Evening journal., 1898-03-01
WILL BE WEEKS YET.
II Is Expected Some Time WIN Eiapse
Before Naval Court Reports.

II IL Expected Some Time WIN Elapse
Before Naval Court Reports.
WASHINGTON, March lat the
close Of Office hours yesterday tele-
gram came TO the navy department
from Admiral Sicard at Key West In
the following terms: Court OF inquiry
will commence session at Key West
today. They must resume session at
Havana 10 obtain evidence Of divers
after further work upon the wreck"
The Important feature Of this commu-
nicatlon Is the declaration that the
court will return to Havana. II sets at
rest runora that have been current for
some days past that the court was not
Ia retufnit5 Havana for the reason that
Il had discovered the cause OF the sink
Ing OF the Maine, which was not an ac-
rident. and that they had consequently
no further business In Havana one
important deduction 10 be drawn from
the message was that the report of the
court of inquiry can scarcely be ex-
pected for several weeks to come.
The court will be occupied at Key
West for some days at least in taking
the testimony OF the survivors there.
Then. upon the return to Havana, 1t is
expected that a good deal OF time must
the mud which now encompasses the
lower part OF the Maine and examine
the bottom After this is done the court
must deliberate in order to secure an
agreement upon their findings. The
prevalent belief at the navy depart
ment Is that up 10 this moment the
rourt has not once undertaken TO COM
pare notes and endeavor to reach an
agreement.
A Cuban mail was received during
the day, and with the candor which
has so far characterized all his deal
Ing with the public In this matter Sec
retary Long caused IL to be given 10
the newspaper reporters as soon as he
had read IL himself IL was made up
fone letter from Captain Sampson
dated at Havana, Feb. %. and although
II is simply a statement of events that
had already been reported by telegraph
one fact Is significant-viz. the state
ment that the testimony Of certain civ
ilian witnesses before the court would
be Of no Importance. His letter is a.
follows:
"sir-The court has taken the testi
mony Of all the officers Of the Main,
still here. Tomorrow we viii take sucl
testimony as the divers have accumu
lated The Right Arm arrived here thi
morning and reported TO Captain
sigsbee. according to orders. / trus
some wrechng company will be givcl
the entire job, as no other plan will b
feasible. There are two citizens in III
hsrbor who have stated their willing
ness to testify although they hav
nothing important.
After taking this evidence and tina
Of the divers / propose to return t
Key West and take the evidence of tn
officers and men there. II may be neces
sary to return here after further prog
ress has been made with the divers"
The reports that came from Key Wes
about great activity and the obsers
ance Of unusual precautions among IN
few soldiers quartered there was ~
ceived with amusement at army head
quarters here. 1t was said that no ul
ders had gone forward from this cit
20 explain the hustle, but there was II
best reason TO suspect that the con
mandant was simply brushing up Il
post and putting his best foot forwal
against the expected appearance the
on his tour of inspection of Gener
Merritt, the commanding general Of q
department of the east.
The gunboat Wilmington sailed We
terday from La Guayra for BarbadC
travelling over the ground covered Il
days before by the Cincinnati and ca
tine All Of the boats are slowly cru
ing about the Caribbean sea and W
be so employed until April, when tn
will go south again. Secretary Lo
said that no orders had gone out TO Sc