The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-22
MAINs STILL EXISTS OFFICIALLY.
Hope of Raising Battleship Has Practical-
ly Been Abandon ed by divers.

MaINs STILL EXISTS OFFICIALLY.
Hope of Raising Battleship Has Practica'-
Iy Been Abando ed by Divers.
Washington, March 2l.-According to
the orders to naval officers issued by the
navy department. the battleship Maine
is still in existence.
1t is presumed that the battleship Will
not be stricken from the naval register
until it has been established that the hull
cannot be raised from it's bed of mud
in the harbor of Havana, and recon
structed into at least semblanoe of her
former self.
The navy department will not abandon
its efforts to raise the vessel until the
wreckers report that it is impossible.
That the wrec'"rs already take that
view is eviden M, the fact that the
mammoth hoa. l.. ,.arrick Monarch,
whioh was CHI tered conditionally for
| raising the Maine has not even started
on her proposed trip TO Havana and the
officials of the department have practical
| ly concluded to abandon it. Under the
| terms of the contract IS 0 u day was 10
be paid for the Monarch for every day
she was in actual service on the wreck
of the battleship. The owners of the Mon
arch were to be paid lump sum aggre-
eating many thousand dollars in case
| they were able to raise the war ship and
| take her to the New York navy yard.
and in case she was used in the wreck
ing operations it was also expected that
she would be specially employed TO
raiss the turrets ana heavy guns. The
navy has particular need of first-class
guns at this time. Although there is
not much prospect of raising tho Maine
there is good reason to believe that many,
ii not all of the guns. may be recovered.
Can't. VIM. P. Duval of the Fifth artil-
lery has reported at the war department.
for temporary duty in tho offices ofai he
of the secretary of war and the major
general commanding the army. Major
Duval is regarded as an expert III all mat
ters pertaining to the artillery branch
of the service. 1t is understood that he
was summoned to Washington to confer
with the military authorities on cues
tions involving the employment of the
artillery in active work along the At
lantic coast and Gulf coasts. This Is
simply precautionary measure in view
of the possibilities of trouble with Spain.
The enlistment branch of the navy de-
partment today issue large poster adyer-
tising for men for the navy.
The recent order putting into commiss-
ion OF the cruisers Columbia and Minneap-
oils and the prospective demands that viii
be necessary as result of the acquisit.
ion of the Amazonas and this Mayfower,
require the enlistment of additional
men. Enlistments will be made at the
navy yards at Boston. Brooklyn, League
Island. Philadelphia, Washington, d,
C., Norfolk, Mare Island SO South street,
New York city; U. S. S. Michigan at
Erie, Pa, Custom house at New Orleans
and custom house at Gloucester, Mass.
Gen. A. W. Greeley, the chief signal
officer OF the army, has returned from
New York. He states that the work of
Installing electric communication be-
tween the variouss posts comprising the
Notifications of that city will begin DUR
ing the present week and will be pushed
as rapidly as possible.