The age-herald., 1898-03-05
BACK TO HAVANA.
It Is Not Believed the Board Has Made Up Its
 Mind on a Verdict,

Key West, Fla, March 4.-After two postponements of it's departure the court of inquiry left for Havana this evening on the lighthouse tender Mangrove It is believed by the best informed here that the court will complete it's labors in the Cuban capital within ten days.
 Only three of the six days the court was here were devoted to the work of investi- gation. The inactivity of yesterday and today is still unexplained, except by a semi-official statement that Rear Admiral Sicard was awaiting instructions from Washington. The session, it is generally understood. developed no evidence by which the court could definitely determine the cause of the explosion.
 One important fact has been learned. It is this, although the members of the court may have their individual theories they are by no means prepared as body to render a decisive verdict The officer already quoted said:
 "If the court has yet heard any testi- mony which would enable it to decide in- telligently that the Maine was blown up from external causes I am the most mis- taken man in the world. Before the com ing Havana sessions are over 1t may se- cure such evidence and possibly find the blowing up was intentional. It will learn from the divers the actual condition of the ship after the explosion, as 1t has already learned from the survivors most of the details of the ships condition before the eXposion. With these bases thoroughly es- tablished the court will hear more expert theoretical testimony and then reach a yer dict"
 The statement can be taken as more worthy of reliance than that of the Maine officer who said the other day he believe the court was bound on evidence already heard to find the cause of the explosion ex- ternaL Its conservatism is also at vari- ence with the opinions of many other naval officers here, especially those of the younger set, directly contrary to the belief of most of the Maine survivors that their ship was intentionally blown up.
 Before sailing tonight Capt. Sampson had a long consultation with Admiral Sicard.
 Work In Havana Harbor
 Havana, March 1.-The American divers having examined more less thoroughly the ward room of the Maine and the senior and junior officers mess rooms are trying to effect an entrance into the petty officers compartment in the hope of finding some bodies there. However each day the be- lief grows stronger that few, if any more bodies will be recovered. No body was recovered today.
 Captain Sharp, who is in charge of the Merritt and Chapman wrecking outfit, ap- preclates the difficulties of the situation better than the others. He will not specify any time when the big guns will be re- leased. It is necessary to first remove the tops of the turrets. These are held in place by steel bolts which must be cut loose. The best informed people here think a month will elapse before the turrets are opened
 Senator Proctor, Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, Capt. Sigsbee and many other prominent Americans attended the ceremony of dec orating the graves of the Maines dead today.
 The cable dispatches deny the reports that the f1otilla of Spanish torpedo boats and torpedo destroyers are to to Cuba.