The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-25
RHE MAINE WRECK
RumOrs ofStartling Discoveries
1. Are Not Verified. -.
NO MORE DEVELOPMENTS.
The Bodies Of Merritt and Jenkins
49, Still Undiscovered. ...
DEAD CAN NoTBE BROUGHT HOME

Speedy Intern ent Is A Absoiutely n &C.
essary and Imperative-The Increase
g.. in Our Naval strength-state Naval
Militia VIII he Called Upon Should
Their Services Be Needed.
| Washington. Feb. 25.--Rumors Of
startling discoveries In the wreck Of the
Maine were less frequent. but there
were enough of them still afioat yestsr-
day to warrant Secretary Long in
making this statement to the newspa-
per men as no left his office: Sum
ming up the situation. should say that
the navy department knows today
nothing more about the cause of the
disaster than it did Ave minutes after
the receipt of the FIRST dispatch from
Captain sigsbee."
The secretary's attention was drawn
to the published statement that Cap
tain Crowninshield, chief of the bureau
Of navigation, had Just arrived at
I; Tampa, Fla, on tho Montgomery from
. trip to Cuba, where he had been in
specting prospective coaling Ntations
near Matanzas. The secrstary's COM
ment was simply this: Captain Crow
ninshield has not been in Cuba. He
has been off with his boy on matters
not In any wise connected with the
business Of the navy"
Until the conclusion Of the investiga-
tion Of the court of inquiry at Havana
the principal business Of the navy de-
partment in connection with the Maine
will relate to the conduct of the wreck
ing operations. Captain Lemly, the
Judge advocate general, who has this
branch of the work Immediately in
charge, received kilograms from the
Merritt & Chapman Wrecking COM
pany, at New York, stating that the
steamer Merritt and wrecking lighter
Sharpe had sailed for Havana, and that
the tug Underwater. with the chisf.
would leave New York tomorrow for
the same place. The assistant wreck
ing master is going to Havana on the
Ward line steamer tomorrow.
The only exact information received
by the navy department from Havana
during the day was conveyed in Cap
tain Sigsbee's telegram, as follows:
"Wrecking tug Right Arm arrived
yesterday. Begins work today, Much
encumbering metal must be Blasted
away in detail. Navy divers down aft
seven days, forward four days. Bodies
of Jenkins and Merritt not found. Two
unidentified bodies Of crew found yes
terday. After compartment filled with
detached, broken and buoyant furni-
ture and fittings mud and confusion.
Spanish authorities continue offers OF
assistance and care for wounded and
dead Everything that goes from the
wreck to the United States should be
disinfected. Wreoking company should
provide for this
surgeon Of the Maine, after con-
suting with others, rccammahacd that
ali bedding and clothing should be
abandoned. Might go to acolimated
poor. Useless fittings and equipments
might be towed to sea and thrown over
board. VIII take all immediate re-
sponsibility, but invite departments
wishes. Shall old metal Of superstruc-
ture and like be saved? Friends of dead
should understand that we are In the
tropics, Chaplain Chadwick charged
with all matters relative to the deae.
His conduct Is beyond praise. Don't
know what reports are being printed,
but the intensely active representatives.
OF the press here have been very con-
.iderate of me and my position
Secretary Long Immediately answer
ed Captain Sigsbee, approving all his
To the captains In
uury as to the saving Of old metal and
rot ofrl,o the answer
was given that such material was of no
use to the bureau Of equipment. II
was left to Captain Sigsbee to say
what of this shattered material was
worth preserving. His statement that
much blasting will be required to clear
away encumbering material Indicates
that 1t Is essential further to destroy
the upper portions of the wreck In Or
der to get at what Is more valuable be-
meath. Captain Sigsbee's statement
that the divers have been down aft
seven days and forward four days
gave the navy department the first IN
formation of the time that the divers
had been in the vicinity of the zone OF
explosion" as he has termed 1t. rms
zone Is confined TO the forward part OF
the ship, and while the divers have
been down aft for the last week their
work forward in the vicinity Of the
lower magazine has been in progress
pnly four days.
The statement in the Sigshee dis
patch that friends of the dead should
we are in the tropics Is
understood at the navy department to
refer to the urgent pleas of relatives
Of the dead that they be brought to the
United States. These appeals continue
10 be received here, and while they ex-
cite the deepest sympathy of officials
no hope can be held out that the dead
can be brought back. One Of these ap-
beals makes a pitful plea against the
burying Of the dead "by alien hands
In an alien country"
There are circumstances which. If
they could be made known, would end
,uch appeals and would show that the
department has not been wanting in a
tiesire to bring the remains to this
These circumstances have
been withheld, mainly through desire
TO save friends and relatives from the
pain which would be caused by full
disclosure of the effect Of the explo-
lion. The press reports have given in
part the terrible mutilation Of the
bodies, but it Is feared this has not
been fully realized by friends and rela-
hves. The men were sleeping on the
perth deck. with metal floors and CELL
ngs, which, by the force of the ter.
rife explosion, were ground together
INTO confused mass. Knowing this.
there iS little hone that many of the |