The record-union., 1898-02-21
Will BEGIN ITS WORK
AT HAVANA TO-DAY.

their forces. They VIII be PAID on the
scale of days work. with a provision
for a bonus if they succeed in raising
the vessel thus inSuring the recovery
of as much of the valuable equipment as
is possible, should it not be practicable
to float the Maine again. Great diff
Guilty is expected in recovering the big
ten-inch turret guns, each worth S4O,-
600, owing not only to their own weight,
fifty tons apiece without carriages, but
to the enormous turrets lncloslng them
with 100 tons of steel. 1t is doubtful
if the tops of these turrets can be re-
moved, as was first supposed. by cut
ting off the boltheads that fix them to
the Sides as these large bolts are prob
ably counter-Sunk and the holds below
the surface of the metal, while the con-
fined space within the turrets would
make it very difficult to operate there
on the inside ends under water. 1t is
hoped that it may be feasible to raise
the turrets entire with the guns if lift
ing apparatus of sufficient power can
be applied.
The newspaper reproductions of pho
tographs taken of the wreck We're stud
led with much interest by the naval Of
y.
expressed at the extent of the wreck,
and the vast mass Of steel and iron
heaped in the forward part Of the ship
was particular object of attention. The
experts who had first ventured the
theory of a bursting boiler as the cause
of the destruction claim to find strong
reinforcements in the pictures for that
belief The great mass of metal ap-
pears to be thrown up over the boiler
space and not over the forward maya
zine while the forcing apart of the
forward body of the hull, they say,
might have been accomplished by the
enormous expansive power of the high
pressure steam carried in these boilers
with their shells more than an inch
thick. AS to what caused boiler to
explode, whether q disguised bomb in
the coal, low water or faulty construc-
ton, they do not now undertake TO say.
Secretary Long said this afternoon,
after looking over his Geographic and
nail correspondence, that it contained
nothing Of Importance beyond the dis
patches above given. The Secretary re-
ferred with satisfaction to the dispatch
stating that the Court of Inquiry would
assemble at Havana tomorrow. The
plan has been for the court to meet first
at Key West, and after doing as much
work as was possible there to have the
court proceed at once to Havana, where
the inquiry could begin on the actual
scene of the disaster, and where per-
sonal inspection would aid in an intel
ligent judgment On this account, the
Secretary sent orders in for the court
- 4 To- md "a rp
sronse of Admiral Sicard is in accord
arce with these orders.
When Mr.. Longs attention was called
to the reports that he had taken official
recognition of Captain SobraPs criti-
cism of the American navy. the Secre-
tary said he had called the subject to
the attention of the State Department,
with a view of having an inquiry made
by that branch. The particular express
sion to which the Secretary had directed
the attention of the State Department
was the following attributed to Cap
tain Sobral: 1T was the result of an ex-
plcsion inside of the ship, which took
place in one of the forward magazines.
The fact of the matter is that the disci-
pine and the watch observed on the
ship were very lax. This, as an English
newspaper the other day declared, is the
case on American warships generally.
This sort of thing has occurred on pre-
vious occasions on American war YES
sels.''
The Secretary said he had not called
attention to the other feature Of Cap
tain SobraFs alleged interview, in which
he refers to the possibilities of war and
to the information he had gained while
naval attache Of the Spanish Legation
AS a whole. Mr.. Long did not treat
the Sobral matter as, profoundly seri-
Gus.
Assistant Secretary Day received nc
dispatches from Havana during the
early part of the day. He would not
discuss the Sobral matter 1t is under
stood. however, the State Department
does not attach deep significance to the
reported remarks of Sobral. owing tc
his minor position. AT the same time
ii is felt that he should not be making
such remarks as are attributed to him
As Secretary Long has called oficia
attention 10 them, the department
would doubtless take steps to learn
whether the interview was accurate by
making a request on the Spanish Le-
CATION It can be stated positively
however. that reports that the State
Department made such q request of the
Spanish Legation yesterday are incor-
rect Nothing has been done thus fal
and an unexpected development of to-
dav changes the aspect of the Sobra
case that the department may not fee
that ii is necessary to proceed further
This development was that Captain
SobraI's services as naval attache al
Washington We're officially terminated
by Spain about four weeks ago. 1t came
from Senior Dubosc, Charge d'Afaires
of the Spanish Legation who, when his
attention was called to the Sobral case
gave to the Associated Press the fol-
| lowing authorized statement:
AS regards this reported interview
l know nothing about it beyond what
have seen in the papers l should
imagine Mr.. Sobral far too prudent L
say anything calculated 10 Offend broth
| ers-in-arms. AT the same time.
| should state that on the oath of Jan.
uary last Captain Sobral ceased TO b.
| a member of this legation, according Il
the royal decree which gazetted his sue.
cessor. Lieutenant Ramon Carrazays
| GuerTae."
owing 10 the royal decree relieving
Captain Sobral. il is said he at presen
occupies the position merely of a pri
vate citizen. He is at present in New
| York meeting his old naval friends OF
| the FiZcaya. but his official status a:
| SPANS naval attache to the Legation
| is said to have terminated when the de
cree was gazetted last month 1t i!
t,,c11aI formally to notify tha 3fa,,a W
Of such a condition, but owing to tn,
I, exciting events of the past few day
| this notification of the Spanish has no