davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The state herald., 1898-02-25
SENATE STIRRED UP.
MAINE DISASTER DISCUSSED
Senator Mason Wants II Rigid InvcstIsa-
tion- -WoIcott and Lodge Deprccat
Unnessary Excitement.

Washington, Feb ia debate, de-
cided In its sensations, was uneXpect-
cdly preclpitated in the Senate yester-
day over the consideration OF the reso-
luton of Mr.. Allen of Nebraska direct
ing the committee on naval affairs to
investigate the disaster to the Maine.
An arrangement has been made for its
adoption with II minor amendment,
without debate Nh Mason of Illinois,
however, proposed Il substitute provid-
ing for an investigation to he conduct
ed by joint committee of the two
branches of Congress.
Upon this the Illinois senator, disrc-
garding an appeal not TO force dis
cussion ut this time of so melancholy
an affair. delivered n speech in which
he said that the people demanded the
truth concerning the explosion, and de-
clared that they would not be salts
fled with the investigation to be con-
Quoted by the officers of the navy, who
would virtually try their own case and
would cover up any blame that the Of
ticials might show attached to them.
He fiercely denounced the policy of
the government In dealing with the Gu
ban question: into which he went at
length, and declared that the United
States had adopted The policy of Spain
in putting off until tomorrow.
Sharp replies to Mr. Muson's charges
We're made by Mr.. Wolcott of Colo
RADIO and Mr.. Lodge of Massachusetts.
The speeches of both senators bristled
with cutting criticisms Of the remarks
made by the senator from Illinois, and
it was clear that both senators regard
ed the situation as grave in the cX-
treme. Senator Wolcott freely admitted
that war might come and that lie
thought the day might not be far dis
tant. He, like Senator Lodge, deprc-
Gated any utterances on the floor of the
Senate calculated to further aggravate
the serious state of affairs.
The resolution which precipi;ated the
discussion finally went over TO the cal
cndar.
Soon after the Senate met Mr.. Iialc
of Maine obtained the floor and intro
duced the following joint resolution:
That the secretary of the navy be
and is hereby authorized to engage the
services of n wrecking company or
companies having proper facilities for
the prompt and efficient performance
VI WV ibA AiAN Phip'"' Va
recovering the remains of the officers
and men lost on the United States
steamer Maine, and of saving the YES
sci or such parts thereof. and so much
of her stores. guns. material, equip
ment, fittings and nppurienances as
may be practicable: ana for this pur-
pose the sum Of S20O,000, or so much
thereof as may he necessary, is here
by appropriated and made Immediately
available"
The resolution was prepared at the
Navy Department and introduced nj the
request of Secretary Long, who in for
warding 1t 10 Mr.. Hale also sent n let
ter explaining It's purpose.
The secretary enclosed Il table show
in. the cost of n number of items Of the
ordnance outfit OF the vessel, all aggre-
eating S5O2,lJ2
After amending the resolution so rs
10 provide for bringing bodies home for
burial, the Senate adopted 1t.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
MESSAGE FROM CAPT. siossEE.
lie IL Receiving Many Assurances of Sym
pathy aud Offers of Help.

