Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-04
No MAINE NEWS.
IN WORD FROM NAVAL COURT
AND NO ORDER GIVEN TT.
10 PARTIAL OR PRELIMINARY REPORT
,.,dcratandinG Is That Court VIII
Return 60 Habana to Take Fur
,bcr Tcstimony-Big Check from
noIc for Maine Relief Fund.

,..sfycd from the court OF inquiry. and
chat no orders had been, or would be-
,.,rn as 10 the movement OF the court
srsm Key West. as the court is fully au-
.rrrizcd to shape its own movements.
rhc original orders TO the court were
,..sfd hy Admiral Sicard. as commander
,f ,ho fleet TO which the Maine belonged,
and 10 has the technical status Of an ad-
r..r8rs court. reporting directly TO Ad-
,-.ral Scard both as 20 its movements
,rI as TO its final report on the cause OF
Che disaster
Tho understanding here is that the
court has not concluded its work. but will
,.um 90 Habana To take testimony
,H.ah has been delayed by the difficulties
= the way Of the divers.
THAT Admiral Sicard expects This move
mont back to Habana was shown by
s-ratch from him few days ago. sug-
resting that arrangements be made for
....a TO take the court back AS the
Hert-house tender Mansrove had been
SONG This service. the Treasury Depart
mon, was asked TO assign the Mangrove
Dor the return Of the court TO Key West,
and this was done. With these arrange
rants concluded. it is said at the Navy
u-aartment that the court will proceed
Without consulting officials here.
Arrangements are being made for the
zip OF the cruiser Montgomery and gum
boat Nashville 10 Cuban ports, with relief
supplies. The Navy Department was ad
gscd to-day that the Mallory Line steam
o. leaving New York next Saturday
R6gId carry. free of charge, d tons Of sup
-...s. 10 be transferred 10 the Montgomery
and Nashville at Key West. The Mallory
steamer is expected TO take about four
s.ys i'm the run down the coast, so that
ra transfer 10 the warships and their
start to Cuba cannot be made before next
Thursday. The two warships are poorly
slapted for carrying supplies, having
gaaut quarters for their own supplies of
-urdace. provisions, canvas, and ships
rauinment. 1t is only because they can
make the run I'm daylight that any at
.empt is made 10 carry the 70 tons Of sup
plies These will be stored on the spar
seek and with good weather, the day
i-ht run will not subject them to any
samaCe.
RELIEF MEASURES SUCCESSFUL.
The relief measures are proving unex-
r.ctedly successful, the supplies running
mo the AdI-lbaQS anu HuithltAN VA N'ii9s
The state Department has had notice
from the Cuban Relief Committee at New
York that there were shipped -on March |
l-t from New York 10 Santiago 100000 |
POUNDS Of relief supplies; on the %, TO |
Habdna 1900 pounds; to-day 10 Matan-
zls 10000 pounds, and 10 Sagua la |
Grande 10000 pounds.
I'M these shipments are 100000 grains of |
luinine, consigned to each of the ports, |
except Habana.
The Maine relief fund under Mr.. Longs |
to-day reached total of |
s. u8.
The only telegram relating TO the Maine |
disaster that came 10 the Navy Depart +,
msnt during the day was the following |
from Commander Forsyth, at Key West: |
"Bache arrived. Brought one body, un- |
Identified; and Paul LOTUS, private ma
rIue; jeremiah Shea. Coal-passer; John |
Ienner. ordinary seaman; Thomas J.
Waters. ordinary seaman, wounded, from |
Tortugas. The wounded will be sent to
.he Army Hospital The funeral of the
body has started for the cemetery"
TEST OF OLD MONITORS.
In the course of the inquiry into the
naval resources Of the United States, an |
order has been issued to make a test of
The machinery of the old war monitors |
y
re single-turreted craft, that are armed |
with big. smooth-bore guns in turrets
hat could likely be pierced by the
modern high-powered rifles on the bat
laships but they would still be Of SER
vice in an emergency
There are eight Of these monitors at
League Island, and the government owns
--veral others that are now lent to the
naval militia organizations of some OF
.L- states.
Those at League Island are the fol-
lowing: Canonicus, Mahopac, Manhat-
In. Catskin, Jason, Lehigh, MOntauk,
and Nahant.
They are Of between 1,SOO and 2,l0O tons
displacement, and draw very little water,
s1 that they could take up advantageous
.0sitiOns on shoals commanding channel
approaches.
The intention is to turn over the Old
engines and work with them the ma
.H.uery that is made to turn the tur-
-ets. IL II can be made 20 work at all.
During the course of the day similar
inquiries to that made by the japanese
legation as TO the number of Japans
subjects aboard The Maine came to the
Navy Department from the German and
Swedish legations and 1t is said that
others Will follow Nearly every ma
.ionalty was represented in the Maine 5
biz crew.
NO PRELIMINARY REPORT.
Secretary Long to-day authorized an
absolute and positive denial Of report
asserting that a partial or preliminary |
report had been received by the govern
ueut from the Maine inquiry board. in
.iCating or declaring that the loss OF the
Maine was due 20 an external explosion.
Ie said that no report of any kind had
been received, and that the public had
ll the Information that had come TO
hand
lt the progress Of the inquiry at Ha-
la1a depends upon the work Of the
3reckers as seems 10 be the case, for
lO'hng Of substantial Importance can be
.rnieved until the heavy debris is re-
moved from the wreck, considerable de-
sr must inevitably occur. To tow the
arge derricks from Boston and New
Fork % Habaoa would never be speedy
ud seldom "a safe undertaking. As
natter Of fact. the Derrick Chief, at
Norfolk. n now stOrm-bOund just in
.de Cf Chesapeake Bay, although it was
expected that by this time she would be
ar below Hatteras. This makes II inn
.ossible that the derrick can reach Ha-
'ana harbOr and get TO work much be-
ore the middle OF next week
AS for the big derrick Monarch, which
3 required 10 raise the turrets and ex-
remely heavy weights from the hull, the
atc for her sailing has not been set al
hoIgh the department has inquired OF
hc contractors on that point
most substantial evidence or sympa-