The herald., 1898-02-25
KNOW NOTHING
AS to the Cause of the
Wreck of the Maine
UNWARRANTED RUMOR
IMPELs SECRETARY LONG TO
MAKE DENIAL
CAPT. SIGSBEE HARD AT WORK
Official Reports From the Scene of the
Wreck Furnish No Basis for
Opinions
CAPT. SIGSBEE HARD AT WORK
Associated Press Special Wire

WASHINGTON. Feb. 24.-Rumors of
Maine were less frequent. but there were
enough of them still afioat today to warrant
Secretary Long in making this statement
| to newspaper men:
Summing up the situation, l should say
that the navy department knows today
| nothing more about the cause of the dis
aster than 1t did five minutes after the re-
ceipt of the first dispatches from Captain
| SIgsbee."
| Until the conclusion of the investigation
| of the court of inquiry at Havana, the
principal business of the navy department
| in connection with the Maine will relate
to the conduct of the wrecking operations.
Captain Lemey, the judge advocate gen.
eral who has this branch of the work i'm
mediatey in charge. today received tele-
grams from the Merritt & Chapman
Wrecking company at New York stating
that the steamer Merritt and wrecking
lighter Sharpe had sailed for Havana, and
that the tug Underwater, with the chief,
would leave New York Saturday for the
same place.
The only exact information received by
the navy department from Havana during
tne udf was conveyed III Captain SlSSDee
telegram, as follows:
Long. Secretary of Navy: Wrecking
tug Right Arm arrived yesterday; begins
work today. Much encumbering metal must
be blasted away In detail. Navy divers
down aft, seven days; forward, four da. 2.
Bodies of Merritt and Jenkins not found.
Two unidentified bodies of crew found
yesterday. Aft apartment filled with de-
tached, broken and buoyant furniture and
fittings. mud and confusion. Spanish au-
thorities continue offers of assistance and
care for wounded and dead. Everything
that goes from the wreck to the Unted
States should be dis.nfected Wrecking
company should provide for this.
Surgeon of the Maine after consulting
with others. recommended that all bedding
and clothing should be abandoned. Might
be given to- the accimated poor. Useless
| fitting and equipments might be tewed to
sea and sunk. VIII take all immediate res
| sponsibility. but will abide by department 3
instructions.
Friends of dead should understand we
are In the tropics. Chaplain Chadwick is
charged with all matters rela ting to the
dead. His conduct is beyond praise. Don't
know what reports are being printed but
the intelligent active representatives Of
the press have been very considerate of me
and my position"
Secretary Long Immediately answered
SdptdiH CISSuee, approving all MS recon-
mendations. He was directed to have
Lieutenant Wainwright, the executive Of
ficer of the Maine, make arrangements
with the wreckers for the disinfection Of
everything sent to the United States.
The recommendation that all bedding and
clothing be abandoned, and If need be-
given to the acclimated poor, was approved
without comment. The same approval was
given to the suggestion that useless fittings
and equipment be towed to sea and thrown
overheard, 1t being left to Captain Sigsbee's
judgment to determine how far this de-
struction should be carried on To the
captains inquiry as to the saving of old
metal and parts of the superstructure the
answer was given that such material was
of no use to the bureau of equipment 1t
was left to Captain Sigsbee to say what of
the shattered material was worth preserv-
ing. His statement that much blasting
will be required to clear away cucumber
ing material indicates that 1t is essential
further to destroy the upper portions of
the wreck, in order to get at what is more
valuable underneath.
Captain Sigsbees statement that the
divers have been down aft seven days and
forward four days gave the navy depart
ment the first information of the time that
the divers had been In the vicinity of the
zone of the explosion, as he expressed it,
THE NAVAL RESERVE
The navy department today gave out the
figures showing the strength of the naval
militia up to date This shows total force
of 4446 officers and enlisted men, which
is a gratifying increase from the 37O3 shown
by the last report The number of officers
and men by states is as follows:
California, 1886; Connecticut 165; Florida.
106 Georgia, 225; Illinois, 5233: Louisiana.
262; Maryland, 24O; Massachusetts, AL;
Michigan, 1893; New Jersey, 1854; New York
A<tI ~. TO-
sylvania, 216; Rhode Island, 1870: South
Carolina, 152; Virginia, A; total, 4445
Aside from the forces shown in the above
list new brigades are In progress of forma-
ticn, which promise to swell the total to
much larger figures at an early date.
In his last report Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt said that the state naval militia
In the event Of a sudden emergency. could
be utilized at once for manning the smaller
cruisers. 1t could be depended upon main
ly he said, as second line of defense, and
also be used in placing mines and the es-
tablishment of signal stations for coast
defense.
The appropriation Of $4,000 made by con-
gress to aid the work of the naval militia
would be apportioned among the states in
few days.
THE CAPITAL SAFE
Thanks to the promptness and efficiency
OF the chief of engineers and the chief
of ordnance of the army, the city of WASH
ington is now regarded as being well-nigh
safe and secure from attack by water. The
fOrtihcations at Fort Washington and
Sheridan point on the opposite side of the
Potomac are sufficiently advanced to be
able to repel an ordinary feet of invaders.
and in case of necessity, they could be
vastly strengthened in a comparatively
short time. These defenses are considered
sufficient to keep all hostile vessels beyond
the range of gunshot of the national cap
ital.
Moreover. the river has been blocked Off
and prepared for mines and torpedoes at
q point below the Notifications already
mentioned, SO that 1t is probable some Of
the ships of an enemy would be blown out