The record-union., 1898-02-26
QUTETER FEELING MANIFEST.
Navy Department Not Disturbed by
Sensational Reports AHoat.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-Undoubt-
edly there is a quieter feeling mani
fest at the Navy Department over the
Maine affair as time passes. This is
the tenth day since the noble Warship
was destroyed, but the officers are
willing TO wait in patience, with the
admonition Of the President and Sec
retary Long, until the facts relating to
the explosion are fully developed.
They are fully on their guard against
the acceptance of unauthorized state
mentS OF the conditions at Havana and
the daily developments, being aware Of
the efficiency of the precautions adopt
ed by the Court Of Inquiry to prevent
the premature disclosure of the pro-
ceedings. Therefore the statement that
the explosion has been demonstrated
to be of exterior origin by the dis
covery of the upheayed bottom of the
Maine did not cause much stir. be-
cause the officials could not conceive
that the alert members of the Court
Of Inquiry and their assistants in Ha-
vana had overlooked q fact so impor-
tant as this. Notwithstanding it being
perfectly apparent for week to any
one who came near the wreck.
Captain Crowninshield turned up at
the Navy Department to-day, and
took the helm in the Bureau of Navi-
CATION, relieving Captain Dickens, who
has distinguished himself and earned
the thanks of the Secretary for the
undying vigilance with which he has
managed the many details of the Maine
affair that have fallen upon the Navi-
cation Bureau, and of the newspaper
men for the patience and frankness
with which he has met their many in
quiries.
Captain Crowninshield's absence has
been made the basis for the conjecture
that he has been on secret service for
the Navy Department in Cuba. and
color was lent to this impression by the
fact that it was not possible until a
late hour yesterday to secure from any
of the officials a statement of the ma
ture of his business in the South. for
it was known that he had arrived in
Tampa on the Mont ntgomery from the
West Indies. The officer himself was
not very communicative as to the de-
tails of his trip, but he did say that he
had been in San Domingo. He had
gone there on the BROOKLYN with his
son when the ship started for St
received news of the disaster. TO the
Maine, and took advantage of the op-
portunity presented by the presence Of
the cruiser Montgomery to make his
way back to the United States and to
Washington.
There was no word from either Cap
tam Sigsbee or Consul-General Lee at
the Navy and State Departments.
The monitor Terror is living in
Hampton Roads. and is said at the
Navy Department that she has no ord
ers as yet. The impression is that she
viii remain in that place, which is of
great strategic value in case of need,
at least until the monitor Puritan is
ready TO take her place The Puritan
is almost as big as the Terror. being a
6,ooo-ton vessel. very little less than
the Maine In size. She carries 12-inch
guns in her turrets against 10-inch
guns for the Terror. and is altogether
the most formidable double-turreted
monitor in the world in smooth water
This qualification does not mean that
| she Is unable TO keep the sea. but only
| that from her great breadth and light
/ draught she is so susceptible to the
wave motion that 1t is difficult to make