pathy and Offers of Help.
Washington, Feb. l9-Thc Navy De-
pnrtmcnt tonight received the follow
ing message from Captain Sigsbcc nt
Havana.
with Generals Lee and Cowles to-
day visited Captain General Blanco
and other chiefs of civil and military
branches Of government, and returned
thanks for great demonstration of sym
patty yesterday and for their contIn-
ued care for the dead and for other
good offices now being exercised In our
behalf. Received additional assur-
ances of sympathy and desire TO help.
Spanish authorities feel situation
ncutely. | have promised To maintain
official character Of all work done on
wreck OF the Maine. No friction any
where. SIGSBEE,"
The reference 10 the official character
OF the work is interpreted NJ the Navy
Department that no divers hired by
newspapers Will be allowed to inves.
tigate the wreck, As Ia the published
statements that Spain Intends to claim
n Joint Interest In the work OF the
court OF Inquiry. the department SAYS
that under the hnrhor regulations OF
any civilized port, the local nuthorl-
Ties are bound 10 make nn official invcs.
ugailon OF any wreck occurring IN
their jurisdiction irrespective Of the
nationality OF the vessel or OF any In.
vcsilgaiion by another government In
ease II Is craft owned by n foreign
power.
AS the matter is understood here, this
Is the only right Spain claims In the
ease, aud II Is conceded To bc entirely
fair. This statement OF the ease WINS
confirmed nt the Spanish legation.
message was received this after.
noon that the coast survey steamer
Bachc. with divers and apparatus
aboard, had sailed from Tampa for
Havana.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
knn.n, r.rmrr. wnnl tho nl,rr.

Wichita, Kan, frh. 2i.-An assem-.
bly, OF farmers aud business men from
several counties along the Arkansas
river wis held here TO discuss means
whereby the Rocky Ford ani other ir.
rlgnilon companies In Colorado can bc
compelled Ia c"asc inklng water from
the Arkansas river for irrigation pur.
poses.
Scycrnl communications from places
along the river from ns far ns Little
Rock. Arkansas. were read. Commit.
tees were appointed Ia inic different
methods OF action under ndvlscmcni.
nnd !. y. iluu'iop WIS roinlncd ~ L..
gnl counsel. Should the action hr sue.
cvSsful. much land In Colorado THAT
Inns been cultivated under irrigation
viii be- rendered utterly useless. n Il
believed there Is some small chnnco
for success. nnd every stone win he
turned 10 bring this about.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
BEGINNING TO INVESTIGATE.
Board of Inquiry Reaches Havana-Divers
Are busy.


Havana, Feb. 22.-The board of In
quiry into the Maine disaster met ON
the lighthouse tender Mangrove at 10
O'Clock this morning with Captains
Sampson and Chadwick and 1ieuten-
ant Commanders Potter and Mark
present. Captain Sampson presided
and Lieutenant Commander Mark, re-
Gently executive officer of the Maine,
acted as recorder.
Captain Sigsbee, the commander of
the Maine, was the first witness called.
He was under examination until l
o'clock this afternoon, at which hour
an adjournment was taken. 1t is prob
able that no further witnesses will he
heard to-day, but the board will make
Il careful personal examination OF the
wreck. near which the Mangrovc is
anchored.
Captain Sampson received the .Ass0-
ciated Press correspondent immediate
ly after the morning session of the
board. He said, in the course of the
Interview:
Il would be glad TO give the .\ssu-
clntcd Press news, but owing to the
delicate situation. the board has de
cided to make nothing whatever pub
lie. do not know what testimony may
develop. or when, and 1t is only fair
TO the Spanish government not to tell
the public the testimony until all has
been received and the findings have
been considered"
Gunner Charles Morgan of the cruis-
er New York arrived on the Mangrove
and is In immediate charge of the div
ers. The latter have been nt worl; all
day, hut up TO the time of sending this
dispatch no discoveries of Importance
have been made. 1t is believed that
the salvage by the wrccking company
will he considerable and valuable.
To-day ninety-tVc officers and so
sick soldiers started on their return to
Spain.
General Lee says the Spanish oili-
cials are not interfering with the iu-
vcStigntion into the causes of the dis
aster. He has notified the captain Of
the port that the wrecking tug Right
Arm will he here tomorrow from the
Merritt and Chapman Dry Dock and
Wrccking Company. No objection will
he made 10 the presence of the tug or
prospective work. She probably will
make an carly attempt TO save the biz
guns and IL possible the more valuable
parts of the Names machinery.
Tomorrow morning Consul General
Lee will escort the officers of the court
of inquiry to pay visits of ceremony To
the captain general and Admiral Man
terola.
To-day the divers found Il copper
cylinder used in conveying charges to
the six-inch guns. The fact that 1t had
exploded seems To show that there
was an explosion In the magazine for
fixed ammunition ON the port side for
ward.
All the wounded men except two are
doing well. Paul Foftus aud one other
will he taken TO Key West Wednesday
by the Bnclc.
This afternoon the court of inquiry
personally inspected the Maine. by
their invitation Captain rcral. appoint
ed by the Spanish government as a
special judge to investigate the disas-
ter. and his secretary, viewed the div
crs at work. Captain Peral expressed
his appreciation OF the couricsies
shown To him by the court of Inquiry.
y number Of bodies were discovered
to-day In the forward hatch. II was
not possible To remove them. hut they
probably viii he removed tomorrow.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
NEWS OF THE MAINE.
THE WRECK WILL BE RAISED
Ready to Investigate-B0th Countries VIII
Partlcipatc-Hard Work for Divers.

