Evening star., 1898-02-21
Reports of Capt. Sigsbee to the Navy
Department.
CONDITION OF THE WRECKED SHIP
Sobral Not Naval Attache of the
Spanish Legation.
FORCE IN COAST GARRISONS


the telegram was not delivered a, the Navy
Department until yesterday morning. Il
read as follows:
"Only most experienced wrecking divers
can do effective work on the Maine In the
Upper works 1 can use service divers Did
so:ne work today, but with little success
VIII do better tomorrow. Parts of the
Maine. especially the superstructure and
connections, are enc confused mass of
METAL"
Another trief telegram from Capt Sigs-
bee says:
Bacne, the coast survey steamer, has
arrived at Havana, bringing on board all
of the diving apparatus sent from The
squadron
No Newspaper Divers Mt Work.
Capt Sigsbee sent two kilograms to the
Navy Department yesterday on the subject
of interviews with him The first merely
said: Il have consistently refrained from
expressing any opinion on the Maine DIS
PS.er"
Later in the day Re wired:
No newspaper divers have been used on
wreck of the Maine One man engaged by
ME was subsequently bought up by a news
paper. Declined his services. Subsequently,
On his being Internationally released /
might have used him in charge of an Off
Ger IN recovering bodies, but decided not
to do so. Amy interviews with me, if
printed, are untrue
The Navy Department: last night received
the following telegram from Capt Sigsbee:
Following is the condition of our wound
ed IN Havana hospitals:
apprentice koebIer sliSht Improvement.
condition still grave.
HolZer, same.
Allen slight improvement; condition
grave.
"Henron Shea Mattison favorable
LOTUS, convalescent.
"Cahill improved. but grave.
Mack. Waters and Webber, favorable"
The report on the same subject from
Capt Forsyth at Key West says:
Maine survivors all i'll good condition
this morning. Surgeon reports wounded
doing we'll"
Tie Navy Department is making every
effort to hasten the beginning of the work
OF recovery of goods, and perhaps the rails
Ing OF the hull by expert divers. To that
END, Capt Lemly. the judge advocate gen.
eral of the department, was at work yes
terday In his office. with representatives of
Wrecking companies, trying to draw up
eontraets 0s Wet for IT, the immediate Of
two days. and it has not been an easy one
to dispose of.
Secretary Long yesterday referred with
satisfaction TO the dispatch stating that the
cCCrt OF inquiry would assemble at Ha-
Yuma today.
SObrafs Criticism.
When Mr.. Longs attention was called to
reports that he had taken official cogniz-
ance of Capt. Sobrars criticisms of the
American navy, the Secretary said that he
had called the subject to the attention of
the State Department. with a view to hay-
ing an inquiry made by that branch. The
particular expression to which the Secre-
tary had directed the attention of the State
Department was the following, attributed
to Capt SobIal:
1T was the result of an explosion inside
the ship, which took place in one of the
forward magazines. The fact of the mat
ter is that the discipline and the watch OBJ
served on the ship were very lax. This, as
one English newspaper the other day de-
ciare1. is the case on American warships
generally. This sort of thing has occurred
on previous occasions on American war
vessels"
Tie Secretary said that he hal not called
attention to those other features of Capt.
Sobrafs alleged Interview in which he re-
fers to the possibilities of war and to the
information he had gained while naval at
tache of the Spanish legation.
As whole, Mr.. Long did not treat the
Sotral matter as profoundly serious. Assist
ant Secretary Day would not discuss the
Sobral matter. 1t is understood however,
that the State Department does not attach
deep significance to the reported remarks of
Sobral, owing TO his minor position. At the
same time. IL is felt that he should not be
making such remarks as are attributed to
him As Secretary Long has called official
attention to them, the department will
doubtless take steps to learn whether the
interview was accurate.
Not a Naval Attnche.
Capt. Sobrars services as naval attache
at Washington were officially terminated
by Spain about four weeks ago. Senior Du
Bosc. charge d'affaires of the Spanish lega-
tion has made the following statement of
the matter:
.'As regards this reported interview. 1
know nothing about it beyond what / have
seen in the papers. i should imagine Mr.
Sobral far too prudent TO say anything cal
cuiated TO offend brothers III arms A. the
same time, 1 should state that on the 24th
OF January last Capt. Sobral ceased to be
member of this legation, according to royal
decree. which gaZetted as his successor
Lieut. Ramon Carraza y Reguera.'
owing to the royal decree relieving Capt.
Sobral. IL is said he at present occupies the
position merely Of a private citizen. He is
a. present in New York, meeting his old
naval friends On the Viscaya, but his Off
cial status as SPANS naval attache to the
legation is said to have terminated when
the decree was gazettei last month.
Mr.. Du Bose expressed entire satisfaction
with the plans by which the divers were
operating on the Maine, and said there was
no Justification for talk about friction. Per-
feet harmony existed, he said, and on both
sides. so far as he could see, there was
every disposition 10 give the ampieSt Iac1l-
tiles for investigation. Mr.. Du Bose feels
that the assembling of the court of inquiry
ct Havana today is quite desirable. owing
TO the rapid rate at which the hull of the
Maine is sinking in the soft bottom Of the
harbor.
The following telegram has been received
by Secretary Long from New York:
when l arrived at New York 1 heard of
the Maine disaster. We feel very deep
sorrow and send our condolences for the
dead and their families. EULATE,
Captain Spanish cruiser Vizcaya.'
On the Coast Defcnses.
Referring to Gen. Miles recent order TO
Gen. Merritt. commanding tn, Department
OF the East. to Immediately detail MEN and
officers to all coast defense points where
modern guns are mounted. 1t is said At the
War Department that 1t was nothing mora
than following out the plan of the War De-
port:nent formulated several years sgo
when the present system of coast defense
was inaugurated. The order calls for at
lecst twenty men and the necessary off,
GERS to take charge Of such coast defense
emplacements as have been compl sted and
tIrn over to the War Department These
defense points are planned and constructed
by the Engineer Corps and the guns fur