s and torpedoes, and that he alone
had the plans.

In a letter to a New York paper, however, General Weyler absolutely
denies this, and he writes that he has had nothing to do with the mines
and torpedoes in Havana harbor.

One sensational report printed in a New York paper was that, shortly
before the explosion took place, the guard on the _Maine_ noticed a very
distinct ripple on the water, as if a small boat was being propelled
close to the vessel.

Many similar reports have reached the United States, and it is hard to
know what to believe. One of the New York papers has been telling so
many lies that the Government was compelled to stop this particular
journal from sending any messages at all over the cable from Havana to
Key West. This paper then sent its news to Europe, and from there cabled
to New York. Over this circuitous route came most marvellous tales, and
it is needless to say that most of them were lies pure and simple. The
editor of one enterprising journal is reported to have wagered $50,000
that he will cause war between the United States and Spain.

* * * * *

The wounded sailors from the _Maine_ have all been transferred from
Havana to Dry Tortugas. Dry Tortugas is an island east of Key West.
These sailors say that the Spaniards treated them with the utmost
kindness.

The first body from the _Maine_ was brought to Key West last Thursday.
All flags in the city were at half-mast, and although the body was that
of an unidentified seaman, it was given the burial of a naval hero.
Captain McCalla, of the _Marblehead_, with Fleet Chaplain Lee Boyce and
a guard of honor of forty sailors, received the body, and it was borne
in state through the quiet streets of the city to the graveyard on the
outskirts. The sailors were drawn up facing the grave; the chaplain read
the service, and the body was lowered to its resting-place. The simple
ceremony was then ended by the ship's bugler sounding the recall, and
the guard at "shoulder arms" marched back to the pier.

It is reported that the uninjured survivors of the _Maine_ feel very
much distressed over orders they are said to have received from the Navy
Department. All but five of the men are ordered to report for service
on the ships of the fleet at Key West. Naturally, they are desirous to
get to their friends in the North, and an effort will be made to induce
the Navy Department to allow them to do so.

It seems that, of t