The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-21

marines, go on duty and stand by until
this afternoon.
New York, Feb 21-Howard Gould,
the owner of the $500, 900 pleasure craft
Niagara, which has been launched at
wilmington, Del, says that If neceS-
sary he would gladly turn it over to the
government. L don't know Just what
! service it may be able to do said Mr..
Gould, but if the government wants
the yacht l guess it can have it. AS
matter of fact, I believe that the war
rumors have been exaggerated and I
certainly hope that there will be no
need for the Niagara, or any other YES
sci. The yacht viii not be ready for
two or three months, and by that time
1 guess there will be no call for naval
reserve boats
The Niagara is not fast enough for
a dispatch boat, and do not know just
| how it might be used for government
purposes, but if needed, it will be on
hand.''
The Niagara not only is the largest
Steam yacht ever built in the United
states, but represents. the highest type
/ of naval construction as applied to
/ pleasure craft. In point of tonnage it
| is equalled by only three or four yachts
in the whole world.
New York Feb 21-The World SAYS:
Nearly 100 telegraphic dispatches have
been sent during the past "a hours from
Governors Island, the army head
quarters of the department of the east
! to various points of fertilization along
tlIG S6dDOdGQ. from ELaSJDOFC, Me. TO
Galveston, Texas. All of these fortif1-
cations in which guns and mortars have
been mounted are under control of Gen.
| Wesley Merritt, commander of the de-
| partment of the east.
Gen. Merritt spent very little of the
day al the island, his staff attending to
the unusual amount of telegraphic cor
reSpOndence.
During his absence, Col. Barber, adju-
tant general of the department of the
east was in charge. Col. Barber refus-
4
| along the seaboard, except to say that
everything now being done was merely
/ the execution of a coast defense pro-
| gramme outlined several months ago.
New York, Feb. 21.-Three boats hav-
! ing on board the police patrol and Uni
ted States marines acting as a guard
over the Spanish warship Vizcaya at
! anchor off Tompkinsville have been
| withdrawn.
This was done at the request of Capt.
Eulate, commander of the Vizcaya, who
! objected to such a guard on the ground
| that he did not consider it necessary.
| He said he would trust his ship to
American honor.
| Staten Island policemen in citizens
| clothes are still detailed along the
! shores of Staten Island and they have
| instructions to closely scrutinize all
| strangers and stop all persons carrying
! bundles which look suspicious.
Havana, Feb. 21--Capt. Gen. BIanco
] anu the pdldCe OllCIclS SNOW every OF
! fcial courtesy to the American officials.
| Their sincerity is undOubted, so great is
| their anxiety A special effort is being
| made to discourage the talk of the ex-
| plOsiOn being otherwise than accident
| al. The newspapers give prominence to
| dispatches saying that it is recognized
| in the United States that the casualty
was purely an accident.
| Notwithstanding these assurances
| from abroad, a painful impression is
| caused in Cuba by the knowledge that
4 S1rnrsTa hi
| Spanish classes rejoices with little Sc
| crecy over the disaster. If instances
were isolated, it would not be import
| ant.
Unfortunately, the verified cases are
| too many to support this charitable
! view. In several places, Spanish army
! officers have drunk toasts that other
| vessels of the American navy may fol-
| low the Maine.
In Matanzes, where mutterings were
| heard at the time of the Montgomery
! visit, the intranSigiente newspaper La
! Region, published an article saying in
! substance that the calamity to the
! Maine was a judgment on the United
| States for sending a ship to Havana as
] ''an affectiOnate sign of sympathy
! toward the suffering and heroic Spanish
nation" The tone is one of mingled
| sarcasm and mock coincidence.
In a frequented restaurant in Ha-
vana, last night, on the bill of fare was
Chicken a la Maine" This indicates
| the feeling of a part of the populace, es-
!
| of these manifestations, Capt. Sigsbee
/ and Consul General Lee concur in ad-
| vising against sending further war ves-
| sells to Havana at present.
| New York, Feb. 21-A dispatch to the
| World from Havana says:
The divers have made three descentS
at the wreck of the battleship Maine.
| Capt. Sigsbee's state documents were
| rescued from a private drawer in his
| cabin. The keys to the magazines were
irICf oh En he
! head of the captains bed-their usual
| place. They had been fiOated upward
| by the rising of the mattress. About
! 100 of the Names heroes are yet in the
wreck.
Washington, Feb. 21.-several reports
came by telegraph to the state and
navy departments today from Havana.
| All of the naval kilograms, that from
Gen. Lee to the state department was
! sent late last night though marked this
| morning. These messages do not throw
any light on the cause of the disaster
and in fact the officers in the navy de-
! partment have about resigned them
| selves to the beIlet that nothing definite
on this point can be known for several
| days to come. Their reasons for this be-
| lief are that the operations of the div
erS upon the wreck of the Maine are be
| ing confined at the present to the re-
covery of bodies of the dead still en-
! tangled in the wreck and the recovery
| of ValuableS, neither of which can be
/ neglected while the other branch of the
work namely the investigation of the
! cause of the disaster may be more
| properly left to the conduct of the
! court of inquiry. Gen. Lees dispatch
was as follows:
| Havana, Feb. 81
Assistant Secretary of State. Washing
| ton.
Great need of divers to get effects and
| bodies from wreck. Two are now en-
! ployed, but u or Is could be used. One
| hundred and fOrty-three bodies have
! been buried. Very few We're found to-