The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-17

me following dispatch to Commandant
Forsyth, at Key West:
Admiral Sica!d ordered to come to
Key West, with his ship, and serve
OUT clothing as necessary. Should he
not arrive before the Olivctte you are
authorized to purchase the necessary
articles and serve out"
IT Is said at the Navy Department
.!'at there Is no lack or precedent for
such disasters as that sustained hy
me Mf'ine, all of which can be traced
~ accidental causes. In 1885 the
United States man-of-war Missouri
theh lying at Gibraltar, was totally
wrecked by the explosion of her maga-
I,he. Another case famous In naval
history is that of Her Majcsty's shin
Doterei. In 1887 she was lying at
sncnof OH Puenta Arencas, in the
straits Of Magellan. An explosion
wiped the ship from the face of the
waters and left almost none of her
crew alive. This was another case of
magazine explosion, though il may
have originated in the coal bunxcrs or
boilers.
VIEWS OF PUBLIC MEN.
senator Hale. chairman of the Com
mlttee on Naval Affairs and a member
ol thc Committee on Appropriations,
s"!u @ th;t he mad Just come from an
interview with the Secretary of the
Navy and that he felt confident that
the Navy Department would institute
thcfough Investigation into the dis
aStcr. The Senator expressed the on
inion that Congress would take stcps
TO prevent the decrease of The navy,
nut did not undertake 10 say that
there would be immediate efforts to
replace the Maine.
senator Warren, of WyominE-"If 1t
should develop that the Spanish had
ANYTHING to do with the occurrence
both the United States Navy and Army
ought to be summoned To take the
matter up in earnest. If 1t should
| prove to he an accident 1t should he
carefully investigated. for il is high
time that such accidents were brought
to a close"
| Senator Clay, OF Gcorgia-"The pre-
sumption is that the Navy Depart
ment will give careful and thorough
attention TO the matter. and that Il
| VIII 1rakc such report as 1t may deem
necessary. IL then 1t becomes neces-
safy for Congress to act | am SURE
| there Will DE no hesitation in dealing
! with the matter. There IS no proof
that the Spanish arc in any way re-
| sponSible for this serious calamity, ana
we should he slow 10 make charges
| without proof to substantiate them"
Senator Perkins, California;: ."rhe
situation In Havana is so critical and
I the Spanish feelTso keenIy W hat appears
10 many OF them an lffront that the
Maine should have been in the harbor
Nhat 1t seems not unlikely the catastro-
phe was due 10 the action of Spanish
SymnathZers. That il was an accident
| feel assured and that II was due ia
| ircachcry | am convinced"
Senator Mills. of the Committee on
Foreisn Relations, expressed the opin-
ION mat the occurrence was the work
| OF Z torpedo. II would not say" he
said. that the Spanish were RESPONSE
| bic for II, but some one must have been
| who mad free access to the waters of
! the bay j don't think 1t could have
been due to an accident and think
| Congress should Immediately take the
matter up for thorough invea;iga-
! ton"
| Representative NewlardS, OF Ncva-
da. member of the Committee on For
cign Affairs said il would be very hard
TO convince the American people that
the explosion WIS an accident He
would not wish to express an opinion
| until further information wac received
MIR. Cummings, Of New York IA mem
| Der OF the Naval Committee. unhcsitat-
! ing gave it as his opinion that the ship
! had been blown up by a floating tor
/ pedo
| Representative Adams, of the same
| committee. says that everything ind-
| Gates that the explosion was an acct
dent and occurred inside the ship.
Representative Mercer. Of Nebras ska
said this afternoon: "Ir the death OF
253 American sailors can. upon investl-
! CATION, be traced 10 Spanish origin.
nothing will satisfy the American peo-
| pie except war"
DISCUSSED IN COMMITTEE
| The Maine incident formed the prin-
| nf al .
ate Committee on Foreign Relations at
| it's meeting to-day. The opinion gen
| orally expressed by membrs of the
| committee In this informal conference
were to the effect that the occurrence
| is one of very serious import and that
1t may result in grave complications
unless Spain can make it very plain
| that no Spaniard was in any way re-
sponsiblc for It,
present" said Senator Lodge, while
Senator Cullom said: II am too mad 10
| talk about it, 10 which he added: II
can't see how the explosion could have
been the result of an accident, and I
think the time is rapidly approa ching
when this country must do something"
CAPTAIN SIGSBEE RETICElNT.
Havana, February 16.-Captain Sigs-
bee, interviewed this evening by the
! correspondent of the Associated Press
! with reference 10 the cause of the ex-
! ploSion. SAID:
81 cannot yet determine the cause,
! but competent Investigators will decide
! whether the explosion was produced
| from an interior or exterior cause 7
| cannot say anything until after such
an investigation has been made l will
| not and cannot conscientiouSly anti
! cipate the decision. nor do I wish 10