The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-18

~ orders with great self-possession and
bravery.
At 1880 O'Clock the Maine continues
burning.
A HAND GANADE THROWN INTO
HER.
The first theory was that there had
been a preliminary explosion in the Santa
barbara ~(magazine) with powder or dy-
Mantle below water.
Admiral Manterola believes the the
first explosion was of a grenade she'll
that was hurled over the nav yard.
Washington, February 6.-Secretary
Long received Captain Sigsbee's dispatch
but a few minutes before the Associated
Press dispatches from Havana were
handed to him.. He received the news
with apparent calm and his first act was
to comply with Captain S~igsbee's re-
quest that assistance be sent from Key
West. He Immediately wired Captain
Forsyth, at Key West, to proceed with
the naval tender Fern to Havana harbor.
Secretary Long then sent for Captain
Dickens and the two discussed Captain
Sigsbee's brief telegram. No other naval
officers We're present and beside the Sec
rotary and Captain Dickens, the naval
colony here is ignorant of this disaster,
the greatest which. has befailen the
Apia, many years ago. The secretary is
inclined to believe that most of the Off
GERS of the Maine We're on shore at the
time OF the accident, as it was stil early
in the night.
While neither the secretary nor Captain
Dickens are inclined to discuss the proba-
BILE cause of the accident, several SUCCESS
tions were ventured upon. They believe
that it may have been caused by a fire
in the bunkers heating of bulkhead near
a or that an accident may
have occurred while inspecting high eX-
plosives for torpedoes. OF course, this is
mere speculation and the secretary is
anxiously awaiting a more detailed re-
port from Captain Sigshee.
4 h lprnt wv cnnt = al
egram to Key West directing that the
tender Mangrove also be sent to Havana.
Commander Dickens, after carrying out
the Instructions of Secretary Long with
regard to relief measures for the survi-
vors of the Maine, went at cnce to the
White house where the president was
aroused and informed of the disaster.
President Mckinley received the news
calmly and expressed his deep sorrow,
but said nothing further except that he
was thoroughly satisfied with the meas
ures adopted by the navy department..
Secretary Long retired at 4 o'clock a.
M, and gave orders that all further dis
patches from Havana should be trans
mitted to Captain Dickens.
Washington, February 16.-After A
day of intense excitement at the navy
department n elsewhere, growing
out of the destruction of the battleship
Maine in Havana harbor last night,
the situation tonight, after the ex-
change of a number of cablegrams be-
tween Washington and Havana, can
be summed up in the words of Secre-
tary Long who, when asked, as he was
about to depart for the day, whether
he had reason to suspect that the dis
aster was the work Of an enemy, re-
piled:
Il do not. In that 1 am influenced
by the act that Captain Sigsbee has
not yet reported to the navy depart
ment on the cause. He is evidently
waiting to write a full report. So long
as he does not express himself I GER
tainly cannot. 1 should think from the
indications, however, tina there was an
accident-that the magazine exploded.
How that came about I do not know.
For the present, at least, no other war |
shipp WI VII De sent 70 Havana"
The appalling nature of the disaster
and the gravity of the situation that
would arise should investigation give
a basis for the undercurrent of suspi-
cion of treachery and foul play that
ran through all minds had a SOLDERING
effect on public men of all shades of
political opinion. The fact stands
forth and is little less han remarkable
that not a single resolution was intro
duced or a single speech made III either
house or congress bearing on the dis
aster, save one of coincidence with the
families of those killed, offered by Mr..
Boutelle and adopted by the house of
representatives. Public men expressed
their opinions with reserve when ap-
reached for interviews, but every
where there was a demand for az in
vestigation and full details, in the light
of which the horror may be justly
viewed.
TO INVESTIGATE WITH DIVERS.
Secretary Long undoubtedly sum-
married the general ,pinion of the ma
jority of the naval kxperts in finding
it impossible just now to state the
cause of destruction of the Maine.
There are a great number of theories,
but most of them are of a character
makes it Easy to prove or upset
them by a simple investigation by a
diver. Secretary Long has taken i'm
mediate steps to make this inve~.,iga-
ton. Late this afternoon n. telegraph
ed to Admiral Sicar6 at Key West to
appoint a board Of naval officers to
proceed at once to Havana, employ
olVers and, generally, to make such
-.QulTy as the TSSuldllOUS VI Ule IldNy
demand shall be made in the case of
the loss of a ship. Tt is expected that
work will take some time, and while
there are officers who say that in their
opinion it will not be possible, owing
to the probable disrupted condition of
the hull of the ship to make out the
cause of the explosion, the opinion of
the majority is that the question will
be easily settled by the simple observa-
49,, 90 ~ condition Of thA chin'c hull
plates in the neighborhood of the
HOLE WHICH SUNK HER,
whether or not they are bulged out,
as would he the case if the explosion
came from inside, or whether they
were driven in, as would lie the result
from the attack of a torpedo or the
explosion of a mine beneath the ship.
The large majority of naval officers
are inclined to the belief that the ex-
plosion resulted from spontaeous COM
| b1Stiop of the coal bunker: the over