The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-22
A War CLOUL ARISES.



Caosain LemIy. who will frame the
contract. said that progress had been
made toward understanding n gen
eral plan Of operation, but a ina
agreement had not been reached
Until today the Merritt and the
Boston Tow Boat Company have
been alone IN tbs field. and h de-
parsment understood they had COM
bined their interests. This would
double facilities OF these extensive
wreckers and would have given them
the contract. But today the Lucken-
bach Wreckng Company. of e
York city. entered upon a competition
for the work, and before the day
CLOSED it had made a bid. The other
did not bid today, but expect
to do 50 Monday. The plan proposed
by them is to use the large wrecking
tug Orion, of the Boston company. an
conjunction with the powerful cranes
Of the Merritt company. If this plan
is adopted. the Orion wal carry the
wYecking material TO Havana and then
serve in transporting the heavy tur-
rets, guns and detachable parts OF the
Maine back TO the Norfolk navy yard,
where il is proposed to assemble the
remnants OF the ship. The Lucken-
bach Company propose n different
plan. Their bid contemplates h use
of large barges, hauled by ocean tugs,
in bringing parts of the wreck to Nor
folk. In other respects h plan OF
operations Of all bidders is to assume
the entire work of furnishing appli-
G divers, etc, and delivering
such material as is saved at Norfolk.
A government official is TO maxi gen.
eral inspection of the work as 1t pro-
ceeds. The L~uckenbach Company
claims that the use of barges will cost
o~ne-fourth less and will give better re-
suits. The tugs drawing the barges
make eight knots al hour; the Orion
makes ten knots. This difference is
said to be immaterial, making a differ
ence of only two days in the time Of
delivery at the Norfolk navy yard.
While the disaste to the Maine has
created a temper in the house in
of liberal appropriations for the navy
and while it is undoubtedly true that
the house in its present frame OF mind
would not hesitate to vote for two
new ibattleships, one to replace the
Maine, this temper is p~redicated upon
the theory that the Maine was blown
up by external agencies. If the result
of the official inquiry should develop
the fact beyond peradventure that the
ships magazine exploded from fire or
other cause within her hull, it is be-
IISN SN u II "a S1o "AA ~
| created against the expenditure of
millions in the construction of war
ships that may blow up at any time. 1t
| seems likely that a congressional in
| vestigation will follow a report from
| the board of inquiry a~ttributing the
| loss of the Maine to an explosion of her
magazine.
DIVERS AT WORK.
Havana February lS-Tha United
States flag is floating at half mast
from the poop of the Maine today and
two divers with six assistants are at
work about the wreck under h di-
rection of Captain Sigsbee. 1t APP
pears that the preliminary work. of the
divers will be directed towards salvage
only. When the investigation into the
cause of the disaster commences the
Spanish government, it is said here,
will c~Ollabodate.
Key West, Fla, February 19.-The
condition of the injured at the marine
hospital and the barracks is slightly
improved. THE injured men who ar
rived on the Mangrove this morning in
care of DR.. Clendennin, form the bar
racks, are suffering mostly from severe
burns, but they are doing nicely. The
eleven very seriously injured who are
still in the hospital at Havana will
probably be brought here in a few
days by the steamer Fern.
The battleship Iowa came up from
the fleet today, arriving off here at 8
o'clock this afternoon. She had on
board the commanders of the Massa-
chusetts and the Indiana, who will be
members of the committee to inquire
into the disaster to the Maine.
Rear Admiral Sicard came ashore
from the New York on the Ericsson,
probably to secure a place for the
meeting of the court of inquiry.
Madrid, February ia dispatch
received today from Rear Admiral
Manterola, the naval commander al
Havana, says proof exists that no dead
fish came to the surface after the ex-
plosion that wrecked the Maine, and
that when the disaster occurred there
vas not the slightest upheaval Of the
water, such as would inevitably follow
a marine explosion