War Spirit At Capital

Washington, Feb. 17. - WasSTngton is aflame with the war spirit. The ef' forts of those high in official life to show the blowing up of the Maine to i have been an accident adds to the impatience of the general public. Both houses of congress assembled under the most exciting conditions since war times. Naval experts who are familiar with the construction of a war vess'el say the place where the explosión occurred under the bow of the Maine makes it altogether probable it was not an accident. The explosión appears by design to have been located at the point among all the ship's parts where it was calculated to result in the greatest loss of life. President McKinley and Secretary Long are using every effort to .allay public feeling. Assistant Secretary Roosevelt is cautious in commenting upon the Maine disaster, but he evidently regards the situation with extreme apprehension. In the absence of any details as to the cause of the explosión, he naturally fears treachery on the part of the Spaniards. While not advancing any well-deflned theory on that line, 'he says there have been incidents where torpedoes have been employed to destroy great battleships. But there is no precedent for an accident of this sort. No ship of war has ever been mysteriously blown up. Naval experts are unanimous in the opinión that an accident to the powder magazine could never result in a catastrophe of this sort, and they say the preoauticns taken on board a modern man-of-war make an accidental explosión in the ammunition a practical impossibility.