The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-22

| who have studied the wreck closely
says now that the explosion was caused
| by submarine mine. The forward
| magazine. Ii is now generally supposed.
is intact, also the forward 6-inch mag
aZines. This leaves only few Salut-
ing charges and few small calIbre
shells in the pilot house which could
| possibly have exploded aboard the ship.
At the same time the fearful damage
is too big for any but an extremely
large torpedo. If ii were a torpedo the
divers will find torpedo fragments. but
II 1t Were a submarine mine, no traces
will be found. All the American Off
GERS are internally boiling. There is
not one Of them, from Captain Sigsbee
down, who is not fairly convinced a
government submarine mine did il. The
Spanish dailies are loudly clamoring
accident, accident when even now the
fact is known that the whole middle
deck, which was blown straight up,
never had an ounce of ships powder
under it, and that was where the first
flame was SEEN"
CAPTAIN STGSBEE EXPECTED AN
ATTACK.
Havana, February 19.-Captain c. d.
Sigsbee, of the battleship Maine, in an
interview today with the correspond
ent OK the Associated Press, described
in detail the explosion which destroyed
the great ship.
ION the night of the explosion" said
Captain Sigsbee, II had not retired
was writing letters. I find it impos-
sibe to describe the sound or shock, but
the impression remains of something
awe-inspiring, terrifying, of noise,
rending, vibrating, all-pervading. There
is nothing in the former experience of
any one on board to measure the eX-
plosion by. After the first great
shock-I cannot myself recall how
many sharper detonations 1 heard, not
more than two or three-I knew my
ship was gone. In such a structure as
the Maine, the effects Of such an eX-
plosion are not for a moment in doubt.
Il made my way through the long
passage, in the dark, cropping from side
to side, to the hatchway and thence to
the poop, being among the earliest to
reach that spot. SO soon as | recog-
nized the officers, 1 ordered the high
explosives to be flooded and 1 then di-
rected that the boats available be low
cred to rescue the wounded or drown
ing. Discipline, perfect in a measure,
prevailed. There was no more con-
fusion than a call to general quarters
would prOduce-nOt as much.
Il soon saw, by the light Of the
flames, that all my officers and crew,
left alive and on board, surrounded me.
I cannot form any idea of the time, but
it seemed five minutes from the time
1 reached the poop until I left, the last
man it was possible to reach having
been saved. 1t must have been three
quarters of an hour or more, however,
from the amount of work done. I re-
member the officers and men worked
together lowering the boats and that
the gig took some time to lower. did
not notice the rain Of debris described
by Lieutenant Blandin or others who
were on deck at the time of the first
explosion, but I did observe the ex-
plosion of the fixed ammunition and
wonder that more were not hurt there
by.
WITHOUT GOING BEYOND THE
LIMITS OF WHAT WAS PROPER
IN THE HARBOR OF A FRIENDLY
POWER, 1 ALWAYS MAINTAINED
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST ATTACK,
AND THE QUARTER WATCH WAS
FOR THE SMALLER GUNS READY
TO HAND. so THAT IN THE I'M
PROBABLE EVENT OF AN AT
TACK ON THE SHIP 1T WOULD
HAVE BEEN FOUND READY. IT
WAS THIS AMMUNITION WHICH
EXPLODED AS THE HEAT REACH
ED IT,
"It is known that Lieutenant Jen-
kins, who is among the missing, was
alive after the explosion. A colOred
mess attendant, now at Key West,
met jenkins running forward. He evil
IDENTIFY thought, in the confusion, that
the Maine had been fired on and he
was rushing to the forecastle, where
was located the 6-inch gun, of which
he was in charge.
THE CRUISER BROOKLYN REACH
ES NEW YORK.
New York, February 19.-At 1910
o'clock tonight the observer at Sandy
Hook reported that a warshiD was
passing there bound in, and that it
appeared to him to be an American
vessel.
lat 1920 O'clock the observer at
Sandy Hook reported that the sup
posed American warship had anchored
in the bay. The warship is anchored
about a half mile off shore between
the point of the Hook and the govern
ment dock. The observer says that
she stands high out Cf water and is
we'll lighted UP. She looks like a
cruiser.
The Sandy Hook observer says that
the weather is so thick he can see very
little, but he is sure the warship is not
the Viscaya, and from her general ap-
pSarance he THINKS 1t To De Cne 6TOOk-
lyn.
The Spanish cruiser Viscaya still lies
at anchor at the outer bar. A dense
fog prevented the vessel reaching her
permanent anchorage today.
Washingto, February 19.-The inter-
eSting feature of the days news at the
navy department was the decision of
the government ito allow concurrent in
vestigaHions Of the cause of the Maine
disaster, for its own part making an
Independent inquiry through the naval
court Of inquiry already appointed,
while permitting the Spanish authori-
ties to make such Investigations as
they desire. This arrangement COM
mended itself to naval men as fair to
all and at the same time as calculated
TO develop the exact facts in a manner
that could not be questioned.
There was a good deal of talk among
the officials Of the need of speedy re-
lief measures for the benefit of the
families OF the victims of the explosion.
Under the treasury rules. the allOt-