The Portland daily press., 1898-02-22
No Direct Light Shed On the
Maine Disaster.
THE SOBRAL INCIDENT REGARDED
AS CLOSED.
Spaniard Claims However That He is Still
an Attache of Legation-Proceedings of
Court of Inquiry Will be Secret
Reported Discoveries in the Wreck.

Washington, February 21.-Today's de-
velopments in the Maine disaster were Of
negative character, greatly to the disap-
pointment of considerable number of
persons, who were looking for some
startling discovery by diver working in
the sunken hull. The State Department,
after learning that Lieut. Commander
So5ral was no longer recognized as an at
tache Of the Spanish legation, decided to
ignore the interview, attributed to him,
which it at first was disposed to resent.
1t is now learned that Secretary Long late
Saturday evening called upon Acting
Secretary Day Of the State Department
and laid before him newspapers clippings
containing the reported interview. Act.
ing Secretary Day agreed with Secretary
Long that there was warrant for looking
into the matter andcalled the attention of
the Spanish charge to the publications.
The charge, however, promptly declared
that the naval officer was no longer an at
tache OF the legation, his successor having
been appointed and gazetted December "a
last. He further explained that it was
owing entirely to the more important and
pressing matters of business before it that
the legation had overlooked the sending
Of the proper notification Of the change to
the State Department. 1t is said that as
matter of fact there are frequent delays
in the receipt of such information in
changes OF attaches at the State Depart
ment. For obvious reasons Captain Sigs-
bee at Havana is making the most strenu-
GUS efforts to hasten the recoveries of the
bodies, probably q hundred still I'M
prisoned in the wreck of the Maine. 1t
was q knowledge of the Captains desire
that prompted Gen. Lee to notify the
State Department for more divers. This
had the desired effect, for the Navy De-
partDent took action to send more help.
Admiral Slcard telegraphed from Key
Wost this afternoon that he had sent tive
divers to Captain Sjgsbee, and asked If
that was sufficient. The acting chief of
the navigation bureau, Captain Dickens,
directed the Admiral to put himself in
communication with Captain Sigsbee and
learn his needs. The business of the
navy yard is getting back to it's normal
condition, as is evidenced by the fact that
an order has been issded to discontinue
the telegraph which was established With
Key West and hereafter the offices at that
place will close at eleven o clock at night
as formerly Commander Forsythe, the
commandant at Key West, has asked per
mission of the department to stop his
daily bulletins, and this has been granted
with an understanding that he will re-
port any deaths that may occur among
the sufferers IN the hospital there. Today
he reported that they were all getting
along nicely. The exchange Of official
condolences still continues.
I. Today Secretary Long sent a telegram
as follows to Captain Eulate, commanding
officer of the Spanish cruiser vizcaya,
Tompkinsyille, N. Y:
II have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your telegram of coincidence for
the loss of the Maine and to thank you
for the expression of Sympathy
A similar response was also made to a
cablegram from Vice Admiral Spann at
Vienna. expressive of sympathy for the
terrible disaster to the Maine.