Washington. Feb. 20.-The naval
court of inquiry appointed TO inves;i-
gate the Maine disaster will begin Its
work at Havana tomorrow. This news
came to the Navy department this
morning from Admiral Sicard at Key
West. He simply telegraphed as fol-
lows:
"The court of inquiry sail for Havana
on Goth by lighthouse steamer Man
grove. Mark arrived to-day
This prompt action is undoubtedly
due to the express direction of Secrc-
iary Long sent yesterday to have the
investigation begun mt the earliest pos
sible moment. The telegram was dated
yesterday, so the board arrived there
before nightfall and will he ready 10
begin Its work tomorrow morning.
The following dispatch was received
from Captain Sigsbee to-day:
Havana. Feb. 19.-Only most expert
enced wrecking divers can do effective
work on the Maine. In the upper
works | can use service divers. Did
some work to-day, but with little sue
cess. VIII do better tomorrow. Parts
of Maine, especially the superstructure
and connections, are one confused mass
of metal.
Another brief telegram from Captain
Sigsbee reads:
Havana, Feb. 20.-Bache," which
means that the coast survey steamer
has arrived ut Havana, bringing on
board all the diving apparatus sent
from the squadron.
The statement referring to expert
enccd divers is explained at the Navy
department as no reflection upon the
men now engaged in the work, they
being enlisted men belonging 10 the
navy. 1t is the practice on board men
of-war 10 assign Il few men, always
volunteers, ON account of the hazar-
dous nature of the work. to duty ms
divers, in connection with their regular
work. The scope of their work Is the
exploration of the ships bottom gem
orally. the disentanglemcnt of cables
from the propellers and shafts, and
sometimes the search for a lost torpedo
or anchor.
Such work rarely carries them deep
or than twenty-five feet in the water.
and II is said for operations in deeper
water, such as would he involved in cX'
animation of the Maine's bottom. their
training has not fitted them. They are
also lacking in that kind of skill neces-
The state herald., 1898-02-25
THE AFRICAN MIDDLE.
France Sccms Disposcd to Seek Trouble
with England.

Win
Akassn. Niger Coast Protectorate
West Africa, Feb. 20.-Intclligencc has
arrived here that two French expcdi-
tions are advancing toward Sokoto
capital of the Sultnnatc of SOkOto, ON
the Sokoto river. in the extreme north
of the Haussau states, and that six
French officers, with force of 200
men, have arrived at Argungu (Argun-
hD and Taggn.
The former is an important point on
the SokOtO river, about half way from
the Sultnns capital and the River
Niger and is within the British sphere
The Sultan of SokOto has command
cd the French force to halt about for
~ miles from the capital. The Royal
Myers Companys representative.
Deputy Agent William Wallace, is
holding the company's force, with am
munition and stores, in readiness, and
is awaiting instructions to assist the
evacuation of British territory.
London, Feb. 21.-It is asserted on
good authority that the Royal Niger
Company has been instructed. after
trying all peaceable means. to compel
the retirement of the French from
British territory by force. The sui
tanate of Sokoto is feudatory of the
company, and was recently placed I'M
der British protection.
The situation is regarded as extreme.
ly grave.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
Captain SobraI's Brcak.

