The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-02-25

once 10 Havana. employ divers, and
generally Ia make such inquiries ms the
regulations OF the navy demand shall
be made in the case of the loss OF a
ship.
Investigation VIII Take some Time.
II Is expected that this work will
take some time. and while there are OIL
GERS who say that in their opinion IL Will
not be possible. owing tn the probably
disrupted condition of the hull of the
ship. TO make out the cause OF the eN-
plosion. the opinion of the majority is
that the question will b. easily settled
by the simple observation of the condi-
ton of the ships hull plates in the
neirhborhood Of the hole which sank
her. whether or not they are bulged
out. as would be the ease II the explo-
sion came from the inside. or whether
they were driven in. as would result
from the attack of "A torpedo or h ex-
plosion OF a mine beneath the ship.
The large majority of naval officers
are inclined the belief that the explo-
sion resulted from Spontaneous COM
bus:ion of a coal bunker. the overhead
ing ofthe iron partitions between the
boilers and the magazine, or from the
explosion of a boiler. though the last
theory finds little support.
The Maine May he Raised. 80
The naval constructors in the light
Of the dispatches thus far received. say
il is by no means certain that the
Maine cannot be raised and again carry
the flag. They say that while She Is a
big ship, Others as large have been
raised. and at Havana the new floating
dry dock would receive her IL She could
once be gotten above the water.
Capt. Sigsbee evidently is taking an
interest in the future OF the ship. for he
sent a Telegram To Commander For
sythc. at Key West. that was promptly
transmitted to Secretary Long. sug-
gcsting that n lighthouse vessel or
some such small craft be stationed in
Havana harbor To watch over the
wreck. The latter, eve if beyond
resurrection contains valuable ord
nance and other property that doubt
less can be secured by divers.
one of the Greatest Disasters In Naval
History.
1t is said AT the navy department
that this disaster is the greatest of the
kind in naval history. since the sink
ing of the big British war ship Vie
toria by collision with the Camper
down in the Mediterranean. off Malta,
June. 1893. BY that accident the Brit.
ish admiral, commanding, - officers
and $50 men lost their lives.
The Spanish legation was early adj
vised OF the horror by Capt.-Gen.
Blanco. who expressed his profound re-
gret and added that the occurrenc,
was q chance accident. the undoubtec
cause being an explosion of the boiler
, of the dynamo. This was the only
specific cause assigned from an ofiicia
t source during the day.
Foreign Diplomats Express Regrets.
NJ. Dubosc. the Spanish charge
| called at the state department to expires:
his profound regret. and the entire
Spanish staff left their cards at tn,
navy department as a mark of persona
: coincidence. At all the foreign estab
{ lishmcnts there was the deepest inter
D est and sOlicitudc over the affair, ane
e during the day Ambassador Cambon
of France. Sir Julian Pauncefote of thu
e British embassy and other foreign rep
resentativcs called on the president. OF
q at the state department. to express
their regrets.
: The disaster is remarkable in tina
. only two officers lost their lives. The,
were Lieut. Friend w. Jenkins an,
a Assistant Engineer Darwin Il. Merritt
: The former was unmarried. but leaves
/ a mother and sister. The latter. it il
r thought. also was unmarried. but TIT
4 department was unadvised concerning
his family.
Hard Work and Harder Waiting.
Hard work and harder waiting an,
expectancy marked the evening foi
y most OF the department officials who's
: duties connected them in any way wit
1 the Maine disaster. Secretary Long
p who had been aroused at 2:30 a. IN.
v when the news reached Washington
e was thoroughly tired out. and went L
n bed unusually early. lie turned owe
x to Lieut.. Whittelscy the receiving q
" all dispatches relating to the disaster
IS with orders. following IA those OF tn
r president at the cabinet meeting. (
$ make public everything relating 70 tn
: affair.
The state department was on III
d alert for news both from Havana an
1T from Minister Woodford at Madri,
At but beyond a second message froi
x Gen. Lee expressing the hope that pnl
ne lie excitement in the United stat,
" would be reprcssed. and detailing az
IL ditional courtcsics at the hands of til
N Spaniards. nothing was received
Il. Strenuous Efforts tn Remain Calm.
y. The EFFORTS of all government officer
ar TO remain calm In the face Of the shocl
ing disaster and its attending myster
was apparent. and "A number of navi
er officers volunteered theories in favor
at the accident hypothesis. all of whicl
We in the absence Of any facts On which
IS hase n reasonable opinion. were Il