The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-25


as time passes. This is the tenth
| day since the noble warship was destroyed
| but the officers are willing to wait In
| patience, at the admonition of the Presi-
dent and Secretary Long. until the facts
| relating to the explosion are fully de-
veloped They are fully on their guard
| against the expression of unauthorized
statements of the conditions at Havana
and the daily developments being aware
| of the efficiency of the precautions adopt
ed by the Court of Inquiry to prevent the
| premature disclosure of the proceedings.
| the explosion had been demonstrated to
| be of exterior origin by the discovery of
the upheaved double bottom of the Maine
did not cause much of stir, because the
officials could not conceive that the alert
members of the Court of Inquiry and
their assistants in Havana had over
looked fact SO important as this, not
withstandng it must have been perfectly
apparent for the past week to anyone
who came near the wreck
Captain Crowninshield turned up at
the Navy Department today and took
the helm in the Bureau of Navigation
relieving Captain Dickens, who has dis
tinguisned himself and earned the thanks
of the Secretary for the untir-
ing: vigilance with which he has
managed all of the many details of
the Maine affair that have fallen upon
the Navigation Bureau, and of the news
paper men for the patience and frank
ness with which he has met their many
inquiries.
Captain Crowninshield's absence has
been made the basis for the conjecture
that he has been on secret service for the
Navy Department in Cuba, and color was
lent to this impression by the fact that
it was not possible until a late hour yes
terday to secure from any of the officials
a statement of the nature of his business
in the SOUTH. for it was known that he
had arrived in Tampa on the Montgomery
from the West Indies The officer himself
was not very communicative as to the ae-
tails of his trip, but he did say that he
had been in San Domingo. He had gone
there on the Brooklyn with his son when
the ship started for ST. Thomas. While
in San Domingo he received news of the
disaster to the Maine and took advantage
of the opportunity presented by the ap-
pearance in San Domingo of the cruiser
Montgomery to make his way back to
the United States and to Washington.
There was no word from either Captain
Sigsbee or Consul General Lee this MORN
ing at the Navy and State Departments.
The monitor Terror is lying in Hamp-
ION Roads and if iS Sa{d a fhe Navu Da-
partment that she has no orders as yet
The impression is that she will remain in
that place, which is one of great strate-
gle value in case of need, at least until
the monitor Puritan is ready to take her
place. The Puritan is almost twice as big
as the Terror, being six thousand ton
vessel, very little less than the Maine in
size. She carries 12-inch guns in her tur-
rets, against 1O-inch guns for Sthe Ter
ror and is altogether the most formidable
deuble-turreted monitor in the world in
smooth water This qualification does not
mean that she is unable to keep the sea,
but only that from her great breadth and
light draught she is so susceptible to the
wave motion that it is difficult to
make good work with her guns in q
seaway. She is now having new fur
Navy Yard, the crowns of the furnaces
having come down some time ago owing
to the fact that the boilers are the same
that were built for her when she was
originally laid down many years ago. 1t
is said at the Navy Department that she
will be ready for service about the fourth
of next month.
Captain Sigsbee asked yesterday
whether he should endeavor to save the
old material in the superstructure of the
Maine which from the pictures appears
10 be heaped up over the boiler spaces.
He has been told to let this go, as it is
valuable only as old iron, which would
not pay to bring back to the States.
A delegation from the Naval Militia As
sociation of the United States was at the
Navy Department today. The visit of the
members, however, was not in response
to any request sent out by the depart
ment, as has been represented, but was
simply preliminary to visit to the Capt.
tol, where they are to be given hearing
by the Naval Committee on the Barber
bill to further increase the naval estab-
lishment of the United States by the con-
struction of twenty torpedo boats, de-
signed principally for the use of the mill
tia. The delegation included the follow
ing
Lieutenant Samuel M. Blout of Balti-
more, Commander E. G. Buckland of the
Connecticut militia, Commander Isaac 3.
Emerson of the Maryland Naval Militia,
Captain J. w. Miller, commanding the
New York Naval Militia and President
of the Association; Lieutenant Ralph
Fuller of Cleveland, Ohio, and Captain
IT. L. Satterlee, on the staff of the Gov
ernor Of New York. While at the Navy
Department the delegation had pleas
ant interview with Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt, who has general supervision of
the Naval Militia of the country, and
with whom the provisions of the bill
were briefly discussed. The measure.
however. had not been formally referred
to the Navy Department by Congress and
the officials consequently have not given
their opinion regarding its provisions.
The boats provided for in the bill are to
he about $50 tons displacement to have
sneed of not less than % knots and are to
cost including armament, not exceeding
81, SOC, 900.
Six of the boats. the bill provides, are
to be built on the Pacific coast. When
completed they are to be stationed at the
principal ports at which naval militia
organizations exist and are to be manned
by skeleton crews from the United States
Navy and be ready for the full compile
ment of officers and men to be filled out