Washington. Feb. 21.---Whcn Mr.,
Longs attention was called 10 reports
that he had taken official recognizancc
of Captain Sobrals criticisms of The
American navy, the secretary said he
had called the subject to the attention
of the State Department, with n view
TO having an inquiry made by that
branch. The particular expression to
which the secretary had directed the
attention of the State Department was
the following, attributed To Captain
Sobral: at was the result of an eX-
plosion inside of the ship. which took
place In one of the forward magazines.
The fact of the matter is that the dis-
clplinc and the watch observed ON the
ship were very lax. This. ms one Eng
lish newspaper the other day declared.
is the ease on American warships gen
orally. This sort of thing has occurred
on previous occasions on American
war vessels"
An inquiry at the Spanish embassy
revealed the fact that Captain Sobral
had been relieved as naval attachc a
month ago.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
Cummotion In Paris,

Paris. Feb. 20.-rwo thousand peo-
pie assembled this afternoon In front
of the Saint Pelagie prison, well
known ms n prison for offending jour
nalisis. 10 greet Henri Rochefort. edi.
tor of the Intrasigeani, on entering 10
serve n sentence of five days imprlson-
ment for llbcline los Reinach. conserv-
ative deputy for the district of Dignc
and editor of the Republique Fran
caisc. by charging him with intending
To prove the innocence of Alfred Drcy-
fus by the use OF forged documents.
At first there We're no signs OF force
10 preserve order. hut as the crowd in
creased Il company of Republican
guards. headed by buglcra and drum
mcrs. detachment OF police and two
squndrons OF curralsiers We're drawn
mp on each side Of the squire In front
of the prison. The troops Were received
with cries OF "Nlve L'Nrmec"
II was 1 o'clock before VI. Rochcfurt
arrived. The crowd Hooked around his
carriage shouting "Nivc Iiochefort'
nnd "Vivc LII comune," the police
being powcrlcss to restrain them.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
STARVING CUBANS,
A Pen Picture of Their Suffering Condi.
tjou,

A Pen Picture of Their Suffering Condl.
tion.
Washington, Feb. 10.-The following
extract from n private letter from lady
In Havana, describes the awful distress
OF the poor reconcentrados In that
city and shows the need Of contribu
tlons for their relief:
"This morning." the writer SAYS, II
went 10 help distribute food and cloth-
Ing TO some of the reconcentrados In an
old warehouse where Il lot of the sick
were corralled. II was the worst sight
ever saw In my life, and quite un
neryed me for the day. In the WON.
ems quarters three had died that morn
Ing. and their faces were not vet coy
cred. Several were dying. and one
child died In commissions, clutching my
hand with fingers tnat felt like birds
claws. The bones OF all seemed nearly
pricking through, the children We're
covered with sores and many OF them
had their feet ard legs terribly swollen
-scurvy and dropsy, | suppose, from
fever, starvation and poor food, when
they have any food Mt all. Twenty
three thousand homeless orphans In
this province alone. TO say nothing OF
the rest Of Cula, and the sick and help.
less adults. 1t was about 1880 n. m.
nj the time of my visit To that partIcu.
lar corral, and none of them had had
mouthful TO eat that day and only
one meal the day before, Of soup made
from sailed pork and rice. which. of
course, the babies and the sick did not
relish. They give the children con.
dcnspl milk with hot watpr whnnpyor
they can get 1t, hut condensed milk Is
very dear here, aud often for days To.
gcther none can he had. Naturally
sent out post haste for milk. dIdn',
have much money with me. only few
silver pesos, In, gave every cent u
II. and. ms | had dismissed the carriage
Mt the door Cuban fashion, you know.
Intending TO take another on the return.
had to walk back TO the hotel. two
miles or more over these stony streets.
The result was that for twenty.four
hours my feet had the tooihachc, and
felt ms II they had been bastinadocd."
The state herald., 1898-02-25
Three states Snow hound.

