Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-02-17

associated Pre'a Dispatch by Special wires
Washington, Feb. l6. The Secretary
d. the Navy, this morning. received
tpe following telegram from Capt.
sigsbes
The hattle1hip Maine was blown M
10 Havana harbor at 0. 40 o'clock last
tight, and destroyed. Many arc
FOUNDED, and doubtless. many are killed
snd drowned. The wounded and others
are on board the Spanish man of. war
and the Ward Line steamer.
Send lighthouse tonderH from Key
West, for crew anu q few pieues OF
equipment atil above water. No one
bad Other clothes than those upon him.
Public opinion should be suspended
until further report All officers are
believed to be saved. Jenkins and
Merritt arc not yet accounted for.
Many Spanish officers including repre-
sentative of Gen. Blanco, are with me,
and exprass sympathy. Sigsbee. -
The officers referred TO in the above
dispatch are Lieut.. Friend W. Jenkins
and Assistant Engineer Darwin Il.
Merritt. From ths wording of the dis
pntch, tho Navy Department thinks
that it is possible that they were on
shore at the time of the accident.
The Secretary of the Navy received
another dispatch from Key West ut the
same time with the above, but it's con-
tents were not made public.
The orders for the lighthouse tenders
were at once sent TO Key West, in plain
Rnguage, thus avoiding the delay that
would have arisen from the use OF
cipher.
GREATEST CALAMITY TO THE AMERICAN
NAVY SINCE THE DISASTER AT APIA.
Secretary Long received Capt. Sigs-
bees dispatch a few minutes before
the Associated Press dispatches from
Havana were handed to him. He re.
ceiyed the news with apparent calm,
and his first act was to comply with
Capt. Sigsbee's request that assistance
be sent from Key West. lie immedi
ately wired Capt. Forsyth, at Key
West, to proceed with the naval tender
Fern to Havana harbor.
Secretary Long next sent for Capt.
Dickins, and the two discussed Cant.
i5igsbees brief telegram. No other
naval officers were present, aud. besides
the Secretary and Capt Dickins. the
naval colony here was ignorant of the
disaster, the greatest which has be-
fallen the American navy since the dis
aster at Apia, many years ago. While
neither tie Secretary nor Capt. Dickins
were inclined to discuss the probable
cause Of the accident, several sugges.
tions were vontured. They believed
that it may have been caused by fire
In the bunkers or the heating OF
bulkhead near a magazine, or that an
accident may have occurred while high
explosives for torpedoes were being in
spected. Of course, this was mere
speculation. and the Secretary was
anxiousy awaiting a more detailed dis
patch from Capt. Sigsbee.
Later, the Secretary sent another tele-
gram to Key West, directing that the
tender Maugrove also be sent 10 Havana.
Commander Dickins. after carrying
out the instructions of Secretary Lung
with regard to relief measures for the
survivors OF tho Maine, went at once
10 the White HOUSE,, whore tho Presi-
dent was aroused and informed of the
disaster. President Mckinley received
the news calmly, and expressed his deep
sorrow, but said nothing further, ex.
cept that he was thoroughly satisfied
with the measures adopted by the Navy
Department.
Secretary Long retired at 4 a. M,
after giving orders that all further dis.
patches from Havana should be trans
mitted to Capt. Dickins.
A second dispatch from Key West to
Secretary Long, which was not given
out. was from Capt. Forsyth, merely
confirming the message Of Capt. Sigsbee.
INTENSE EXCITEMENT AT THE NAVY DE-
PARTMENT YESTERDAY NJ Inning.
The Navy Department was the scene
of intanse excitement before O'Clock
this morning, but at the usual hnur Of
opening the department the officials
had no news to add to that given in the
last Associated Press dispatch.
The frat news received this morning
came from Key West, and added little
to the sum OF information. Comman-
der Forsyth, at Key West. wired the
Navy Department that he had been
notified by Cant. Sigsbee of the Maine
to inform Admiral Sicard, in command
OF the North Atlantic squadron, that
the Maine had blown up, and was de.
stroyed. lie requested that lighthouse
tender be sent over to Havana, and
added that many were killed and
wounded. Commander Forsyth'H mes.
sage further said that the lighthouse
tender Mangrove left Key Vest at 3
o'clock this morning for Havana, and
that the tug Fern would promptly fol.
low her. A second dispatch from Com
mander Forsyth said that he had sent
the torpeJohuat Ericsson, which was at
Key West, to Admiral Sicard, who is Mt
the Dry Tortugas, with message con
csrning the disaster to the Maine.
Capt. Dinkins. chief Of the NaviRa
tion Bureau, expressed the opinion
that the explosion took place in the
magazine of the Maine. He said that
this was evident, for the reason that
the ship was aflodt for an hour after
the osplosiun. Had turpedo been fired
under ths battleship, she would have
Aunk almost Immediately, and the fact
that she had not done 81 was conclusive
evidence that the firing Of the torpedo
was not the cause OF the disaster.
TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTy.sIx MEN AND
Two OFFICERS LOST.
The latest cablegran, from Capt sigs-