Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-02-24

as " CIdSu Vibhr luTUuHu tHb uoSh %
the City of Washington in its descent,
adds another puzzlinG feature TO tho
case. An internal explosion would not
have hurled it 30 high in air.
Cant. Sigsboe chOkod down his
emotion, aud asked him about the
disaster.
There is very little that | can tell
you" be replied. ~ was in the cabin
ut the time. ] had Just finished a
letter TO my family, when thnt enormous
crash came. The ship luruhed heavily
to port, aud knew in an instant what
it all msant--that it meant TINT my ship
had blown up. AL the cabin lights
were put out; nLd as | grupeu my way
out OF the apartment met my orderly,
running toward me. Reaching the deck,
| gave orders to post sentrios, keep
silence and Hood tue magazines. The
magazines we're already flooding them
selves. ] saw then that the disaster
was complete; in fact, | noticed few
OF our mon struggling in the water.
Only three heats were left Of the mum.
Der we carried. These, the gig barge
and the second whalvhoat were lowered
as quickly us we could get them in the
water. There was a largo hole knocked
in the side of the barge, ami IL ia II
wonder that il did not sink with the
few who had climbed into it,"
What do you think caused the ok
ploslong" | asked Capt. Sigsbee
You will have to exCuss ms from
answering that" he replied. In such
cases it is hest not to think; il ia best
to know. That requires Investigation
and time.''
Might not small torpedo, these
reasoners argue, have struck tho sids
of the Maine, and, exploding, set of
one OF the magazines, some of which
are located forward?" Still again, it
was hintei that there was a Cuban
mine laid, and that it failed in it's
mission, which was tn destroy the
| Spanish cruiser anchored near anu
struck the Maino.
Capt. Sigsbee did not answer.
| Rear Admiral Thumas o. Selfridge,
retired, was saloon passenger Oh the
steamer Fulda, which arrived this
morning from Genoa. lie left the flag
ship San Francisco ut Genoa. He first
| heard of the loss OF the battleship
Maine at Quarantine. lie was greatly
shOcked anu grieved upon learning Of
! the terrible disaster to tue United
States navy and the great loss Of life.
lie declined, however, to express an
opinion as TO the cause of the disaster.
Washington, Feb. 1.-THE Navy De-
| partment absolutely dsCredits the story,
coming from Key West. that divers
have found an eight inch percussion
hole iE the bottom of the Maine. Sec
rotary Long says that there is no such
thing az a percussion hole; that there
is no eight inch torpudo, anti there 10
no other way in which such a hole
could be accounted for. II is, OF course,
possible that shell. exploding iusidu
of the ship, pierced hole Of that kind
in the outer skin, but that would he
readily revealed by the character of the
angle and whether or not the skin was
bulged in or out around the puucture
1t is more likely, il there is any hule
at all of the kind, that it is simply the
outlet of one OF the numerous pieces
from the inside OF the Maine.
Secretary Long positively denies that
Capt. Sigshee has. in any suppressed
telegram, expressed the opinion that a
torpedo caused the disaster, or that il
came from an external cause. The cap
tain said, on the contrary, that he
could not venture to express an opinion.
The Navy Department, this mnrning,
received a dispatch from Admiral
Sicard, in cor mand of the North At.
lantic squadron, giving the detail oil
the court of inquiry to Investigate the
Maine disaster. as follows: Capt.
Sampson, president at the court; Capt.
Chadwick, LieuteGtant. Commander
Schroeder and Lieutenant Commander
Mark. Capt. Sampson is commander
of the battleship Iowa, now at the Tor
tugas; Capt. Chadwick is commander
OF the New York, now at Key West
Lieutenant. Commander Schroeder II
executive officer Of the battleship Mas
sach usetts, now at Tortugas, and Lieu
tenant Commander Mark is executiv,
officer of the Vermont. The last namet
Was formerly with the Maine, as execu
tive officer, before the detail of Lieu
tenant Commander Wainwright, VIII,
relieved him.
The Associated Press dispatch from
Key West, alleging that divsrs had dis
covered mole in the bottom Of th,
Maine, was the first intelligence of an,
character that reached the Whit
, House this morning from the scene o
! the wreck. The President read tho dis
| patch with great interest, but beynnt
! the remark that il was tine first news
the kind he had received, he made n
comment.
The wife of Capt. Sigshes. who 70
. sides in this city, has received cahl
| from her husband, simply annnuncin
{ that he had escaped unInjured, in tn
0 clothes in which he loft his cabin a
r the time OF ths explosion; that he wa
well md very busy. Ills son in Law
r Ensign Kittelle, who is on duty at th
D Navy Department, says that the mes
! sage was seut to reassure his family
. and. as Capt. SiEsbee naturally Is eS
ceeuingly busy, no further priynte ad
vices are expected from him until h
has an opportunity to communicate
: letter.
Captain General Blauco, TO-DAY
t cableh to Senior Du Bose, in charge &
: the Spanish legation, giving tho fnrmi
i action OF tina insular government
y Cuba, expressing TO the President
Q the United States profound sorrow owe
+ the catastrophe to tho Maine and th
g resulting loss of life TO Americans. A
v tbs same time the mayor of Havan
D seEt resolutions of the municipa!it,
: expressing TO the President the griC
Q of the authorities and the people
n Havana.
l.. just before the battleship TEX
/, sniled from New York for ths Sout.
1t she took on some apprentice boys fro
70 the receiving ship Vermont, at Ne
u York. for transfer TO the Maine. 70
20 tunately for these lads, the transit
= never took place, telegram to til
- effect having been received at the Ma,
d Department.
il 10 execution Of the decision of Il
ID President, last evening, to have