Chicago, Feb. 2i.--'rhc states of Wis
consln, Iowa and Illinois are practic.
ally snowbound. An average snowfall
Of two feet is reported from Illinois
and Iowa points, while throughout
Wisconsin aud northern Michigan the
fall was much heavier, In fnci. the
greatest Of the season. \ forty-milc
gale has piled the snow Into enormous
drifts. completely parnlyzing street
railway traffic and seriously Interior
Ing with the operation of trains on the
steam roads. Northern trains have
been delayed In some Instances fifteen
hours. owing io the heavy drifts and
steady fall NJ snow. which makes the
use Of snowplows unnvniling. Rain
aud snow nlirrnnted In Chicago and
vicinity. Not enough Ind fallen tn.
night. however, 10 Interfere with rail.
wny traffic.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
a SPANISH CRUISER.
The Nirc'ya Visits Scw York -wIn D..
Carefully Guarded.

Carefully Guarded.
New York. Feb lg.-Thc SpnnIsh
ntmorcd cruiser Nlzcnya ls Ia New
York hnrbor. She dropped her blg nm.
rhors I'VE milcS rouih uf Sandy Hook
llghtsliln nj asD y. ~. nftcr n thirteen.
dny 'oyngc from III" Canary Islands.
When her officers nnd men learned the
startling news Of the disaster TO ,hc
American balllcshlp Maine In lInvann
hnrbor nnd OF the downfall of former
Minister lie i.omr, they broke into n
Wild upronr OF inlk. For n couple of
minutes NIL discipline on the ercnt
wnrrliip seemed in vanish 10 lhr
Winds. Men rushed below TO tell their
comrades In the lower decks.
Early Tomorrow morning. the VIZ
cnyn VIII come M 10 tho anchorage
selected for her IN the mp, T. hny.
lirnr Admiral liuncp has given iiuni
instructions io Lieutenant .iolnr Dough,
orty. who viii have chnrgo Of the mn.
lrol tugs. Rls In number. To runrJ iho
spanish cruiser ylEcnyn during hcr
stay IN this vicinity.
While ON duty tho bonts nrc IA ~,
troll carefully the waters In the vicinity
or the visiting Spnnlnrl. aud M bnni
or person VIII he allowed tn nppfoneb
the NlScnyn Without tile anncilon of
the commanding officer NJ that vessel
~ night u h Intended Ia krrp thp
Nllcnyn brilliantly Illuminated win
electric llglitp. nn1 the witch bonis
VIII be nlso well lighted. Va that there
eau he No possible mrnuH ~ nppron,li.
Ing tho vessel without dotputiuu,
The state herald., 1898-02-25
THE MAINE COURT OF INQUIRY.
Advance Order iicinE Prepared by Rear
Admiral sicard Of the squadron.

Admiral sic,rd OF the squadron.
Kew West. Fla. Feb. i0.-Rcar Al.
mlral Sicard II preparing n prccept. or
advance order. for assembling the
Court Of Inquiry here Into the loss Of
the Maine. The wnrshlps Iowa, In.
diana aud Massachusetts, are expected
tonight or tomorrow morning, Their
officers and those of the cruiser New
York VIII probably compose majority
of the court
Th. court mny proceed later To
iinynnn. A room In the Federal Court
here viii most likely he secured for
the slitlngs
As regards the story that one II the
crow Of the Maine saw n small object
emitting smoke approaching the war.
ship Just before the explosion. the cor.
respondent of the Associated Press
has interviewed the man In the hospi.
tai who WIS SaId 10 have circulated the
report nnd hiN from him mn absolute
denial.
Lieutenant Blnndln. officer of the
deck nj The time OF the explosion. nnd
Lieutenant Hood, who was with him.
both positively deny TINT such n story
could have any foundation. unless II
was the smoke OF the City OF Washing.
ion TINT mislcd some one.
The state herald., 1898-02-25

