The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-18
TO BE INVESTIGATED
LIST OF OFFICERS COMPOSING
THE BOARD.
THE BuNKeRS THEORY NOW POPULAR
Orders to Put the Flag at Half Mast Have
Been Sent to All the Naval Stations
and Army Posts The
Funeral Today.

Funeral To-day.
Washington, d. c., Feb. 1.-THE
government has settled back into wait
ing attitude in respect to the terrible
great shock caused by the news has
given way to clamor and more judicial
state of mind and realizing from the
events of the day that the court of in
quiry is the sole dependence in the search
for the cause of the Names loss, the
Naval officials are now resigned to
await the results of that inquiry by a
court ordered to-day by the Navy De
partment. There was little new to add
to the sum of information as to the
disaster during the forenoon. No tele
grams came and all that could be
cleaned was denial of some absurd
story or other that had crept into print
or became current gossip. The news
of the day all came in the late after
noon in the shape of Capt. Sigbees re-
port of the funeral of his dead sailors,
and General Lees graphic story of the
terrible struggle for life in the dark hull
of the Maine.
The officials at the Navy Department
devoted the day to the effort to correct
the lists of living and dead; to an
swering frantic telegraphic appeals from
relatives of men on the battleShip and
last, but not least, in meeting with un.
Wayering courtesy and patience the ex-
acting demands upon their time of tht
press reports. The disposition of the
survivors, Capt. Dickens, acting CHIEF
Of the Navigation Bureau. has arranged
for as well as could be done from this
distance. The wounded sailors in the
Havana hospitals. on the Spanish flag
ship and elsewhere, when not in condi-
tion to be brought back to Key Yves,
will be carefully looked after by Miss
CLARA BARTON IN CHARGE.
Clara Barton, who has been given
carte blanche to buy any and everything
necessary, food, clothing, delicacies and
hire nurses and physicians. The wounded
able to get across TO Key West will
be taken care of in the Marine Hospi-
tai there. The sound survivors will
be quartered in the spare army barracks
there. AS for the Maine herself, not
withstanding discouraging reports from
Lieutenant Hood as to her condition,
the Navy Department will make an eff
fort to raise her; while this is re
quired by every creditable sentiment,
they say that they are bound to re
move the hull from the small harbor
i'll any case, and it may be as easy, ol
easier to raise her as it would be to de-
stroy the hull and machinery slowly
by the use of divers and dynamite. II
hali 1,u{ arI- lao
done by private wrecking corporations
and negotiations are already afoot for
placing the contract. based on WORK by
the day, at an estimated cost of $780,
600.
At rhe Navy Department specific de-
nial was given of the report emanatins
from Madrid that a torpedo fiotilla was
about to leave Key West for Cuba.
1t was stated that only two torpedo
boats. theCnshing and the Ericsson,
are at Key West. These have not been
ordered and will not be ordered, accord
ing to present plans, to Cuba. 1t was
strongly asserted that no present pur-
pose existed of sending any war shil
there.
ALL QUIET AT WHITE HOUSE.
Senior Du Bose, the Spanish charge,
had received 10 instructions up to sin
D. M, as to going TO New York and
stopping the Spanish ship Vizcaya from
entering the port, and reports to this
effect were discredited.
The air of suppressed excitement
which characterized the movement of the
employees and visitors at the White
House yesterday was not noticeable to-
day. There were comparatively few vls-
itors during the morning hours and for
a cOnsiderabl time in the middle OF the
day the White House bore an almost
deserted appearance. Only q limited
number of members of Congress called
during the morning and the interviews
were brief. Postmaster General Gary
was the only member of the Cabinet
who called and his business related en-
tirely to departmental matters Assis-
tant Secretary Day saw the President
for few minutes, but he had nothing
of Importance to communicate until af
ter four o'clock when he carried to the
White House official information of the
closing of the De Line letter incident
So far as could he learned the only in
formation as to the situation in Havana
that reached the President direct came
through the Associated Press. On the
streets there was nOticeably less excite
ment than yesterday, when the people
were 10th to believe that under the cir
cumstances the loss of the Maine coull
be traced to other than Spanish sources
All the flags throughout the city, in
Guiding those on the capitol and the de-
pitrtment buildings are flying at half
mast to-day, and among the others is