Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-18
ces tending to confirm the Key

no adViceS tending to confirm the Key
West report.
The navy department received dis
patch this morning from Admiral ST.
card in command of the North Atlaut-
Ic Squadron, giving the GHtaii II the
court of inquiry to investssote tts
Maine d:aster, az fellows:
Captain sampson. president o. the
curt; Captain Chadwick, Lieutenant
Comma nder Schroeder. Lieutenant Com
mander Mark.
Captain Sampson, the president of the
court, IS commander of tE% batUeship
Iowa. now at Tortugas. Captain Cha,;-
wick is commander CT the New York. IT
Key West. Lieutenant Commander
Schroeder is executvs office; Of the bi.-
tl~ship Massachusetts, now at the TGr-
tugas. Lieutenant Commander Mark
is executive officer OF the NerTCnt. H.
WIGS formerly with the Maine as exc. u
tive officer before the l.tal CT Lieu
ttecunt Commander Wainwright, who
relieved him. ..
Admiral Sicard's board has ampl: au-
thocl.y to make the most searching in
YES cigation into the cause of the Ersas-
ter. The Fern and the Maugrlye re-
ported arrival at Havana last evening.
The former is provided with diving ap
plgatus ana as every warshiD's cccn-
pany includes at least several expert
divers. there will be co lack CT men t.
make the necessary search. These men
can Ike iepend.sd upon to report the OK
act facts. Taey, moreover. Will BE- SUBJ
ject to orders OF the court OF inquiry
an every particular a.r1 -cs they are IA
miliar with the bottom OF a Narship c.
the type of the Maine they are not likely
to be led into the mistake OF supposing
the outlet ho!e cr piFe from the interior
TO be torpedo hole. 1t IS believed that
urI.er the most Favorable Circumstance
this investigation cannot be made for
several days
Lieutenant Commander Mark. VINO
be a member of the court of inquiry,
left Washington at II 0'clock today by
train for Key West and he is supposed
to he assigned to duty as Judge advo-
cate Of the board. Probably the boar!
Will he conveyed from Havana to Key
West by the G!ivette or one OF the light
house tenders. as it is again stated to-
day that the navy department has no
Intention of seiA.ing another man of war
10 Havana Immediately. Gen.ral fear is
expressed by the older officers at The
navy department that the destruction OF
THE Maine has been so compete. at
least in the forward position OF the shit,
where the explosion is believed to have
occurred. that it would be perhaps i'm
poss BILE to find sufligen evidence in thu
wreck Of the hull to b. able to declare
with certainly the cause OF the disaster
1t may be said, however that notiainf.
hos yet dsvel-r:ed in the news from Ha-
vana as to the appearance of the wreck
or in the conflicting stories OF the sur
vivorS to charge TIE opinion or the ma
jority OF the officers stationed in, tn"
navy Department that the Maine sunk
as the result Of an internal explosion
As to the origin of this explosion there.
Is still wide difference OF opinion but
the coal bunker theory today finis very
many more strong supporters than any
other theory. This theory is based Oh
tn, supposition that spontaneous com
bustion in one OF TIL: bunkers. which in
che Maine are separated from the mag
azre forward by single thin partition
CT iron, ignited the magazine and
caused the destruction cf the vessel
Proofs of similar fires on other vessel
or the navy are being produced In pro-
fusion at the navy department today
Captain Royal Bradford toliay pro
duced th,5' quarterly g.-pCrt required by
n.gu atpEs to show exactly the state
quality of the coal. At the end of De-
semtser th.> vessel had tifty-two tons Of
coal only in her tsnkers This was
made u of Pocuhontas ard New Rive
cca!. Captain Bradford SAT- that Pt-
cahontas IS tie standard naval coal and
IS rated at 100, New River 70! VIZ r,xs
and it is SET down at so Fer cent. These
IRE sen!i-tb!tum!Eous ccais OF a quality
closely approaching that CT the ce..--
h-ated Welsh navigating coal, the Bat
.sh naval StanGari.
In the opjncin Of Captain B-ad'cor::
neither OF these Goals IS parttcu.a rIy
subject to Spontaneous toa,bu stion
Sine the Maine has been in the Gulf
Mexico however, sce prchab y cor
Sum.d a good part - this ctal urd re.
plenished her stock from the roval s.o...
at the Key West station. The coal ther
taken on was anthracite which t~ap.at
Bradford said is no more subject t,
SpoCtariacus combustion Ihar pill, IF
stones. The Maine took on 80 tons o:
this coal in December. and in January
before she left for Havana. SIZE loaded
UP with III tons more This al =:
Key West is kept behind a picket fenc.
Very mach exposed to any evil-m!ci e
person who might desire to conceal :.
bomb therein. some thing which coul.
on.y he effected with great diff ulty ar
ter u!e coal wa. stored In the buElz. Rs.
In spite OF the British reflections up,
the discipline on American WursniES
the officers herr. do nat hes!tat.: to say
that in the matter OF careful inSpactio
OF the coal hunkes. the magazines ard
the like. our navy is second to non= in
the world
Captein General B!aneo to5oy cahled
TO senior Du Bose. charge OF the Spa aish
leSa ton, giving the formal action of II, a
insuiar government Of Cuba expressing
to the President Of the United States
rrofoud sorrow over the catastrophe to
the Maine and the resulting less of !if.
to Americans. AT the same time the
alcaN.a or mayor of Havana. sent !.so-
iuion,s of the municipality expressing
TO the president the grief OF the author
ties and the people OF Havana. Senior
Du bose presented the dispa tcf-es to
Assistant Secretary Day. who laid them
before President Mckinley
In execution OF the decision OF the
PRESIDENT last evening to have ma
tional observance cf mourning. the fol
owing order was today communicated
10y telegraph from the war department
to commanding officers OF the army:
AS appropriate honors to tn, de-
| ceased in the recent disaster to the bat
t.eship Maine. toe President Tire IS tho :
| flags at all army headquarters, military
posts and on army buildings be dis
played from sunrise to suns..t at hasf
| staff until furthe~ orders
(signed) SAMUEL BRECK,
"Adjuiant General"
Secretary Long today directed that a
| dispatch he sent to the commanders of
the naval stations and ths chief officers
| of United yeccals t,, :,