The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-24
THE NAMES DESTRUCTION.
ADMIRAL SICARD SAYS THE ENTIRE
F0RTARD HALF rs WRECKED.

LEFT to show Hew the Disaster Occurred
Secretary LonE Believes That the Admi-
rails Report shows That tho Magazine
RHp~iodod-Naval ReeruNinE stations he
sicEed by Bacn RACED or Rnter the Navy.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23.-Naval officers and
officials Of the Government generally are very
much cast down over the information from Ad-
miral Sicard. received this afternoon. that the
forward half Of the Maine is completely de-
stroyed. This news, tho most important that
has como to the Navy Department about the ex-
tent of the disaster, is interpreted to mean that
the evidence which the Board OF Inquiry hoped
to secure to clear up the mystery as to
tho cause OF the destruction Of the ship cannot
be obtained. There was a belief among naval
officers that most of the forward part of tho
Maine beneath the water line had remained
practically intact, and divers would be able to
discover whether the explosion was due to any
outside causes. Now they are wondering II
there is enough left to show how the disaster
occurred.
Secretary Long told a SUN reporter this after.
noon that he believed Admiral Sicard' g despatch
showed that the Names magazine had explod-
ed. AS to whether the Admiral's information
indicated that all evidence had been destroyed,
he said he did not know. Admiral Sicard is at
| Key West, but from the wording OF his despatch
II appears that he secured his news from Capt.
Sampson, the President of the Board Of Inquiry.
who is in Havana This is the Admiral's tele-
gram:
"Merritt-Chapman tug Right Arm arrived
Havana this morning. Her Captain. McGee.
seems experienced man. who will be able
to give good advice. Capt. Sampson wires me
condition Of wreck is such as to require most
powerful appliances Government can secure.
Court contract with best equipped
wrecking company TO remove material and lift
ship without delay. Forward half completely
destroyed. After half apparently intact except
in minor matters"
Some experienced naval officers who saw Adj
miral Sicard's reference to the destruction Of
the forward half of the Maine expressed their
disappointment. One of them said that while
all evidence as to tho cause seemed to have dis
appeared, there must be part of the bottom in
the mud beneath the wreck, and he was hopeful
that this would be found In such condition that
the divers could tell whether there had been an
explosion from the outside. Another officer said
that with all other means Of ascertaining how
the Maine met her fate missing. the only thing
left to ascertain was whether there had been q
mine as her anchorage. and he had no conf
dence that any vestige Of a mine would be dis
covered. These submarine mines, he said,
were nothing more than big metal cases Allied
with gunootton. and would be blown to atoms
by their explosion. The Navy Department does
not know whether the Admiral's
was based on reports from divers. While they
| regard It a. valuable and as furnishing a foun-
dalton for abundant speculation concerning the
destruction of evidence, tho naval officials who
have given up theoriEing believe that nothing
on which . definite conclusion con DO formed
will como to light until the report Of the Board
Of Inquiry has been received.
Il Gnp,a unry fnnnnrtnnt ap{Iap,a th.k thn Jt,-
aster was not caused by the explosion of a
boiler. that will undoubtedly be laid before the
Board of Inquiry. was contained in q personal
letter received here to-day from Passed Assist
ant Engineer +. Q. Bowers Of the Maine. He
was ashore at the time the explosion occurred,
and hurried to the wreck when he heard tho
terrible news. Mr.. Bowers said that the only
fire on board the battleship was in the furnace
OF the after boiler. This boiler Is away aft, and
It's explosion would have been heard by the sur.
viving officers. 1t was also too remote from
the forward magazine to cause an explosion
there. Naval officers believe that these facts
dispose OF the boiler explosion theory.
1t was suggested this afternoon that II the
Board OF Inquiry failed to determine the cause of
the disaster the President, through tho State
Department, should require Spain 10 show
whether there were any submarine mines in
the vicinity of the Names anchorage. This
was merely q suggestion, however. and. while 1t
was made by an officer Of prominence. there is
no reason to believe that consideration has been
given 1t by the administration
Affairs at the Navy Department have 70.
sumed their normal condition. There was little
to indicate to-day that the terrible disaster of n
week ago was the absorbing business of tho off,
cials and clerks. Groups of visitors still gather
around the model of the wrecked battleship.
but not In such numbers as to longest the CORR.
dor where the model is on exhibition. The mail
received by the Navy Department to-day is said
to have been the largest In its history. Every
bureau received communications relating
In como way to tho disaster at Havana.
Hundreds of applications from persons desiring
to enter the navy in any capacity came to-day.
All sections OF the country were represented,
hut the middle West and New England fur
nished the greater proportion. Commander
Hawley, who 10 in charge OF enlistments. esti-
mates that he has received requests to-
day from men who want to enlist on an
average Of one every minute. There were
dozens Of communication from business
men in largo cities, many well-known
In commercial life. Offering assistance to tho
navy and saying they would personally under
take to furnish all the men the service might
require. One man said he drew a salary OF
81, 900 q year In 4 responsible place, hut he was
at the call of the Government any time, and
would give 1t up and enlist II the department.
wanted him. Other offers came from men who
said they drew salaries from $3, 900 down to
II, 500 and would resign their places on an
hours notice and Join some ship. These men
gave their full names and addresses.
Already the vacancies created by the loss at
Havana have been filled. with but few excep-
tions. The recruiting station at Norfolk. where
most of the names were enrolled. was besieged
the moment 1t was known that the navy wanted
more men. An impression evidently prevails
throughout the country, Commander Hawley
says, that the navy is anxious to enlist a large
force. and he believes that nothing has occurred
In recent years that 30 Enthusiastically shows the
popularity OF the naval service with the people
and romance that attaches to life In II, than the
disaster at Havana last week. Not only have
hundreds Of men offered their services. but COM
mercial houses have intimated that they can
promptly deliver all the supplies such as naval
shiDs usually carry. The ammunition and