The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-23
The First Days Session in Ihe HlI-
b0r Of HlTQnO.
DIVERS HOW AIDED BY ELECTRICITY
Ihe Mniue's silver Service Recovered
-B0dics orTweivc FIrcmen, Mnn-
gied Past Recognition, Taken from
the, Nrrck-I.n Lucltn Is Unfair
Carnival NJ EtS Height.
iHavana. Feb. 2c. 1895


of the United States court of inquiry
INTO the loss of the ba;tlcship Maine
called this morning upon Captain Cen
eral Blanco ana Admiral Manterola.
When these ceremonies were ended the
court returned to the United States
| sumed its sessions. The court opened
at half past ten and took a recess at
At 1880 and took Il recess at 1890.
Lieutenant G.. l.. w. Holman, navigator
and ordnance officer of the Maine, was
examined at the morning session. The
! court met for the afternoon session at
I:30, and> Lieutenant Commander r.
Wainwright, executive officer of the
Maine, was called 10 the witness stand
| Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
| has been in immediate charge Of the
| wreck since the explosion.
| Four divers are a work, two in the
. fore part of the ship and TIE others aft.
The task is most laborious, and the
| men are naturally extremely careful,
| aa they have had to work in complete
| darkness, and several have had bad
falls. Electric lights worked from the
Mangrovc, are now available, and much
! SObtl Is GSpeClcu from tnen.
Nearly all the possible salvage has
now been made from the cabin aft. The
efforts to reach the ward and mess
| rooms are frustrated by some unknown
| obstacle. II is expected TO find bodies
| in those rooms. Two cases of tcn-nch
! ammunition have been found. the one
having exploded, the other full of pow
der. These were found forward.
The work of securing the bodies under
1,Ntl.,
dark, but ii is hoped that the electric
lights will be of great service. The
bodies are much mutiatcd, and some
! are partially burned.
The officers of the court OF inquiry
| paid another visit 10 the wreck to-day.
Captain Sgsbee, after the visits of the
members OF the court to the Captain
! General and Admiral Manterolc this
/ morning, said The reception extended
them had been polite and cordial The
| Captain General and Admiral had en-
pressed deep sympathy and the hope
that nothing would interfere to prevent
| 4 thorough investi iga;ion. They offered
| to give any help in their power. Cap
tain Sampson referred TO the visits as
| tending to promote a better under
standing"
Among the salvage were the table
ware and the silver service belonging
!
George w. Koebelcr. of Brooklyn died
to-day at the military hospital. All the
| other injured show some Improvement.
| La Lucha, in an editorial to-day. com
| ments upon the "unfairness OF the
! United states in making Captain Sgs-
bee the adviser and assistant OF the
| court of inquiry"
! The editorial is evidently based on
| incorrect Information from the United
| Impossible under the rules constituting
naval courts OF inquiry, that the Cap
tain commanding the ship destroyed
should have anything TO do with the
! findings Of the court, being In one sense
on trial himself. II is made Captain
Sigshce's duty to give all the testimony
as 10 The facts in his possession. La
Lucha claims also that the court OF
! inquiry is no; constituted az it would
be by any other of the great powers
but in this particular the paper is cvl-
| IDENTIFY laboripg under fu.her misinfor-
! nation.
Judge Pe"al, Cf the Spanish Admiralty
Court, to-day has hccn taking the de-
! Dos':icns Of the officers Jf THE Spanish
vessels and the harbor officials on the
subject of the disaster to the Maine
The military commander Of Guiana
hacoa has ord dsred the suspension OF
| pubic festivities as n mark or respect
! to tthc memory of the Names dead The
prohibition will continue for three days.
Gunner Charles Morsan. CT rhe cruiser
! Now York who is i'm charge Of the
divers, will devote special attention tn
examining the ammunition in the fore
! part Of the Names hull and TO ascer-
tain The condition of the plates. maga-
zines and engines. He is a graduate in
gunncry and IS regarded as entirely
compa patcm, as indeed are all the divers
under his direction. He Is under strict
orders not to give out anything on thc
subject Of his Investigations except 10
| the officers of the court Of inquiry when
| called upon.
The autonomint government has con
firmed the appointment Of Senbr Manuel
| Rafael Angu,a as d alegatc 'Of the colo
NAL government in Washington, to pre-
pare commercial treaty. according ia
| Instructions. which he will receive from
Senior Mlntoro and Senor Rodriguez, ia
colonial secretaries Of the treasury and
| OF commerce, respectively.
The bodies Of twelve hrcmen have
| been taken from under tho hatch from
| the superstrudture to th> fire room
| None wcIh recognized and all were
necessarily d!smembered i'm course Of
| removal
On the Mangrovc the sessions Of tha
court were held in the captains cabin
Continued on Fifth Page)