, 1898
Page
18
Public report from Washington states the Havana harbor incident is accidental with over two hundred missing. All officers escaped except Jenkins and Merritt.
Washington officials report the prevailing view is that the Maine explosion was accidental, though some still doubt. Public sorrow pervades the capital with naval yards and government sites ordered to heightened vigilance as investigations continue.
The Maine explosion sent shock waves through Washington as officials debated cause and intent. Captain Forsyth, Admiral Schley, and key lawmakers awaited fuller details while public spokesmen urged restraint until investigations clarified whether the blast was accidental or otherwise. Spanish authorities expressed condolences and asserted the incident appeared accidental, outlining initial aid efforts and noting several deaths and injuries.
A fragment shows authorities receiving a cablegram from the Blan coast chain to express condolences and relay the general's dispatch to officials. The text indicates formal communications between leaders and military or government authorities in a period of mourning.
Washington reports Secretaries and captains react to the Maine disaster. Divers search wreckage as 25 percent are lost or missing. Officers saved include 24, with 18 injured. most others have only clothes. Ward Line ship to Mexico. Olivette travels to Key West. Havana hospital to receive wounded.
A late night dispatch from Havana quoted in Washington claims nine officers, one private, and gunners remain aboard with Captain Sigsbee. The note notes Jenkins Merritt presumed lost and bodies afloat, while Mate Bullock stays aboard. A Texas dispatch from Galveston reports apprentices still aboard the Maina draft.
Report from Key West dated February 17 describes the Maine disaster aftermath. The Boutte with 62 survivors arrived at 10:20 p.m., seven and a half hours from Havana, with 20 seriously wounded and 10 fatally. Captain Morrill and First Artillery kept the crowd calm as refugees, many of them Black, disembarked. The explosion reportedly shook the forward magazine and spread chaos as sailors tried to reach safety.
Report describes a catastrophic explosion aboard a large vessel cutting her in two. About 40 men in the forward part were saved while many perished near the magazine where coarse powder was stored. No torpedo or detonated powder were involved and the main magazine did not explode. Survivors fled half clothed as wreckage and debris scattered across the sea.
Washington dispatch quotes General Lee sending sorrow over a deadly blast. Flag at half mast, business suspended, theaters closed. About 260 dead. naval officers Merritt and Jenking missing. Funeral set for tomorrow afternoon. call for naval court of inquiry to determine cause.
Key West Feb 17 Associated Press dispatch reports Captain Sigsbee now thinks the Maine exploded due to a floating torpedo. He has notified Washington and urged the Navy Department to send engineers and mechanics to examine the blast and determine the cause.
Washington dispatch dated February 17 reports a telegraph from J D Lang to a magazine editor. The message hints at a provocative piece involving officials and a reputed exposure, though the fragmentary text offers limited context and names.
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