The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-19
MYSTERY OF THE MAINE
Cause Of the Explosion Still
a Secret.
TARLIKE RUMQRS WILD.
Navy Department Kept Busy Max
ing Denials.
gCSBEE HAD NO suspicious
N3Vsr CahIed That He Was Sur
rounded by TOrpedoes.

Washington, Feb. 1s-The feature of the
dgy at the navy department was the large
number of rumors of warlike tendency
that came to the attention of the officials
contradiction. So formidable had grown
the list that at the close of Office hours,
Secretary Long was induced to make the
following statement as the easiest man.
ner Of dlsposing at one time of all these
stories:
Really no information has been receiv-
ed since Capt. Sigsbee's first dispatch add
Ing anything to our knowledge of the dis
aster. All we know is that the Maine
blew up There is abundant room for
speculation of all sorts, but no conclusion
can be arrived at until an examination has
been made by the divers and more facts
obtained 1t is simple fact to say that
such a thing might happen by design, or
It might happen by accident. AS yet
there is no indication of design. There
fore, my impression has been all along,
and I rather think the general impress
sion preponderates in the same direction,
that it must have been accidental.
"At the cabinet meeting to-day the mat
ter was not discussed except as any body
Of men talk about an event of that kind
and most of the talk related to the terri
bic loss of life, and to expressions of SYM
pathy for the sufferers.
1T certainly was a very kind thought in
the President to send flowers to the fam
lies Of Capt. sigsbee, of the executive off,
Ger, Wainwright, and of the lost seamen,
whose residences are in Washington.
You man say absolutely that there has
Il been no secret cabinet meeting, that moth
ing has taken place in the cabinet that
the public. have not been informed about,
that the whole policy of this department
has been to give the public all the dis
patches, that the department has no more
knowledge on the subject of the cause of
the disaster, or even of the circumstances
attending it, than have the public, and
that the report which was to the effect
that Capt. Sigsbee had warned the de-
partment that the Maine was in danger
from submarine mines or torpedoes, is ut
terly without foundation, no such report
ever having been received from him or
from anybody else"
Ihe secretary also denied briefly and
eomprehensively wild rumors that he had
requested the chief of police of New York
70 guard the Spanish cruiser Vizcaye, and
'hal he had selected constructor Bowles to
eo TO Havana and raise the Maine
Inc last work of the day for him was to
consult the representatives of the wreck
Ms companies, who probably will have
oHafge OF this work, and endeavor to ar
range for both of them to work together
80 as TO secure the use of each peculiar
pant and to save time.
Inc secretary, when asked what was the
oepaFlments estimate of the conduct of
Sapt. Slgsbee in the terrible situation in
"Ach he had been placed, replied: Il
am Am express the feeling of the Presi-
CeHt as well as my own, when l say that
Cap'. Sigsbee has conducted himself, as
~ "a orncer of our navy should. He was
le Iast to leave the ship when she went
"n t1s dispatch to me that night was
~ complete that since then, l have
nIous NJ OF no question of fact to ask him
~n!1H Is essential to the situation and
"nieu ne could answer which is not GOV.
so T by that dispatch. It's tone, too, is
~ Vi discreet and level-headed man,
-o Iealized the impression of any word
~ ~ nIm at that time would have on the
'o"e mind. Nothing is harder than for
I.""'al officer to lose his ship so that /
ni great sympathy for him. l await
Tn T 'onhdence for further report"
rDGI'aS the day the department was in
t'pI OF a number of kilograms from diff
~" t4"l parts of the country asking in be-
~ Vi relatives of the dead sailors that
I-r remains be brought back to the
~" States for interment. Among
t"' We're queries from friends of the
~ oIncers, Lieuts. Merritt and jenkins.
s apartment forwarded these to Capt.
$50 whose answer was that the cf-
o bodies have not been found, that
r w. many of the others, identification is
r. pertect, and there is doubt of the
r'1-ueability Of taking any of the re-
U, away from Havann..
=, ""le no action has yet been decided
ny upon, the application Of the
l'''sh government for authorization to
@'''' ,e ne the wreck Of the Maine to ascer-
c1 I me cause of the explosion, the cffl-
seem Inclined to regard her request
that could not properly be refused,
'' Is likely that each government VIII
C1, an investigation of this character
'ohcurrehtly
WORK AT THE WRECK.