Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-19
Secretary Long Makes a State
ment About the Maine.
ROOM FOR SPECULATION.
But No Conclusion Can Be Ar
rived at Till Divers Fin
ish Work.
No Indication of Design in the Catas-
trophe AS Yet-The Missing Officers
and SaIors-Concunen nvesti-
cation Likely,

Washington, Feb. 1S.-The feature Of
the day at the navy department was the
large number of rumors of warlike
tendency that came to the attention of
the officials as requiring attention, and
in every case contradicted. SO formid-
able has grown the disaster, that at the
close of office hours, Secretary Long was
induced to make the following state
nent as the easiest manner Of disposing
at one time of all these stories:
Really no information has been re
ceiyed since Capt. Sigsbee's first dis
patch adding to our knowledge of the
disaster. All we know is that the Maine
blew up. There is abundant room for
speculation of all sorts, but no conclu-
sion can be arrived at until an eXamina-
ton has been made by the divers and
more facts obtained, 1t is a simple fact
TO say that such thing might happen
by design, or it might happen by acct
dent. AS yet there is no indication
of design. Therefore, my impression
has been all along. and l rather think
the general opinion preponderates in the
same direction, that it must have been
accider tall
AT the cabinet meeting today, the
matter was not discussed except as any
body of men talk about an event of that
kind, and most of that talk related to
the terrible loss of life and to express
sions of sympathy for the sufferers.
1T certainly was very kind thought
in the president to send flowers to the
families of Capt Sigsbee, of the execu-
tive officer, Wainwright, and Of the lost
seamen whose residences are in Wash
ington.
You may say absolutely that there
mas been no secret cabinet meeting,
that nothing has taken place in cabinet
that the public have not been informed
about, that the whole policy of this de-
partment has been to give the public
all the dispatches; that the department
has no more knowledge on the subject
of the cause of the disaster or even of
the circumstances attending it. than
have the public; and that the report
which was to the effect that Capt. Sigs-
bee had warned the department that
the Maine was in danger from sub-ma-
rine mines or torpedoes, is utterly with
out foundation; no such report ever hay
ing been received from him or from
anybody else.
The secretary also denied briefly and
comprehensively wild rumors that he
mad requested the chief of police of New
York to guard the Vizcaya, and that
he had selected Constable Bowles to go
to Havana and raise the Maine. The
last work of the day for him was to
consult the representatives of the
Wrecking companies who probably will
nave charge Of this work and endeavor
10 arrange for both of them to work to-
Sether so as to secure the use of each
peculiar plant and to save time.
Inc secretary when asked what was
lhe departments estimate of the con-
duct of Capt. Sigsbee in the terrible sit
uation In which he had been placed, re
pied; 1 think | express the feeling of
the president, as well as my own, when
! say that Capt. Sigsbee has conducted
himself as an officer of our navy should
He was the last to leave his ship when
she went down. His despatch to me
that night was so complete that since
then, | have thought of no question of
fact to ask him which is essential to the
situation and which he could answer
which is not covered by that despatch
It's tone, too, is that of a discreet and
level-headed man who realized the inn
time would have on the public mind.
Nothing is harder than for a naval
officer to lose his ship, so that I have
great sympathy for him. I await with
confidence further reports"
During the day the department was in
eceipt Of number of kilograms from
different parts of the country, asking
in behalf of relatives of the dead sailors
that their remains be brought back to
the United States for interment Among
them were queries from friends of the
two officers, Merritt and Jenkins. The
department forwarded these to Capt.
Sigsbee, whose reply was that the Off
GERS bodies have not been found, that as
to many others Identification is not
possible, and throwing great doubt upon
the practicability OF taking any of the
remains away from Havana.
While no decision has yet been
reached, formally, upon the application
of the Spanish government for authori-
cation to examine the wreck of the
Maine to ascertain the cause of the eX-
plosion, the officials seem to be inclined
to regard the request as one that could
not properly be refused, and 1t is likely
that each government will make an in
Vestigation concurrently.
The miniature United States flag on
the model of the battleship Maine in the
main corridor of the navy department,
was lowered to half mast during the day
by direction of the secretary of the
navy The handsome model has been a
center of interest for the throngs at the
department within recent days. and the
several flags have continued to fly at
the mast heads.
A movement was started today to
drape the model in mourning, Secretary
Long did not approve of this, however,
IS It suggested an ostentation not fitting
the circumstances.