The San Francisco call., 1898-02-21
Call Office, Riggs House,
 Washington. Feb. 20.


 The naval court of inquiry appointed to investigate the Maine disaster will begin its work at Havana tomorrow. The news comes to the Navy Depart ment this morning from Admiral Si- card at Key West. He simply tele- graphed as follows:
 The court of inquiry sails for Ha- vana the 20th by the lighthouse steamer Mangrove. Mark arrived to-day"
 This prompt action is undoubtedly due to the express direction of Secre- tary Long. sent yesterday, to have the investigation begin at the earliest pos sible moment. The telegram was dated yesterday, so the board arrived there before nightfalI, and will be ready to begin it's work tomorrow morning. By an error incident to the haste with which the orders were gotten out, the first account placed Lieutenant-C Com mander Seaton Schroeder on the board as the third member, while, as a mat ter of fact, Lieutenant Commander Pollock, the executive officer of the flagship New York, holds that place. The board undoubtedly would have started previously but for the neces sity of awaiting the arrival at Key West from Washington of Lieutenant Commander Mark, naval officer well skilled in the intricacies of marine law, who was to be judge advocate of the court.
 Captain Sigsbee was heard from late last night, but the telegram was not delivered at the Navy Department un- til this morning. His message goes to confirm the press reports of the events of yesterday in Havana harbor so far as they relate to the explosion of the wreck. 1t read as follows:
 HAVANA, Feb. 19-Only the most ex- perieuced wrecking divers can do effec- tive work on the Maine. In the upper works can use service divers Did some work to-day, but with little success. Will do better tomorrow. Parts of the Maine, especially the superStructure and connec- tions, are one confused mass of metal.
 Another brief telegram from Captain Sigsbee read: HAVANA, February 19-Bache," which means that the coast survey steamer has arrived at Havana, bringing on board all the div ing apparatus sent from the squadron.
 The statement referring to experi- enced divers is explained at the Navy Department as no reflection upon tho men now engaged in the work, thes being enlisted men belonging to the navy. It Is the practice on board of men-of-war to assign a few men, all ways volunteers, on account of the hazardous nature of the work, to duty as divers, in connection with their reg ular work. The scope of their work is the exploration of the ships bottom generally. the disentanglement of cables from the propellers shafts and sometimes the search for lost tor pedo or anchor Such work rarely car ries them deeper than twenty-five feet in the water, and it is said for opera tions in deeper water. such as would be involved in examination of the Maine'S S bottom, their training has not fitted them. They are also lacking in that kind of skill necessary to enable a diver to grope his way safely through the internal parts of mighty ship like the Maine, torn and dismembered as she is, and this work is highly dangerous. Creeping through iron bound passages and groping for the doors of the water tight bulkheads which divide the hull into compartments, on slimy floors and in perfect darkness, requires the high est expert skill, and that is why Cap tain Sigsbee, with only his sailor divers at command, has not been able to do much so far toward unraveling the mys- tery of the Maine's untimely end. 1t
 
 the Navy Department is making every effort to hasten the beginning of the work of recovery of the goods and perhaps the raising of the hull by pro- fesSionals.
 To that end Captain Lemley, the Judge Advocate-General of the Depart ment, was at work to-day in his office with representatives of wrecking com panies trying to draw up contracts for the immediate prosecution of the work He has been at the task now two days, and it has not been easy to dispose of This is owing to an apparent disposi- ton on the part of at least one of the concerns to drive a hard bargain. leav- ing the department in the dark as to the amount of money to be paid for their services.
 But it is believed the obstacles have now been surmounted and the con- tracts can be signed tomorrow. It