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

al effects Of the officers and men md
whatever else can be obtained that
way. After that Is completed the
Spanish government would like to-
unite with ours in having the bottom
of the ship and harbor in the vicinity
Jointly examined.
TSignedl LEE
The following is the answer sent;
Washington, February -.
Lee, Consul General. Havana.
The government Of the Unites
States has already begun an investf-
CATION as 10 the causes or the disasttr
TO the Maine, through officers OF tire
navy Specially appointed for that pur-
pose which will proceed indepcnde ntiy-
This government viii afford every fa-
cilty ii can TO the Spanish authorities
in whatever investigation they may scs~
iii to make upon their part
DAY, Assistant Secretary"
Secretary Long wired Admiral Sicard
today, after his consultation with
President Mckinley. telling him lrier-
ly what answer had been returned to
General Lees application in behalf OF
the Spanish government for permis-
sion to examine the Maine. He also
instructed the admiral to press forward
as rapidly as possible the work OF sur
vey upon the Names hull and to fravN=
the court Of inquiry to proceed To Ha-
vana as soon as possible.
1t is scarcely expected at the depart
ment that any information OF value az
to the cause of the explosion will D..
available until the court has begun the
formal inquiry. The divers now al
work in the wreck are understood to t,c
in the removal of ships papers ana
in the removal of ships papers ana
small articles of value. SO tllat IL is
unlikely they would give any 'heed tn
the bottom of the hull buried, as IL
probably is, deep in the mud.
PIECES OF TORPEDOES DIS
COVERED.
The officials here intimate that the
discovery of pieces of torpedoes is nok
to be taken in itself as evidence of ssu
outside attack upon the vessel for d
is fully expected that of the eight tor
pedoes on the Maine, some were more
or less ruptured and scattered by the
explosion which destroyed the ship.
AMERICAN JURISDICTION OVER
THE WRECK
The apparent difficulty attending the.
sending down Of divers to the Mairsc
was relieved, If not entirely removed
by a statement today by Senor du
Bose, charge d affaires Of the Spanish
legation, that a complete and harruo-
nious understanding between Captain
Sigsbee and the authorities at Havana
had been reached on the matter 0x
divers and that the Spanish aut hori-
ties viewed the Maine extra terri
torial; that is, a part OF the sovereign
territory OF the United States, the
same as a Unied States legation situ-
at ted in foreign territory. With the
Maine holding its status as extra-ter-
ritorial all doubts as to work on the
wreck are removed. The waters Of
Havana ,harbor are OF course Spanish
territory and some confusion had be--n
aroused by the idea that this jurisdkc-
tion over the waters attached also to
the wreck in its present helpless con-
dition at the bottom Of the bay.
A dispatch was received today from
Admiral Sicard dated at Key wy-xt
last night speaking of the ASSEMBLING
of the court Of inquiry. The message
was as follws:
Secretary Of the Navy:
The Bache sailed from Key West fsr
Havana with the divers and stores for
the Maine. The Iowa comes to Key
West on the 18th and the Sasngrsoxs
court Of inquiry on the Maine asssm-
bles on the arrival here OF Mark. tn,
Massachusetts, and Indiana are "a
Tortugas. Fifteen officers and forty
seven men from the Maine have been
pital and at the army barracks. None
are due here on the 18Th by the Man
grove. L shall hold all at Key West
pending the court Of inquiry. No orre
OF the twenty-one apprentices that the
Texas took from New York city for
the Maine was on board that ship
LATEST REPORT OF CASUALTIES
Captain Sigsbee forwarded another
and revised list of the injured and ths
dead so far identified this morning as
follows: One hundred and twenty
collins containing l25 dead bodies now
burissi; nine more bodies are ready for
burial tomorrow. In thu hospital at
Havana there are ten wounded. Nine
injured Were sent TO Key West by Chr
Mangrove today. Thirty-eight are ain
the bodies that have been identified ur~
TO date.
Expressions Of friends still continue
to flow in. Notable among them Wa,
one that came to hand last evening
from the queen regent OF Spain as fof-
lows:
Madrid. February IS. 1888
President Mckinley, Washington.
Her majesty. the queen. has juxs
sent one Of the gentlemen OF the royag
household TO express through me Hn
your excellency her profound sorro~
and sympathy in the sad accident
which has befallen the United State
steamer Maine at Havana"
The contract for the work OF savfuz
portions Of the Maine, and IL possible
raising her, was not closed today, al
though representatives of wreckiur-
department officials through the dax