The age-herald., 1898-02-20
In Havana and Work of Finding
 Bodies Goes GIoomiIy On.
THE PRELIMINARY WORK
Of the Divers Will be Towards Salvage Only Sgsbee Describes the Disaster in Graph ic Language--Penfect Discipline
 Was Maintained.

Havana, Feb. 19.-The United States flag is floating at half-mast from the poop of the Maine, and the divers are at work about the wreck under the direction of Capt. Sigsbee.
 It appears that the preliminary work of the divers will be directed towards salvage only. When the inveztiga ion into the cause of the disaster commences the Spanish gov ernment it is said, will collaborate. Five bodies were discovered in the har- bor today near the wreck, but only one, that of Tenniss, was recognizable. Consul-General Lee will reward the fire- man, Ugarte, who, at the risk of his own life made a gallant rescue of a drowning sailor Ugarte, who was badly burned about the head, persevered until he suc- ceeded in saving the drowning man. He will be decorated by his battalion chief and by the municipality of Havana. No Dead Fish Found. It is common comment that no dead fish were found in the harbor after the dis aster, and this fact Is looked upon as show ing that the explosion occurred on board the Maine and not outside, as in the latter case many fish would have been killed by the concuSsion.
 Capt. Sigsbee said today to the Associated
 
 under water about the Maine are expert divers, but that the work requires time and patience. Most of the day was spent in getting the divers accustomed to the work, and nothing of importance was found. careful search will be made for the Maines log book, which will be of great service to the court of inquiry. It Is yet too soon to form just opinion to what the divers will be able to recover.
 Capt. c. D. Slgsbee of the battleship Maine, in an interview today with the cor respondent of the Associated Press, de- scr1bed in detail the explosion which de- stroyed the great ship.
 Was Writing Letters.
 "On the might of the explosion" said Captain Sigsbee, T had not retired. was writing letters. I find it impossible to de- scribe the sound shock, but the impress sion remains of something awe-inSpirlng, terrifying, nerve-rending, vibrating, all prevailing. There is nothing in the former experience of any one on board to measuTy the explosion by.
 After the first great shock I cannot my self recall how many sharp detonations heard, not more than two or three. knew my ship wlas gone. In such sjtruc- ture as the Maine the effscfts of such an explosion are not for moment in doubt
 q made my way through the passage, in the dark, groping from side to side to the t@tchway and thence to the poop, being among the earliest to reach that spot. So soon as l r6CC21lZeQ une Oi1lCefS, 1 O1ueTSu the high explosives to be flooded and then directed tfTat the boats available to be low cred to rescue the wounded or drowning.
 "Discipline, in a perfect measure, pre- vaie1 TRlere was no more confusion than a call to general quarters would produce not as much.
 "I soon saw, by the ltglht of the flames that all my officers and crew left alive, and on board, surrounded n-s. I cannot form any idea of the time, but it seemed five minutes from the time I reached the poop until I left, the last man having been saved It must have been three-quarteIS of an hour car more from the amount of work done.
 Maintained Prccaution.
 "I remember the officers and men worked together lowering the boats and that the gig took some time to lower. did not no- tice the rain of debris described by Lieut. tenant Biandon and others who were on deck at the time of the first explosion, but I did observe the explosion of field amnu- milton and wondered that more were not hurt thereby.
 without going beyond the limits Of what was proper in the harbor of a foreign power I always maintain precautions against attack and the quarter watch was ordered to have ammunition for the snar-er guns ready to hand, so thait in the improba- ble event of an attack on the ship 1t would have been found readily. It was this ammu- n5tion which exploded as the neat reached it."