The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-01
THE BOARD OF INQUIRY.
PROOF POSITIVE THAT IT HAS NOT
CoMPL ETED WORK.

Washington Omcials No Not Expect to Receive
Its Findings In Lees Than n FortuiEht-No
Orders Issued to the Board to Expedite Its
Inauiry-Tho Monitor Rinntonomoh and
Ram xntnhdin 70 ne Placed In ~Commiasion.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2s.-In the midst OF rumora
and positive statements that the Maine Board
OF Inquiry had completed its work and would In
q few days transmit to tho Secretary OF the
Navy from Koy West, where Its members ar.
rived on Sunday. proof positive that nothing Of
tho sort was true came to the Navy Department
In a telegram from Rear-Admiral Sicard, to
whom the board 10 directly Responsible. Ad-
miral Sicards message was received by Score
tary Long before the department closed this
afternoon. 1t said:
"Court of Inquiry will commence session at
Key West to-day. They must resume session
at Havana to obtain evidence Of divers after fur
Their work upon wreck"
This shows what officials of the navy service
have claimed all along, that the board would
not rush through Its work and send O report fits
conclusions within a few days. While the board
is at Key West hearing the evidence Of officers
of the Maine who are there the divers will DO
pursuing their Investigations, and will probably
be ready to tell their stories when the board gets
back to Havana. Nobody ut the Navy Depart
ment whose position is of any consequence boz
lleves that the findings OF the board will DO In
tho possession Of the President and Secretary
Long In less time than q fortnight. Indeed,
many are inclined to extend the period to at
least a month.
No orders have been issued either by Secre-
tary Long or Admiral Sicard to cause the board
to expedite Its inquiry. They are not interfering
with Capt. Sampson and his colleagues in any
way. and will let them use their Judgment
in determining when enough facts have
been learned or enough testimony heard
to justify the preparation of a YER
dict. Just what the board will be able
TO ascertain, or what 1t has ascertained. is
not known here. There is a growing belief that
the muddy condition Of tho water In which tho
Maine's hull Is resting will so seriously deter
the efforts Of the divers as to make 1t practically
impossible to find whether some outside force
caused the destruction of the battleship. The let
ter from a well-informed naval officer In Havana.
mentioned in these desratchcs this morning, In
which it was said that the divers were compelled
to depend upon their sense Of touch and not Of
sight, and that tho wreck was sinking deeper
and deeper into tho mud. thus lessening the
hope Of making o thorough examination, has
boen laid before the President and Secretary
Long. and both have been impressed by these
statements. which indicate that tho Board of
Inquiry may not be able to solve the mystery.
In q letter from Capt. Sampson, the President
Of the board. received ut the Navy department,
there is a reference to wrecking operations,
which SOM naval officers interpret to mean
that tho board believes that it will be necessary
to raise the wreck to satisfactorily determine
whether the explosion came from within or
without. Capt. Sampson's letter Is as follows:
Sir: The court has taken the testimony of
all officers of the Maine still here. Tomorrow
we will hear such testimony as the divers have
accumulated. The Right Arm arrived hero
this morning and reported TO Capt. Sigsbee 40
cording to orders. I trust some wrecking COM
pany will be given tho entire job, as no other plan
will be feasible. There are two citizens In the
harbor who have signined their willingness to
testify. although they have nothing important.
After taking this evidence and that of tho
divers l purpose to return to Key West and
take the evidence of tho officers and mon there.
1t may be necessary to return here after further
progress has been made with the divers.
Very respectfully.
"W. T. SAMPSON. Captain U. s. NJ"
There is no evidence to show that Mr.. McKin.
ley has been influenced by the disclaimer of
SeNor Du Bose. the Spanish Charge d'Affaires.
that there is or ever was a submarine mine
in Havana harbor. When he gave his denial
to the newspapers, Sehor Du Bose made the
statemen that It was not to be regarded as an
official utterance of the Spanish Government,
although he frankly admitted that 1t had been
issued on an answer to an inquiry he had cabled
TO the AUTHORITIES IN MaQrlu. since tnen, now.
ever. Sehor du Bose has laid tho denial before
Assistant Secretary of State Day. by whom it
was taken to the President. This action on tho
part Of Spain's diplomatic representative gives
the denial an official status. but 1t Is very
unlikely that the Administration will be salts.
fed with such a roundabout method OF attempt
ing to satisfy the suspicion felt in this country
II the Board of Inquiry Is unable to definitely
determine what caused tho disaster. Sehor
a.. 49, I, L. nst.I L.a la
It subject to the Interpretation that 1t is a per-
sonal statement from himself and not an official
communication from his Government. which is
q very unsatisfactory method of procedure in q
case SO serious az that of tho Maine.
The Navy Department has discovered a means
of putting two moro vessels In commission
without waiting for the authority of Congress
to enlist n sufficient number OF men. The vessels
selected are the monitor Miantonomoh aud tho
harbor defence ram Katahdin. both at the
League Island Navy Yard, and they will be
put In commission as soon as possible.
despite tho attempts made to show that
no preparations for an emergency are
being made. Whom tho Maine was destroyed
tho enlisted force OF tho navy was within less
than u hundred of tho legal limit. and the deaths
of tho Names men increased the vacancies by
about $50. These vacancies are being filled as
rapidly as possible. and when the full quota has
been secured small crews will BIO sent to the
monitor and the ram. Tho Miantonomoh re-
quires about 200 and the Katahdin about
90 men. 1t may be necessary to go be-
yond the legal limit to secure full crews.
but the department has decided to take
the risk In order that there may be
no delays In obtaining the services OF these
ships. Just as soon as Congressional authorize
ton is received the m destroyers Min
neapolis and Columbia will be taken out of the
reserve list and put In commission. Many naval
officers on shore duty have applied to the Navy
Department for assignment to these four yes
sells. Shore duty is usually reIIshed better than
sea duty, but the patriotic instincts Of officers
have been aroused. and they want to be literally