The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-18
DETAILS FOR THE COURT
To Investigate the Maine Disaster
Made by Admiral Sicard.


Washington Feb. 1.-THE navy depart
from Admiral Sioard, IN command of the
| North Atlantic squadron, giving the de-
tails of the court of inquiry to investi-
gate the Maine disaster. 1t is as fol-
lows: Captain Sampson, president of the
court; Captain Chadwick, Lieutenant
| Comma nder Schroeder and Lieutenant
Commander Mark.
Captain Sampson. the president of the
| court, is commander of the battleship
Iowa now at the Tortugas. Captain Chad
wick is commander of the New York, at
Key West. Lieutenant Commander
| Schroeder is executive officer of the bat
| tleship Massachusetts, now at the Tor
tugas Lieutenant Commander Mark is
executive officer of the Vermont. He was
formerly with the Maine as executive Of
| fcer before the detail of Liutenant Com
mander Wainwright, who relieved him.
Washington, Feb. T.-It is said at the
navy department that the naval court Of
inquiry which is to investigate the dis
aster can scarcely assemble for the work
at Havana before next Monday. Lieu
tenant Commander Mark, who left WASH
ington this morning, can hardly reach
Key West before the end Of the week,
and as the board must prepare itself for
the work before leaving Key West, a day
10 little time enough for that and the
transportation to Havana. 1t is not yet
known where the board will hold its ses-
sions at Havana, as this detail has been
left to Admiral Sicard to fix. 1t may be
held at one of the hotels, or perhaps on
board the Ward line steamer, the tender
Fern, or the coast survey steamer Bache.
The navy department authorizes a de-
NAL of the statement attributed to Cap
tain Sigsbee that he recommended to the
department before he sailed for Havana
that no other ship than the Maine be
sent to Havana because the harbor was
too dangerous, owing to the number OF
torpedoes planted in the bottom. As
matter of fact Captain Sigsbee had not
the slightest hint given him that his ship
was to be selected for the visit, twelve
hours before his departure. He was then
at Key West doing patrol work and had
gone to join the squadron at Tortugas
before the telegraph orders from the de-
partment for his ship reached Key West.
2
department beyond his acknowledged
of the orders. As to the statement rela-
tive to the number of torpedoes planted
in Havana harbor, it is said at the navy
department that nobody aside from the
Spanish officers in Havana know what
has been done to protect the harbor in
that manner. 1t is customary to divide
all great harbars into sections and in
plans of coast defense to assign places for
torpedoes on the bottom at certain inter-
walls. The location of these torpedoes is
kept a profound secret, only a few Off
GERS of the army being entrusted with
the knowledge. If their location were
known it would be easy for an attacking
enemy to remove or explode them with
out causing harm TO their own vessels.
1t is not usual to keep the torpedoes
actually in their berths in the water in
times of peace; they are placed in the
positions assigned to them only as war
measure. There are some exceptions to
this. rule, for instance, at Hong Kong,
where the ,torpedoes are at all times kept
in position, and it may be presumed that
the same preeaution has been taken in
Havana harbor to guard against an I'M
expected raid by swift steamer that
might fal Into the hands of the insur-
gents.
These torpedoes are not of the contact
type, as are called the torpedoes that
are set to go off upon the touch of the
hull of vessel passing over them, but
are arranged to be exploded only by
means of electrical currents sent from
shore by buried wires. These fixed tor
pedoes are really mines. and carry much
larger charges than the small automobile
torpedoes discharged from the torpedo
tubes of warships.