The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-18

conspicuous that of 'Cuba Libre" which
| flies from the staff on the Hotel Raleigh,
the headquarters of the Cuban Junta.
\ bulletin from Key West was receiv-
ed this morning to the effect that divers
had found an eight inch percussion hole
in the bottom of the Maine. Also that
all proofs of the torpedo work will be
removed. The Navy Department abso-
lutely discredits this story.
NOT A TORPEDO.
Secretary Long says that there is no
such thing as a percussion hole; that
there is no eight inch torpedo, and there
lis no other way in which such hole
could be accounted for. 1t is of course
possible that a shell exploding inside of
| the ship pierced mole of that kind in
the outer skin but that would be read
| lily revealed by the character of the an
gle and whether or not the skin was
| bulged in or out. 1t is more likely if
| there is any hole at all of the kind that
! it is simply the outlet of one of the
numerous pieces from the inside of the
Aaine.
Secretary Long positively denies that
! Captain Sigsbee has in any suppressed
| telegram expressed the opinion tnat q
| torpedo caused the disaster, or that ii
| came from an external cause. The Cap
| tain said on the contrary that he could
not venture to express an opinion.
The Key West bulletin regarding the
| finding of a hole in the bottom of plate
of the Maine and referring to the work
of a torpedo was sent to the White
House by the Associated Press and was
shown to President Mckinley. His only
comment was that it was the first he had
heard of it. The President does not wish
to make any statement concerning re-
ports that come regarding the disaster
but he permitted the fact to be known
that the administration had no advices
tending to confirm the Key West re-
port.
The Navy Department received dis
patch this morning from Admiral 81
card, in command of the North Atlantic
squadron, giving the detail of the court
of inquiry to investigate the Maine dis.
aster as follows:
Capt. Sampson, president of the
court: Captain Chadwick, LIEUTENANT
Commander Schroeder, Lieutenant
Commander Mark"
Captain Sampson. the president of the
court, Is commander of the battlesbip
Iowa. now at the Tortugas Captain
Chadwick is commander of the Nav
York at Key West; Lieutenant Com
mander Schroeder is executive officer of
the battleship Massachusetts. now at
the Tortugas: Lieutenant Commander
Mark is executive officer of the Yer
mont. lie was formerly with the Maine
as executive officer before the detail of
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright.
who relieved him.
COURT OF INQUIRY.
Admiral Sicard's board has ample an
thority to make the most searching IN
yestigation into the cause of the dis
aster The Fern and the Mangrove re.
ported their arrival at Havana last even
ing. The former is provided with div
ing apparatus, and as every warship's
company includes at least several ex.
pert divers, there will be no lack of men
TO make the necessary search. These
men can be depended upon to report the
exact facts. They, moreover, will be
subject to orders of the court of inquiry
III every particular, and as they are
familiar with the bottom Of war ship
Of the type Of the Maine, they are not
likely to be led into the mistake of sup
Fcsing the outlet hole or pipe from the
lHtHIIUE 10 tR Il torpedo DOIS.
1t is believed that under the most fa-
yOrable circumstances this investigation
cannot be made for several days.
Lieutenant Commander Mark, who
viii be a member of the Court of In
quiry. left Washington at II O'Clock to-
day by train for Key West. and he is
supposed to he assigned to duty as
Judge Advocate of the court. Probably
the board will be conveyed from Ha-
vana to Key West by the Olivettc or
one of the light house tenders. as it is
again stated today that the Navy De-
partment has no intention of sending
another man Of war to Havana imm4-
diately. General fear is expressed by
the older officers at the Navy Depart
ment that the destruction of the Maine
has been so complete, at least in the
forward portion of the ship where the
explosion is believed to have occurred,
that it would be perhaps impossible to
find sufficient evidence in the wreck Of
the huh to be able to declare with cer-
tainty the cause of the disaster.
1t may be said, however, that nothing
has yet developed in the news from Ha-
| vana as to the appearance Of the wreck
| or in the conflicting stories Of the Slrvi-
Y0rS TO change the oplnlOn OF the ma
jOrity of the officers stationed in the
Navy Department that the Maine sunk
| as the result of an internal explosion.
| AS TO the origin Of this explosion there
| is still Il wide difference of opinion, but
the coal bunker theory today finds very
many more strong supporters than ANY
other theory. This theory is based on
| the suppopsition that spontaneous COM
btbstion in one Of the bunkers. which in
the Maine are separated from the nlaga-
zine forward by a single thin partition
| of iron, ignited the magazine and caused
| the destruction of the vessel Proofs of
| similar fires on other vessels of the
| Navy are being produced in profusion at
| the Navy Department today
| CAPTAIN BRADFORDiS REPORT.
Captain Royal Bradford today pro-
| duced the quarterly report required by
regulations to show exactly the state
of the Maineis coal supply and the quail
ty of the coal. At the end of December
the vessel had fifty-two tons of coal only
| i'm her bunkers. This. was made up of
Pocahontas and New River coal Cap
tain Bradford said that Pocahontas is