The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-25
LONG LEARNS NOTHING LURID.
MINORS OF STARTLING DISCOVER
les UNFOUNDED.

,yrom Received From Capt. Sigsbee
she Routine Work on the Wreck.
mead TOO Badly MufiIated to He
RrouGht Home for BuriaI-NavaI
N5iJitia a valuable Adjunct in Case
Il of War.
washington, Feb. 24-Rumors of start
ling discoveries in the wreck of the Maine
we're less frequent, but there were enough
of them still afoat to-day to warrant Sec
rerarv Long in making this statement to
the newspaper men as he left his office:
summing up the situation should say
+bat the navy~department knows to-day
notbing more about the cause of the dis
ester than it did FIVE minutes after the re-
cept of the first dispatch from Capt Sigs-
bee"
The secretary's attention was drawn to
the published statement that Capt Crown
inshield, chief of the bureau of navigation,
has lust arrived at Tampa on the Mont
gomery from trip to Cuba, where he had
been inspecting the prospective coaling
stations near Mantanzas.
The secretary's comment was simply
this: Capt. Crowninshield has not been
to cuba. He has been off on a trip with
his boy on matters not connected with any
business Of the navy"
On conclusion of the investigation of the
court of inquiry at Havana the principal
business of the navy department in con-
necton with the Maine will consist of
conducting the wrecking operations.
The only exact information received by
the navy department from Havana dur
ing the day was conveyed in Capt. Sigs-
bees telegram, as follows:
Havana, Feb 24-Long, Secretary
Navy: Wrecking tug Right Arm arrived
yesterday Begins work to-day. Much
incumbering metal must be blasted away
in detail Navy divers down aft seven
days, forward four days.
Bodies of jenkins and Merritt not
found. Two unidentified bodies of crew
found yesterday.
Aft compartment filled with detached,
broken and buoyant furniture and fittings,
mud and confusion. Spanish authorities
continue offers of assistance and care for
wounded and dead.
Everything that goes from wreck to the
United States should be dsinfected.
Wrecking company should provide for
this.
Surgeon of the Maine, after consulting
with others, recommended that all bed
ding and clothing should be abandoned.
Might go to acclimated poor.
Useless fittings and equipments might
be towed to sea and thrown overheard.
will take all immediate responsibility,
but invite departments wishes.
Shall old metal of superstructure and
like be saved?
Friends of dead should understand that
we are in the tropics.
Chaplain Chadwick, charged with all
matters relative to the dead. His conduct
Is beyond praise.
Don't know what reports are being
printed, but the intensely active represen-
tatives of the press here have been very
conslderate of me and my position.
"Slgsbee."
Secretary Long Immediately answered
Capt, sgsbee. approving all his recon-
mendations. He was directed to have
Lieut. Wainwright, the executive officer
OF the Maine, make arrangements with the
Wreckers for the disinfectlon of every
thing sent to the United States.
The same approval was given to the
suggestion that useless fittings end
equipment be towed to sea and thrown
overheard, it being left to Capt. Sigsbee' 3
judgment to determine how far this de-
struction should be carried on.
To the captains inquiry as to the saving
OF old metal and parts of the superstruc-
ture the answer was given that such ma
terial was of no use to the bureau of
equipment 1t was left to Capt. Sigsbee
to say what of this shattered material
was worth preserving. His statement that
much blasting would be required to clear
away encumbering material indicates that
IL Is essential further to destroy the up
per portions of the wreck in order to get
at what is more valuable beneath.
Capt. Sgsbee's statement that the divers
Gown aft seven days and forward four days
gives the navy department Information for
the first time that the divers had been in
the vicinity of "the zone of the explosion
as he termed it, The zone was confined to
the forward part of the ship and, while
the divers have been down aft for the
last week, their work forward in the VII
entity of the large magazine has been in
progress only four days, which presumably
began on Monday and concluded to-day.
The statement in the Slgsbee dispatch
mat the friends of the dead should know
mat we are in the tropics" is understood
at the navy department to refer to the
urgent pleas of the relatives of The dead
that their remains be brought to the Uni
'ed states. These appeals continue to be
received here, and while they excite the
deepest sympathy of the officials, no hope
S'H ne neid out mat the dead can De
brought back. There are circumstances,
which, if they could be made known,
would end such appeals and show that the
department has not been wanting in a
desire to bring the remains to this coun-
try These circumstances have been with
held mainly through a desire 10 save
friends and relatives from the pain which
would be caused by a fun disclosure of
the effect of the explosion. The press rep
resentatives have given in part the ac-
counts of the terrible mutiation Of the
bodies oct it is feared ii has not been
Lully realized by friends and relatives. The
men were sleeping on the berth deck when
me metallic floors and ceilings, by the
force of the terrible explosion, ground
them together in a mass.
The navy department to-day gave out
the figures showing the strength of the
naval militia up TO date. This shows
total force of 4.445 officers and enlisted
men which is a gratifying increase from
o'iUJ shown last year. New brigades are
forming which promise 70 swell the total
at much larger figures at an early date.
IN his last report Mr. Roosevelt Said
that the state naval militia in the event