New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-01


WORK OF THE DIVERS AT HAVANA.
r, o,,ny WEATHER ADDS TO THE DIFFICULTY IN
SECURING THE BoDrEs-sENAToR ff'oo-
TOR VISITS BLANco-PREPARiN'
FOR THE vrzcAYA's AR
RIVAL
Havana. Feb 2S-The day promised well TOT
| The d,yor. who are at work securing bodies
,ro,,, tho wrcck OF the battle-ship Maine and
| making salvage there There were showers OF
rain later IN the day. and cloudy weather IN
| terfered somewhat with the diving. The SKY
however seemed likely to clear. and hopes were
orter,oired that the bodies of number or the
dead would be recovered.
Ti.tIe work was done to-day by the divers
from the tug Right Arm Captain McEee' VINO
10 IN charge. seems to lack authority Iro" INC
urec,,inq neople or others. and Is indisposed 10
work on his own judgment. except IN sH'a''e'
details. VITA,
Co,ta,r s,psbee was on board the United
States lighthouse tender Fern until oc'och
this afternoon. He waited FOR the "Paii''"
divers. but they did not appear. He th'nks .""'
Spain has a moral and international rlsh' "
make an Independent examination, ana he VIII
give the Spanish divers such facilities as afe
possible a..
Tho difficulty experienced in recovering the
bodies ia not understood by any but the o''eiS'
The latter yesterday worked for three hours
trying to bring out one body intact ana one
of the divers had bad fall and severai so'
their air tubes tangled. Even then they couiu
not extricate the body. The main efforts are
now directed toward clearing the upper "leoA-
age smokestacks. decks. guns, hatches' oiiuse
cranes and gratings. Then. II not BEFORE al
the dead can be removed.
Chaplain Chadwick hopes to recognize many
OF the bodies when he receives descriptions from
Washington, taken from the enlistment papers
which are on file there.
The Coast Survey steamer Bache. Lieutenant
Barnett commanding. returned to Tortugas this
morning after taking on board four OF the
Names wounded 1t is considered probable that
the Bache will also take from here 10 Iortu9as
the five wounded men OF the battle-ship VINO
are still at this port. 1t Will soon be sare 70
move them Captain Sigsbee hopes that the
Bache will return 10 the Tortugas tomorrow or
the next day with all the Names wounded
left here, and he also hopes TO send on the
Bache hereafter all the bodies of the dead re-
covered in a condition making 1t possible to
place them In collins
Another tug belonging to the Merritt &
Chapman Derrick and Wrecking Company. with
powerful apparatus. is expected from the North
at any time.
Miss Clara Barton's latest additions to her
staff are men who have been in the Red Cross
service for years and who have seen DUTY In
Armenia and elsewhere.
Great preparations are on foot among the
Spaniards here TO give hearty welcome TO the
cruiser Vlzcaya expected to arrive to-day. Cen
eral Weyler's street Is arched with bunting. and
the Casino is gay with color.
It IS probable that the election Of the Autono-
mist delegates set for March %, will be post
poned until April q. to correspond with the
election for Deputies to the Cortes in Spain. The
postponement. however, is not yet officially an
nounced.
Captain Sigsbee continues 10 receive letters In
great numbers. some sad and others compli-
mentary. All the queries about the men who
lost their lives when the Maine went down are
answered soon possible II there is any
thing TO be told. One Of the saddest letters was
from the brother OF dead man. who wrote that
when death claiming the victim his friends
home celebrating his birthday and
wishing him many happy returns Of the day.
Chaplain Chadwick has been commended by
Captain Sigsbee as man, priest and an
officer He Is always cheerful and doing the
most effective work possible.