The news & observer., 1898-02-20
SHOULD SAVE $4,000, 900
ONE YEARS PAY TO FAMILIES
OF DEAD SAILORS.
WILL Be CONCURRENT INVESTIGATION
Pfecedents Found for The Spontaneous Com
bustion Theory. The Coal in the New
New York in 1896 Was Found
10 be Red Hot.


Washington. y. c.. Feb. 19.-The in
teresting feature of tie days news at
of the government to allow concurrent
investigation of the cause of the Maine
disaster, for it's own part making an
independent inquiry through the Naval
Court of Inquiry already appointed
while permitting the Spanish authori-
ties TO make such Investigations as they
desire. This arrangement commended
itself to Naval men as air to all and ut
the same time as calculated to develop
the exact facts in d manner that could
not he questioned.
RELIEF FOR FAMILIES OF DEAD
There was a good deal of talk among
the officials of the neea of speedy relief
measures for the benefit Of the families
Of the yictime Of ne explosion. Under
the Treasury rules the allotments ol
portions of pay to members Of their
families made by the men who pcrished
in The wreck must stop at once. 1t Is
not doubted th4lt Congress will do as it
provide fer a years pay for the families
of the sailors who died at their post.
The difficulty, however. is that such u
measure cannot be passed at once and
meantime some of the families Of the
dead sailors will be in great distress.
The subject has been taken up by Mr..
Long and he called et meeting for Mon
day to iniiiate9the movement. 1t happens
TINT by the rare chance of :iH unexpected
change of pay masters recently, very lit
lie Of the savings Of the Names sailors
went down in the vessel. About two
weeks ago Paymastcr : ttlefield, Of the
Maine, was relieved bg Pay Master
Ray The former came to Washington
and has settled tine accounts of the ship
mp 10 the time he left. The record
shows that Pay Master Ray had on brand
in his safe only about 5000 in cash,
probably gold. and a check for $4,000.
which Of course is safe enough, without
his endorsement, against loss.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.
Since the spontaneous combustion the
ory has come so prominently TO tho
front as accounting for the disaster
the officials have been looking over the
records To find Il parellel case. as neal
as may be. The flag ship New York was
discovered do he on fire March .. 1876
Smoke WIS issuing from her main maga-
zine. This was cleased of powder
safely and it was found that the wood
work had been charred deeply. The
cause was not ut first perceptible, but =
was soon discovered that an adjoin
ing coal bunker was burning. When tho
bunker was opened, the coal on top was
not hot but as the men dug down iato tho
mass i was found to be red hot in
side. There was no manifestation Di
heat on the top of the bunker nor on
any save the one side next the maga.
zine. 1hat startled the Naval officers
and the constructors made a considerable
air space between the bunkers and dht
magazine. In the designing of the new
latIeship now on tihe stocks the lesson
was kept in mind and everything posi-
bic was done TO insulate the coal bun
kers from the magazines.
Secretary Long has gwen orders THAI
with the expiration of this day there
need be observed no longer the order
10 all ships and commands to display tht
national colors mt half mast.
WILL RAISE THE MAINE.
There is no abatement of the talk o
the expediency of raising the Maine
Chief Constructor HichbOrn is one o
the most earnest advocates OF the resui
rection Of the ship, from both sent
mental and practical considerations. III
points out that the ship lies in land
lacked harbor easy for the wreckers I
onqrate i'm and that, if she can be re
buiIt at a cost of q million dollars, tn
government will save four millions, tn
FIRST cost of such a batleship with al
of her equipment Great Britain, n
said. never abandoned a ship IL ther
was the least chance to- save her, am
has not even yet abandoned the hope .
raising the ill-fated Victoria, sunk il
collision with the Camperdown off th
coast of Syria several years ago.
Commander Francis w. Dickens. tn
acting chief of the Bureau of Navi
cation. and Secretary Long's right han,
man in the present emergency, said:
"The Maine must be taken to al
american port if there is enough Of he
bones holding together to warrant re
moval, and in all likelihood that will b.
done. II the explosion was more dis
astrols than is now thought to be In
case. il the hull is so wrecked as t.
I've beyond repair, then as much of tn
material as can be secured will b
brought home and placed in u ney
Maine. IT is TO be remembered tha
great advances have been made in shi
building since the Maine was designed
and finer ship 10 bear the name c0ul
be built to-day, but it would take time