The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-28

Names coming, Consul General Lee
having Informed the authorities &C
cOrding to official custom. After he took
on an official pilot sent by the captain
of the port of Havana the ship was
berthed in the man-Of-war anchorage
on the Machlna, and according to his
understanding at one of the regular
buOys of the place.
He then stated that he had been in
Havana in 1872 and again in 1898.
he could not state whether the Maine
was placed in the usual berth for men
Of-war, but said that he had heard re-
marks since the explosion, using Cap
tain Stevens, temporarily in command
of the Ward line steamer City of
Washington as authority for the state
ment that he had never known in all
MS experience with covered visits to
Havana for five or six years. a man-Of-
war to be anchored at that buoy; that
ne had rarely known merchant vessels
to be anchored there and that it was
the least used buoy in the harbOr In
describing the surroundings when first
moored TO this buoy Captain Sigsbee
stated that the Spanish nan-Of-War
AlphOnsO XII was mOOred in position
now occupied by the Fern, about $50
yards to the nOrthward and westward
of the Maine. The German ship Grie-
senau was anchored at the berth now
occupied by the Spanish man-Of-war
LIE GaSpe which is about 400 yards
about due north from the Maine. He
then located the German man-of-war
Charlotte which came into the harbor
a day or two later which was anchored
to the southwark of the Names berth
about four or five hundred yards.
In describing the surroundings at the
time of the explosion, Captain Sigsbee
stated that the night was calm and
STILL The AlphOnsO XII was at the
same berth. The small Spanish dispatch
boat LIE GaSpe had come out the day be-
fore and taken the berth occupied by
the German man of war, the Griesenau,
which had left The steamer City of
Washington was anchored about two
hundred yards to the south and east of
the Names stern Slightly on the port
quarter.
The Maine coaled at Key West, tax
ing on about $50 tons, the coal being
regularly inspected and taken from the
government coal pile. This coal was
placed generally in the forward bunkerS
No report was received from the chief
engineer that any coal had been too
long in the bunkers and that the fire
alarms in the bunkers were sensitive.
In so Tar as the regulations regarding
1nhammables and paints on board. Cap
tain Sigsbee testified that the regula-
tons were strictly carried out in regard
to storage and that the waste also was
subject to the same careful disposition.
AS to the situation of the paint room,
he fixed 1t as in the ''eyes of the Ship
just below the berth deck, the extreme
forward compartment. AS for the dis
position of infamma bles, they were
slowed in chests, according to the regu-
latiOns, and when inf1ammables were in
excess of chest capacity, they were al
the admiraIs cabin.
Regarding the electric plant of the
Maine, Capt. Sigsbee stated that there
was no serious grounding, nor sudden
faring up of lights before the explosion
but sudden and total collapse. AS for
regulations affecting the taking of tenn
perature of the magazines, etc, Captain
S1gSbee said there were no special regu-
latiOns other than the usual regulations
required by the department. He ex-
amined the temperature himself and
cOnVersed with the ordnance officer as
to the various temperatures and the
contents of the magazines and accord
ing to the testimony of this officer, as
well as SigSbee, the temperatures were
never at the danger point. I do not
think there was any laxity in this direc-
ton" said the captain in reply to a
question of Judge Advocate Mark.
He had no recollection of any work
going on in the ma gazine or shell rooms
on the day of the explosion. The keys
were called for in the usual way on the
day in question and were properly re-
turned. At the time of the disaster the
two after boilers in the after fire room
were in use because the hydraulic sys-
tenn was somewhat leaky- Speaking
generally of his relations with the Span
ish authorities, Capt Sigsbee stated
that with the officials they were out
Wardly cordial. The members of the
autonomistic council of the government
however, seem to have brought to the
attention of the navy department the
fact that he did not visit them and that
fact brought embarra sSment to the
government at Washington. He took
the ground to the department that II
was unknown etiquette to call on the
civil members of the colonial govern
rnent other than the governor Without
waiting for such an order captain
SigSbee made a visit atterWardS, ana
he states , was pleasantly received ana
his visit promptly returned by certain
members of the council.
Later a party of ladies and gentlemen
called and the president of the council
made a speech which Captain S1gsbee
could not understand but which was
interpreted to him, to which he replied
my reply" said Captain Sigsbee, was
afterwards printed in at least two papers
in Havana, but the terms made me 1aVOr
autonOmistic government IN the ls!and.
am informed that the autOnOmlStlc gov
eminent at Havana is unpopular among
large class of Spanish and Cuban resi-
whether my apparent interference in the
political concerns of the island had any
relation to the destruction OF the Maine
When asked whether there was any
demonstration of animosity by the people,
Captain Sigsbee said that there never was
on shore as he was informed, but there
was affoat He then related that on the
first Sunday after the Names arrival a
ferryboat crowded denseiy with peopl55i
civil and military, returning from bull
about forty people on board INDUCED in
wells whistles and derisiVe calls. Dur
took more than ordinary precautions for
the protection of the Maine by placing
SeOIrieS the IOrecdSIIe ana pup Nuai
antine and signal boys on the bridgs and
A corporal of the guard was especially
instructed to look out for the port gang
Iyav and the officer of the deck and quar-
termaster were especially instructed to
look out for the starboard gangWay; a
quarter watch was kept on deck all night:
sentries' cartridge boxes were filed and
their arms kept loaded
CONSUL GENERAL LEE.
Consul General Fitzhugh Lee appear
ed before the court on March 8. His