A New York Judge has granted wife
separation from her husband for six
months, with alimony at the rate Of
$40 week. The plaintiff was a wife
30 years old, the defendant husband
of 10. Doubtless the young woman feels
herself happy in being rid of the old
gentleman for six months, receiving in
the meantime $40 week. At the end
of the first term Of separation she can
apply for an extension and the old hus-
band is not likely to survive many de-
crees Of court. Anything is possible
under our divorce laws, and the prece
dent set by Judge Gaynor of New York
may be extensively followed and separ-
alton take the place in court records
extensively occupied at present by the
disagreeable word divorce.
The state herald., 1898-02-25

Secretary of the Navy Long sent n
recommendation to congress for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 for improve
ments in the battery of the cruiser
Chicago, and accompanying it is a
strong report of Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt, in which he points out
some weaknesses OF the navy. Mr..
Roosevelt says: Il earnestly wish we
could as soon as possible withdraw
from active service the cruisers fitted
with slow firing guns and substitute
ships with rapid fire batteries. At
present the real fighting efficiency OF
ships like the Raleigh. Cincinnati,
Marblehead. Montgomery. and Olym-
pia compared with foreign vessels of
the same nominal class stands high,
while the reverse is the case of ships
like the Baltimore, San Francisco and
Yorktown"
The state herald., 1898-02-25

Three of the five deaths Of students
In Chicago University the past year are
attributed TO actual starvation by Pres.
ident Harper. who also affirms that in
every large university poor and ambi
tious students sacrifice health. comfort
and life itself in the thirst for an edu-
cation. Startling as is the statement.
II emphasizes one of the greatest needs
OF the age, proper understanding Of
the chemistry of cooking. and the detri-
ment to mind and body OF unsuitable
or insufficient food. Two kittens OF the
same litter were recently set apart by
a scientist and brought up under identi-
cal conditions. except that their food
was Numerically unlike. At the end
of four months whenever the scientist
held out his finger to one. the kitten
rubbed lovingly against It; whilst the
other would bite and draw blood. No
wonder. says witty commentator, that
around some family tables the women
scratch and the men swear.
The state herald., 1898-02-25
VACANCIES IN THE NAVY.
The Recruiting Officers Have Brcn Set t.
Work to Fill Them.

Washington. Feb. 81. Steps have
been taken 10y the Navy Department 10
I'LL the vacancies In the enlisted branch
OF the navy caused 10y the loss of most
Of the crew Of the Maine. The legal
quota is now about 300 short, ana ar
rangcmenis have been made FOR the
immediate enlistment of about ihn,
number Of men. Tclcgraphlc orders
have been sent To the recruiting officers
In charge of the recruiting ships nj
New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk.
authorizing them To enlist Immediately
forty apprentices, forty landsmcn. ten
shlpwrlghts. fourteen machlnists, Soc
ond-class, aud forty coal passcrs
These cnllsimcnts are In addition 20
these previously authorized 10 com.
plcte the crews Of the monitors pur.
tan and Terror aud the dispatch boat
Dolphin. In each case II was spec,.
fed that the rccults should be citizens
Of the United States.
There win bc no difficulty whatever
In securing these men. lnasmuch rs
there are applications on illc FAR In cN-
cess Of the navy for some time To come.
unless Congress shall Immediately com
ply with the recommendations of the
department for au increase OF u thou.
sand men In the enlisted strength OF
the navy. Numerous letters aud telp
grams have been received nj The de,
partmcnt from individuals desiring ,o
Join the navy. asking To hc enlisted Inn
medlaicly, \ Telegram WAS received
this morning from an organization In
Detroit. offering the immediate service
Of lu,O0O citizens of ihat city In ease of
need. Patriotic offers also have been
received from other places.