The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-21
MESSAGES FROM SIGSBEE
SAYS HE HAS NOT YET EXPRESSED
OPINIONS ON THE DISASTER.
Divers Employed by Newspapers
Sensational Stories About Troops.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.--The naval court
of inquiry appointed to investigate the
Maine disaster will begin it's work at Ha-
vana tomorrow. This news came to the
Navy Department this morning from Ad-
miral Sicard at Key West. He simply tele-
graphed as follows:
''The court of inquiry sail for Havana the
20th b. lighthouse steamer Mangrove. Ma
rix arrived to-day
This prompt action is undoubtedly due TO
the express direction from Secretary Long
sent yesterday to have the investigation
begun at the earliest possible moment. The
telegram was dated yesterday, SO the board
should arrive there before nightfan and be
ready to begin its work tomorrow morning.
By an error, incident to the haste with
which the orders were sent out, the first
account placed Lieutenant Commander
Seaton Schroeder on the board as the third
member, while, as matter of fact, Lieu
tenant Commander Potter, the executive
officer Of the flagship New York, holds that
place. The board undoubtedly would have
started previously but for the necessity of
awaiting the arrival at Key West from
Washington of Lieutenant Commander Ma
rix, a naval officer we'll skilled in the in
N@N~~~NANS "a
advocate of the court.
Captain Sigsbee was heard from late last
night, but the telegram was not delivered at
the Navy Department until this morning.
His message goes to confirm the press re-
ports Of the events of yesterday in Havana
harbor, so far as they relate to the ex-
ploration of the wreck. 1t read as follows:
"Only most experienced wrecking divers
can do effective work on the Maine In the
upper works I can use service divers Did
some work to-day, but with little success.
VIII do better tomorrow Parts of the
Maine, especially the superstructure and
connections, are one confused mass of
metal"
Another brief telegram from Captain
Sigsbee read: "Bache," which means that
the coast survey steamer has arrived at
Havana, bringing on board all of the div
ing apparatus sent from the squadron
The statement relative to experienced
divers is explained at the Navy Department
as no reflection on the men now engaged in
the work, they being enlisted men belonging
to the navy. 1t is the practice on board
men-of-war to assign few men, always
volunteers, on account Of the hazardous
nature of the work, to duty as divers in
connection with their regular work, The
scope Of their work is the exploration of the
ships bottom generally, the disentangle-
ment of cables from the propeller shafts.
and sometimes the search for q lost torpedo
or anchor. Such work rarely carries them
deeper than twenty-five feet into the
water, and it is said that for operations in
deeper water, such as would be involved in
examination Of the Names bottom their
training has not fitted them. They are also
10 xfvarr to- 1.
enable a diver to grope his way safely
through the internal parts of mighty ship
like the Maine, torn and dismembered as
she is, and this work is highly dangerous
Creeping through narrow iron-bound pas
sages and cropping for the doors OF the nu-
merous water-tight bulkheads which d.
vide the hull into many compartments, on
Shiny floors and in perfect darkness, re-
quires the highest expert skill, and that is
why Captain Sigsbee, with only his sailor
divers at command, had not been able to do
much so far towards unraveling the mys-
terry of the Names untimely end
WRECKERS MAY BEGIN SOON
1t is to meet just this emergency that
the Navy Department is making every eff
fort to hasten the beginning of the work of
recovery of goods, and perhaps the raising
Of the hull by professionals. To that end
Captain Lemly, the judge advocate general
os the department, was at work TODAY IN
his office, with representatives of wreck
ing companies trying to draw up contracts
for the immediate prosecution of the work
He has been at the task now two days. and
1t has not been easy to dispose Of This is
owing to an apparent disposition on the
part Of at least one Of the concerns to drive
hard bargain, leaving the department in
the dark as to the amount OF money to be
paid for its services. But it is believed that
the obstacles have now been surmounted
and that the contracts can be signed to-
morrow. 1t is the purpose of Captain Lemly
to hurry this work, and to that end he is
arranging to have two of the companies
combine their forces They will be paid On
the scale of days work, with a provision
for q bonus if they succeed in raising the
vessel, thus insuring the recovery of as
much of the valuable equipment as is pos
sible should it not be practicable to float
the Maine again.
Great difficulty is expected in recovering
the big ten-inch turret guns, each worth
$4,000, owing not only to their own weight
fifty tons apiece without carriages-but to
the enormous turrets inclosing them with
one hundred tons of steel. 1t is doubtful
If the tops of the turrets can be removed
as was first supposed, by cutting off the
bolt heads that fix them to the sides as
these large bolts are probably countersunk
and the heads below the surface of the
metal, while the confined space within the
turrets would make it very difficult 10 op-
crate there on the inside ends under water.
1t is hoped that it. may be feasible TO raise
the turrets entire. with the guns. If lifting
apparatus OF sufficient power can be APP
piled.
The newspaper reproductions OF photo