La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-03-05
WASHINGTON NEWS.
ova aELA1.oNs wIrH sPAlN.
What the Navy Deparsmsnt IL Doias-
Reports Eroe n.v.as-Ths Attitude
of Coagr

Washington, Feb. 25.-Rumors OF
startling discoveries In the wreck OF
the Maine was less frequent. bu, tbers
were enough OF them still afiont 10
day to warrant Secretary Long II
making this statement TO the newspa
per men as he icf; his office:
Summing UP the situation.
should say thar the Navy Department
knows to-day nothing more about the
cause Of the disaster than II did i've
minutes nfter the receipt OF the nrsi
DISPATCHES from Captain SIgsbee."
Until the conclusion Of the invcstiga'
lion OF the court OF inquiry a, Havana
the principal business Of the Navy De.
partment In connection with the Mntne
will relate TO the conduct OF the wreck.
ing operations.
Captain Lemly. the Judge advocate
general, who hns this branch OF the
work Immediately in charge, to-day re.
ccived ielegrnms from the Merritt x
Chapman wrecking Company ut New
York. stating that the steamer Merritt
and wrecking lighter Sharpe had sailed
for Havana. and that the tug Under
wafer. with the chief. would leave sew
York Saturday for the same place. The
assistant wrecking master was going
TO Havana on the Ward line steamer
Saturday.
The only exact Information received
by the Navy Department from Havana
during the dny way conveyed In Cap
tain Sigsbee's telegram.
Secretary Long Immediately an
swered Captain Sigsbee. approving all
his recommendations. He WIS direct
cd to have Lieutenant Wainwright. the
executive officer OF the Maine, make
arrangements with the wreckers Tor
the disinfection OF everything sent to
the United tSates.
The recommendation that all bedding
and clothing Ioe abandoned. and. II
need be. given TO the accilmntet poor,
was approved without comment. The
aame approval was given to the sug-
gestion tina; useless fittings and equip
ment be lowed to sea and thrown over
board, 1t being left to Captain Sigs-
bees Judgment to determine how far
this destruction should be carried on.
To the captains inquiry as to the saw
ing of old metal and part Of the super
structure, the answer was given thnt
such material was OF no Use 10 the Bu-
reau OF Equipment. 1t was left to Cap
tain Slgsbce TO say what OF this shat
tered materials was worth preserving.
His statement that much blasting VIII
he required to clear AWAY cucumber
ing material indicates TINT |, Is essen
tinl further to destroy the upper por-
fIons OF the wreck In order to get Mt
wha, Is more valuable beneath.
Captain Sigsbce's statement TINT the
divers have been aft seven days and
forward four days gave the Navy De-
partment the first intimation of the
time that the divers had been In the VI
cinity Of the zone of the explosion"
as he has termed II.
The statement in the Sigsbee dis
patch that friends OF the dead should
understand we are In the tropics" II un-
dcrs,ood nt the Navy Department to
refer to the urgent pleas OF relatives
Of the dead to be brought to the United
States. These appeals continue to be
received here. and while they excite
the deepes, sympathy Of the officials.
no hope can be held out that the dead
cnn be brought back.