The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-20
sIasBEE's GREATEST GLORY.
The Noble GnIlautry or His Cool. Brave Couu
sci In tho Hour OF Trial.

The Noble GnlIautry or His Cooi. Brave Coun.
sci in tho Hour OF Trial.
The Army and Navy Journal in its issue of
| yesterday. commenting upon the Maine disaster.
says of Capt. Sigsbce:
Again has the country received proof of the
character OF the men who command our navy.
Could there be a moro severe test of a mans
| quality than that to which Capt. Sigsbee was
subjected How we'll he met it is shown
by his first despatch. in which he coun-
selled a suspension of judgment as to the
cause Of tho calamity. 1t is those who
suffer most from this disaster-who are best
able to judge Of. its full extent ara appalling
signifcance-who have been the most calm and
collected. and who have done the most to re.
strain hysterical utterances and to provo TO the
world that Americans may always be depended
upon to show in the presence of a grcut emcr
gency the calmness of true courage; the rescrva-
tion Of an invincible resolution which can wait
until the proper time comes for action.
ut is a gallant action to blow up the cnemy's
warship in time of war as did William 7. Cush-
ing. 1t is an equally gallant action to stay by
your own ship after she had been blown up.
amid deadly peril of more explosions, until your
men are off; and it argues even n higher and
nobler gallantry to stand between this awful
experience and an imminent outbreak of popu-
lar frenzy and by cool, brave counsel avert the
greater calamity. This did Charles ID. Sigsbee.
No man ever better earned the thanks of Con.
grcss. His country already thanks him and Is
proud OF him."
OF the blatherskite press and its ~accomplices
in Congress. the army and Nary journal says:
Reckless newspapers and self.seeking Con-
gressmen may rufie tho surface of public life.
but they do not represent the steady currents OF
good sense and self-control by which the coun.
try is really governed"
Treating of the cause of the catastrophe the
army and Nary Journal says that 1t must be
considered an accident until there Is proof to
tho contrary. 1t publishes statements of wa.
the facts" and these. 1t says. as n whole. tend
to show that the explosion must have origi-
Ing to prove that il was not due to some Of the
causes that are always operative In a modern
vessel OF war, and which; us experience shows,
combination of steam. electricity. high explo.
sives. and coal that may become self-igniting.
is not a happy one: and the most exact precau.
lions against accidents may fail at times, rs they
have in the case OF other vessels. IL not in this
'"At the present time Of writing indications
favor the presumption that the explosion of the
Maine was due to tho spontaneous combustion
temperature sufficient to overhead tho inter.
vening bulkheads. and thus effect the explosion
of the ammunition stored In the adjacent mag
referring to the Clncinnati's escape two years
ago from u ike IhIc anu 10 the known instances
of similar fires which have occurred on the New
York and the Oregon, the paper says: I'm how
many more Of the new steel ships the same
casually occurred. the Navy Department. knows.
Tho public also has a right to know now every
instance Of spontaneous combustion of coal in
these ships which has been reported. In order
that Il mny, judge, how the warnings thus given
have been Needed
Calling attention to tho fact that plans OF
some OF the bnttleships now under construction
show the bunkers to DO separated from the mag.
azines only by steel bulkheads, to the i~ndisput.
able fact that coal bunker fires Rro extremely
dangerous and that they have occurred. the
army and Ndru journal asks why coal has
been slowed next to the MAGAZINE bulkheRds.
"lf coal in the bunkcrs can endanger the maya.
zines" 1t says. then II may safely be assumed
that, no matter how many others equally weak
there arc, no weaker link than this can be re-
vsaled. : Why should not tho coal bun
kers and the magazines be placed so far apart
that the heat from the one cannot get to the
other at all T.
Attention has been called in explaining spon
taneous combustion fires In coal TO the fact that
after coal Ia mined there escapes from II certain
Quantities of tho same gas that In the mine,
makes hre.dnmp. So long ms the coal is wher,
this gas may escape in tho open air II Is DIFF
fused and becomes harmless. But where Goa
10 tightly slowed away. tho merest spark may
cause u fearful explosion.