The Portland daily press., 1898-03-01
PROCTOR TO CALL ON sLANco.
Difficulties Which Divers are Meeting III
Their Work.

Difficulties Which Divers are Meeting in
Their Work.
Havana, February Ex-senator Proctor
has expected to pay his personal
respects to Captain General Blanco
today In the company of Col. Park
er and Consul General Lee, but the
Captain General has been unusually busy
In getting ready for the out going mails
and has fixed one o'clock tom morrow after
noon for Senator Proctor's call.
Miss Clara Barton's latest additions to
her staff are men who have been in the
Red Cross society service for years and
who have seen duty in Armenia and
elsewhere
Little work was done today by the div
ers from the tug Right Arm.
Captain Sigsbee was on board the
United States lighthouse tender Fern
until two o'clock this afternoon. He
waited for the Spanish divers but they
did not appear. Captain Sigsbee expected
| the Spanish divers later in the day. He
thinks Spain has a moral and interna-
tional right to make an independent ex-
animation and he will give the Spanish
divers such facilities as pOssib bic.
He says the Baohe will return to
Tortugas tomorrow or next day with all
the Maine's wounded left here, and he also
hopes to send on the Bache hereafter all
the remains Of the dead recovered in a
condition making it possible to place
them in collins.
the bodies is not understood by any but
the divers. The latter yesterday worked
for three hours trying to bring out one
body intact and one of the divers had a
bad fall and several got their air tubes
tangled. Even then they could not oxtri-
cate the remains. ysa.a
The main efforts of the divers are now
directed towards clearing the upper
wreckage, smoke stacks, decks, guns,
hatches, bridge cranes and gratings
Then, If not before, all the dead can be
removed.
. Captain Sigsbee continues to receive
letters in great numbers, some sad, and
others complimentary. All the queries
about the men who lost their lives when
soon as possible, if there is anything to
be told. One of the saddest letters re-
ceiyed was from the brother of a dead
man who wrote that when death was
claiming the victim his friends at home
were celebrating his birthday and wish
ing him many happy returns of the day
Father Chidwick has been commended
by Captain Sigsbee as man, priest and
an officer. He is always cheerful and
doing the most effective work possible.
Only one body was discovered today and
it has not been identified although there
are hopes that it may be later. With any
others recovered i'll time, it will go with
the wounded on the Baohe to the
Tortugas and Key West. On her next
trip north the Bache will carry to Key
West the first company OF wounded taken
to the Dry Tortugas. the Spanish divers
did not make their examination today
Captain Sigbsee examined them and prob
ably will be advised today as to where
they will begin the investigation. He
was much gratified at recovering today,
in good condition, his Order of tho Red
Eagle (Prussian) and the gold medal
presented him by the international fisher
les exhibition in London in 1888,
Lieutenant Commander wainwright,
the executive officer of the Maine, who
was almost worn out with constant work
on the wreck, had a good rest yesterday
and feels like a nsw man.
Captain Sigsbee says that work of the
divers today was slow and must necessar-
lily continue slow, owing to the difficulty
of making an impression upon the mass
of heavy debris.
Late today Captain Mckee of the Right
Arm received orders from the contractors
to hire such lighters as are necessary to
clear the debris from the wreck. This
will facilitate the work of removing the
dead and generally hasten operations.
Senator Proctor, who passed most OF the
day indoors writing private letters and
reading, says his visit will be too brief to
mako his observations OF any interest 60
the public and, therefore, he has nothing
to offer for publication.
La Lucha publishes late this evening
IN official despatch giving an account of
battle in the province OF Puerto
Principe in which the insurgents are said
to have lost 100 and many wounded.
According to the despatch the battle
took place February is and 10 in and near
the Santa Ines and Rineojosa. The Span
ish force which was under the command
of Gen. Casellanos, numbered 2400 infan-
try and 400 cavalry. The insurgents
numbered 5000. The insurgents lost 81
dead on the field. Among this killed were