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Newspaper
Topeka State Journal
Location
Topeka, Kansas, United States of America
Date
Feb 24, 1898
Page
1
President McKinley warns the nation of a grave situation following the Maine atrocity and urges readying for future conflict. He tells Congress to support the administration with few inquiries into current events while preparing for decisive action.
A Washington dispatch says the McKinley administration prepares for war with Spain and may seize the island of Cuba if evidence ties Spain to the Maine explosion. The report notes a strong military buildup and outlines steps including deployment of torpedo destroyers and accompanying vessels via Canary Islands and Puerto Rico en route to Cuba.
Reported plans claim seven vessels will depart Cadiz for Havana within three days. The piece notes long standing subterranean passages near Havana harbor, disputed by Spanish authorities, and cites unrest over autonomy and U S opinion. It mentions a 40 guerrilla party near Astacate desert fort, a garrison attack killing 25 insurgents, and divergent interpretations of the Havana disaster aftermath.
Civil War era report from Washington notes the recently appointed collector of Internal Revenue for the southern districts returning. A general, a friend of President MacKinney, describes discussions with the chief executive about the Maine disaster and potential outcomes. The president awaits the naval board of inquiry report and says if it finds Spanish treachery caused sailors' deaths, he will act promptly. Army preparations for war are stated to be advancing vigorously.
The Right Arm of the Merritt and Chapman wrecking outfit lies about 200 yards from the Maine wreck. The powerful wrecking tug lacks full gear due to a rushed departure. Captain Migee reports to Captain Sigebee under unclear orders as divers labor under electric lights aboard the Mangrove. Captain Sigebee faced local press criticism despite his courteous conduct and popularity.
Havana Feb 24 United States court of Inquiry opened for the Maine disaster with Dr Honeberger Paymaster Hay and Chief Engineer Howell testifying. The session lasted through noon and 1:30 pm with more witnesses to be examined. Captain Sampson visited the wreck and cautioned silence as the inquiry continues.
Eyewitnesses aboard the Gliveden claim to have witnessed the Maine blast from a pier near the harbor. Spanish soldiers and sailors fled the scene while authorities investigated a note found on a dynamite witness indicating weapons were involved.
Reports describe towing, departure, and deployment of vessels toward Key West and Port Key West to assist after the Maine disaster. News notes ships from New York to Port au Prince, and states that several warships will reassemble nearby, with ongoing drydock work delaying readiness.
Fragmentary report from Key West on February 21 describes Beemeee and an officer Betsout with unclear details. The text mentions coal supply and a captain with orders, but the exact events and names are garbled.
An important Ipteror party meeting backs an amendment expanding autonomy, with 15 new members drawn from emigrants and insurgents. radicals may win next month’s election. Gen Pando negotiates Capote’s surrender, moves through Manzanillo and Santa Crux, facing a major battle where Major Rivas is killed and Spanish losses rise. Clara Barton visits Jeruce amid widespread famine near Havana. calls grow for aid to Matanzas as American relief promises dispatches.
Washington February 4 news states Admiral Sicard remains ill at Key West and cannot command the squadron. He will stay ashore at his hotel and preserve command from there unless ships sail. If needed, Captain Sampson would handle the delegation, with Captain Taylor and the battleship Massachusetts noted in the line of succession.
In New York on February 24 an accident aboard the Vizcaya left four men on a tall smokestack. Two fell from loosened planks and landed on a grate, being pulled to safety in a semi conscious state. Surgeons feared internal injuries though no bones were broken. Two other men escaped by swinging on chains to safety.
Representative Matany denounces New York social leaders as drones of society after a late afternoon speech. He contrasts their behavior with national mourning for the Maine sailors, recalling Camperdown and Victoria naval actions. He vows to detach the Republican party from their influence.
Havana reports show peasant and poor populations suffer extreme hunger with death in the streets. In Santa Clara province, 17 persons are described as taken by famine and related ailments, reflecting a dire interior crisis and worsening conditions for coastal evacuees and inland communities.
Madrid reports indicate Spain plans broader autonomy for Cuba to win peace, but insurrection and disarmament fears spark disturbances. Solano says 17 million Spaniards favor autonomy, with a Cuban minority opposing it. Censorship and slow Havana communications hinder dispatches amid doubt over any real autonomous move.
A Havana dispatch reports scavengers have stripped wreck victims of clothing and left bones exposed as divers search for missing officers Lieutenant Jenkins and Assistant Engineer Mertitt. The number missing is reported as 86 with five deaths in hospital. Identification remains uncertain as bodies may be unrecoverable.
Arrival of private letters from naval officers attached to the Maine sparked rumors in Washington. Reports note only eight boilers were under steam at explosion time, undermining the boiler explosion theory and offering no clear light on the wreck’s cause.
February reports from Havana state divers tied to warships struggle in turbid water with questionable air pumps. The ongoing debate centers on whether the Maine disaster could originate from within, as critics point to seized magazine forward and possible external causes, with continued discussion on the fifth page.
A Topeka Commercial Club reception for visiting delegates drew an extreme crowd at Hamilton Hall. The hall overflowed and a crowd on the stairs strained space while a pair of bold young women challenged a policeman and pressed toward the upper level.
Subdued crowd saw several crushes as spectators jammed stairs and paid to enter. Major Tom Anderson urged building an auditorium after noting fifteen hundred were turned away, imploring everyone to contribute what they could to the proposed project. Continued on Third Page.
The Wheer Review reports an account by Himer Farmer of Stanford on branding fur seals with electricity to deter fur theft. The August Pribilof Island test used a small dynamo and hot platinum to mark backs, claimed painless and effective, led to fur loss and some deaths. Dr. David Starr Jordan supervised, noting the method's superiority to branding by hot irons.
The Brooklyn Elevated Railroad signs a contract with Walker Motors and the Cleveland Electric Elevator company to acquire 160 cars using the Multiple-Unit control system. Tracks will connect Brooklyn and Manhattan via the bridge, with trains expected by June 15, and the project estimated to cost between 2.5 and 2.1 million dollars.
A deal is closed in south Santa Fe county for a $1,500,000 venture by A Edison and an associate to construct a unit and ship product within two years. Plans include a complete facility and related operations to be completed at the site in Santa Fe.
A mob of up to 400 citizens dragged Richard Allen, colored, from the jail in Mayfield Graves County and hanged him in the town square after accusing him of burglary and theft. Reports say the mob formed from various points in the county to mete out summary justice, promising similar action for others believed implicated.
London February 4. The St James Gazette reports that Gladstone will shortly undergo an operation to relieve pain from necrosis at the bone of the nose. Six surgeons will perform the procedure to address serious medical distress alleged to plague him.
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