The record-union., 1898-03-13


the Officers and Crew at Homo
Before Causing Deep alarm by
Such Baseless Stories.
HAVANA, March 12--Mail day keeps
! the newspaper correspondents busy. buC
many OF them succeeded in getting TO
Matanzas. in order to report the dis
tribution of the relief supplies taken
there on board the dispatch boat Fern
/ Consul Lee was mislnformed
as to the remission OF the fine of 5000
! imposed upon the American yacht
Anita, which brought the Congressional
/ party here. because her papers We're
alleged to be out of order The Anita
was not allowed 10 go To Matanzas last
night a pilot being refused her on ac-
count of the fine. The fine will prob
ably be RENTED to-day. and the Anita
Will sail later for Matanzas or Sagua
la Cirande. as she may desire.
In an interview had by the corre-
spondent of the Associated Press with
Commander Converse of the cruiser
Montgomery, regarding the report cir
culated in the United States that the
cruiser had been injured, the officer
dictated the following:
The report is absolutely false. No
damage OF any kind to the huh or ma
chinery has been done to the Mont
gomery during the nine months she has
been under my command.
Would it not be well for sensation
mongers to give some thought to the
/ feelings of the wives and other rela-
tives of the officers and crew at home
before causing deep alarm by such
/ baseless stories?"
/ There is general Indignation over the
story The correspondent was also re-
quested To deny the rumors telegraphed
from here, which he saw to-day for the
j first time:
! First. that Captain Sigsbee is indis-
posed: ana second that Consul General
Lee and DR.. Bruner, the United States
sanitary physician are on bad terms.
Both stories are declared on the author
ity of the men named in them to be
without color of truth Captain Samp-
son seems 20 be al right again"
The court of inquiry did little work
/ to-day The members examined two
divers, went over drawings and plans
and photographs in the cabin OF the
Mangrove. and read over the stenog-
raphers copy of some past testimony.
/ The water is very rough making the
work of the divers difficult The wreck
:, ing tug is anchored a cable length from
the port side Of the Maine sending
down divers 1t is hard to see any
marked advance i'll the work of the
wreclers.
The Montgomery was to-day visited
by several Spanish army officials. ac-
companied by two ladies. all coming
on the Governor Generals barge. The
usual naval and official courtesies We're
extended by everybody 10 the officers
and cadets Of the Austrian training
ship Donau.
The members OF the court of inquiry
are deeply interested in the account
given by this correspondent of the in
terview had by him with Captain Peral.
President of the Spanish court of in
quiry. Each member asked questions,
in order to make the points of Captain
Peral clear. but of course. made no
comment whatever.
Additional advices received by this
correspondent from Matanzas show
that the Loo pounds of quinine on the
Fern and Bergen cannot be distributed
without orders from the Government.
ana fears are Ielt that the work OF
distribution will be delayed. because
the Red Cross Society did not make
proper arrangements beforehand How
ever. all have confidence III Consul
Brice
The great damage done by the at
tempt to smuggle jewelry into Havana
is shown now in the delay in transit
caused by the strict examinations Tire
officials say they will act as quickly
as possible The Fern. as soon as the
slow work OF unloading is finished. will
take the same amount of stores to
SaSua la Grande. The Fern hopes to
reach Sagua tomorrow She must un-
load there, as at Matanzas, to lighters.
At Matanzas she had TO use her own
small crew to transfer the freight. no
adequate provision of stevedores having
been made by the Red Cross Society.
Ine news that there as food in Matan-
zas spread rapidly through the town.
and hundreds OF poor people crowded
to the wharves wits sacks ard boxes,
only to be disappointed. and told that
they must wait.
A report. though Il nas not get been
verified, is that the stores sent 70
Matanzas ny the Red Cross Society
ten days ago arc still in the railroad
Warehouse, and that none has been dis
tributed