Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-29

! to talk through an interpreter. This
witness was crossing about half-past Z
on the morning of the 18th from Havana
to Royals On ferry boat He was sit
ting near three Spanish officers. two Of
the army, one of the navy, and a citizen.
They were talking about the Maine.
One of the army officers said: That
is nearly arranged"
The citizen asked If making explosions
in the bay would not endanger Havana.
The officers said mo" 1t was so ar
ranged that it would simply explode,
open the vessel and she would sink i'm
mediately The other man joyously eX-
claimed: 'T will take plenty Of beer on
that occasion" Some one came by and
they suddenly stopped the conversation.
! They had said it was a shame she (the
Maine) should be in the bay, and they
would blow her UP, anyhow.
CAPTAIN sIGSBEE.
! Captain Sigsbee, in testifying before
the court Of inquiry which convened in
the harbor Of Havana, Monday, Feb. q,
|
Maine on April 10, 1897, and that. his
ship arrived in the harbor of Havana
the last time Jan. p, 1898. The author
| tiles at Havana knew Of the Names
! coming, Consul Gen. Lee having in
| formed the authorities according to Off
cial custom. After he took on an Off
cial pilot sent by the captain OF the port
of Havana, the ship was berthed in the
man-of-war anchorage off the nochina,
or the shears, and according to his un-
derstanding, was one of the regular
buoys of the place.
| Capt. Sigsbee then stated that he had
been In Havana in 1872 and again in
1878. He could not state whether the
Maine was placed in the usual berth for
men-of-war, but said that he had heard
remarks since the explosion, using Capt.
Stevens, temporarily in command of the
Ward line steamer CITY of Washing
ton," in authority for the statement
! that ne had never known in all his ex-
perience which covered visits to Havana
| for five or six years, a man-of-War to
| be anchored at that buoy; that he had
rarely known merchant vessels to be an
chored there and that it was the least
used buoy In the harbor.
| In describing the surroundings when
first moored to his buoy, Capt. Sigsbee
stated that the Spanish man-of-war,
Alfonzo XIII, was moored in position
| now occupied by the Fern, about $50
\ yards to the northWard and westward
of the Maine. The German ship Gniese-
nau was anchored at the berth now oc-
cupied by the Spanish man-of-war Sc
gaSpe, which is about 400 yards about
due r 5rth from the Maine. He then To-
Gated the German man-of-war Char
lotte, which came into the harbor a
day or two later, which was anchored
| to the southwark of the Names berth
about four or five yards.
| In describing the surroundings at the
| time of the explosion, Capt Sigsbee
stated that the night was calm and still
The Alfonzo XII was at the same berth.
| The small Spanish dispatch boat Segaspe
mad come out the day before and taken
the berth occupied by the German man
! of-war, the Gniesenau, which had left
| The steamer City of Washington was
anchored about 200 yards to the south
! and east Of the Names stern, slightly
| on the port quarter. The Maine coaled
at Key West, taking on about $50 tons,
| the coal being regularly inspected and
1
| This coal was placed generally in the
| forward bunkers. No report was re-
ceived from the chief engineer that any
! coal had been too long in the bunkers
| and that the fire alarms in the bunkers
| were sensitive.
| In 30 far as the regulations regarding
| inflammables and paints on board, Capt.
Sigsbee testified that tine regulations
were strictly carried out in regard to
stowage, and that the waste also was
| subject to the same careful disposition.
| AS to the situation Of the paint room,
he fixed it as in the Teyes Of the ship,
| just below the berth deck, the extreme
forward compartment As for the dis
| position of infiammables, they were
slowed in chests according to regula-
] tions, and when inflammabes were in
excess Of chest capacity, they were al
lowed to be kept in the bath room of
the admiral's cabin. Regarding the
electric plant of the Maine, Capt Sigs-
| bee stated that there was no serious
| grounding-or sudden flaring up-of the
| lights before the explosion, but sudden
| and total eclipse. AS for regulations af-
fecting the taking OF temperature OF the
magazine, and so on Capt. Sigsbee said
there were no special regulations other
than the usual regulations required by
| the department. He examined the tenn
perature and conversed with the ord
nance officers as to the various tenn
] OContfnuad an MINI Pnrel