The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1898-02-25
Now for Investigation.

Now for Investigation.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 21-The
naval court of inquiry appointed to
investigate the Maine disaster will be-
gins it's work at Havana today. This
news came to the navy department
from Admiral Sicard at Key West
He simply telegraphed: "The court
of inquiry sails for Havana goth by
lighthouse steamer Mangrove Mark
arrived today"
This prompt action is probably due
to the express direction from Secre-
tary Long sent yesterday to have the
investigation begun at the earliest
possible moment. The telegram was
dated yesterday and said the board
would have arrived before nightfall
and would ready to begins it's work
tomorrow morning.
By an error, incident to the haste
with which the orders were gotten.
the first accounts placed Lieutenant
Commander Seaton Schroeder on the
board as the third member while as
a matter of fact Lieutenant Com
mander Potter, the executive officer of
the flagship New York holds that
place. The board would have un
doubtedly have started previously but
for the necessity of awaiting the ar
rival at Key West from Washington
of Lieutenant Commander Mark,
naval officer well skilled in the intri-
cacies of marine law who is to be
Judge advocate Of the board.
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 dispatches of the
events yesterday in Havana harbor,
SO far as the relate to the exploration
of the wreck 1t reads as follows:
HAVANA-Only most experienced
wrecking divers can do effective work
on the Maine In the upper works l
can use service divers. Did some
work to day with little success. Will
do better tomorrow. Parts OF the
Maine, especially the superstructure
and connections, are one confused
mass of metal"
The statement referring to eXperi-
enced divers is explained at the Navy
department as no reflection upon the
men now engaged in the work, they
being enlisted men belonging to the
navy. 1t is the practice on board men
of war to assign few men, always
volunteers on account of the hazard
Gus nature of the work, to duty as div
ers in connection with their regular
work. The score of their work is the
exploration of the ships bottom gen.
orally, the disentanglement OF cables
from the propeller shafts, Or search
for a lost torpedo Or anchor. Such
work rarely carries them deeper than
twenty-five feet into the water. and
it is said for operations in deeper wat
er, such as would be involved in eX-
animation of the bottom, they are not
fitted. They are lacking in that kind
of skill to enable a diver to groDe his
way safely through the internal parts
of a mighty ship like the Maine, torn
and dismembered as it is. and this
work is highly dangerous.
Creeping through narrow iron
bound passages and cropping for the
doors of the numerous water-tieht
bulkheads which divide the hull into
many compartments, on Shiny hoorS
and in perfect darkness. requires the
highest expert skill and that is why
Captain Sigsbee, with only his sailor
divers at command. had not been able
to do much so far toward unraveling
the mystery of the Names untimely
end. 1t is to meet just this emer-
gency that the Navy department is
making every effort to hasten the be-
ginning Of the work of recovery of
the goods, and perhaps the raising OF
the hull, by professionals.
To that end Captain Lebly, the
Judge advocate general of the depart
mert, was at work in his Office with
rer' 4entatives of the wrecking COM
paniecs trying to draw I'D contracts for
the immediate prosecution of the
work. He has been at the desk for
two days and it has not been easy to
dispose of. This is owing to an ap-
parent disposition on the part Of one
Of the concerns to drive hard bar
gain, leaving the department in the
dark as to the amount of money to be
paid for it's services.