Arizona republican., 1898-02-20

resurrection or the snip. He points out that the ship lies in a land locked harbor, easy for wreckers to operate in and that if she can be rebuilt at a cost of million dollars the govern ment will save s4,O0O,OOO, the fl st cost of such a battleship, with all of her equipment Great Britain, he said, never abandoned ship if there was at least a chance to save her and has not ing the ill-fated Victoria, sunk in the collision with the Camperdown off the coast of Syria several years ago.
 Commander Francis Dickens, chief of the bureau of navigation, and Sec retary Longs right hand man in the present emergency, said: "The Maine must be taken to an American port if there is enough of her bones holding together to warrant her removal, and in all likelihood that will be done. If the explosion was more disastrous than is now thought to be the case, if the hull is so wrecked as to be be- vcnd repair, then as much of the ma teriaI as can be secured will be brought home and placed in new Maine. It is to be remembered that great advances have been made in ship building since the Maine was built and a finer ship bearing her name could be built today, but it would take time and if any consider able portion of the ship is good, with the modernized battery and improve ments in rebuilding the destroyed portions, a magnificent vessel can be quickly secured
 Chief Engineer Melville has a de- cided view in favor of the proposi- tion to rebuild the Maine. He said: ''The Maine is in a shallow spot, as protected as Millholland and she is only a six thousand ton ship"
 Orders have been issued for the en- listment of 300 men for the navy to fill the vacancies caused by the de struction of the battleship Maine and to complete the legal quota. The new men will be sent to receiving ship, whence they will be sent to ships in commission wherever needed.
 Commander-in-Chief Street of the Union Veterans union has offered to the president the services of 10000 men of the Union for the defense of the country. They could be ready for action in forty-eight hours.
 SCOVELL'S INVESTIGATION. The Battleship Destroyed by Subma-
 rine Nine
 New York, Feb. 19.-A copyrighted cablegram to the Evening World from Sylvester Scovel under today's date from Havana via Key West, says: "The consensus of opinion of those who have studied the wreck closely is now that the explosion was caused by a submarine mine. The forward it is now generally sup posed, is intact and also the forward magazines. That leaves only few saluting charges and few small caliber shells in the pilot house which could have possibly exploded aboard the ship. At the same time the fearful damage is too big for any but an extremely large torpedo.
 eff it were torpedo the divers will find the torpedo fragments, but if it were submarine mine no trace will be found. All the American officers were internally boiling. There is not one of them from Captain Sigsbee down who is not fairly convinced that a government submarine mine did it. The Spanish dailies are lively clam bring Accident! Accident!' when even now the fact is known that the whole middle deck, which was blown straight up, never had an ounce of ships pow der under it, and that was the first flame seen."
 ARRIVES AT NEW YORK.
 New York, Feb. 19.-A reporter of the Associated Press boarded the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya at S:45 a. III. today in company with Commander Zobral, the navy attache of the Span ish legation at Washington, Vice-Con- sul Mariana Fabregas Sotelo, Don Manuel de Suarez, secretary of the Spanish consulate, and a detective de- tailed by Chief of Police McCullagh. Everybody on board knew of the Maine's fate from the youngest ap- prentice to the senior officer.
 The idea that the Maine was de stroyed by treachery was scorned Not an officer on board would for a moment entertain any solution of the disaster save that it was caused through accident. No one could be found on board who eYinced the slightest anxiety as to the treatment or safety of the Vizcaya while in New York harbor. Expressions on the subject of extraordinary precautions for their protection were guarded.