The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-02-24

telegraphed to Adm. Sicard n
Il hey West to appoint board of nava
l. oihcers to proceed at once TO Havana
employ divers and generally to max,
p such inquiry as the regulations of the
D navy oemani, shall be made in the
case OF the loss of ship. 1t is eX
pccted that this work will take some
time, and while there are officers who
say that IN their opinion it will not be
possible, owing to the probably dis.
ruPted condition of the hull of the
snip to make out the cause of the
explosion, the Opiaion of a
majority is that the oucs-
ton will be easily settled by
the simple observation of the condition
OF the ships hull plates in the neigh.
borhood OF the hole which sunk her.
whether or not they are bulged out. as
would be the case if the explosion came
from the inside, or whether they were
driven IN, as would result from the at
tack OF torpedo or the explosion of a
mine beneath the ship. The LARGE ma
/ JOrity of naval officers are inclined
TO the belief that the explosion re-.
suited from spontaneous combustion
OF a coal bunker; the ovcr-hcatin~r
OF the iron partitions between
the boilers and the magazine or from
the explosion of boiler, though the
last theory finds little support.
Late Wednesday night the following |
dispatch from Capt. Sigsbcc, at liza.
vana' addressed TO Secretary Long was
received:
All men whose names have not been
sent as saved probably are lost Have
gwen up Jenkins and Mcrrctt as lost.
Bodies are still floating ashore We'd
nesday afternoon. ! keep nine officers.
one private and gunncr's mate, Bull
lock, here with me-"
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Feb. IA
special to the Times Union and Citizen
from Key West, Fla, says: The steam !
snip Ollvette arrived here Wednesday '
nlght with a large number of the S
wounded aid many other survivors of I
ihc Maine The officers were. as a rule. :
r4ticent and followed in line with their {
'hiei, SgsCee, in saying that the /
'ause Of the explosion could only be q
Scerttlncd by divers, but many of the :,
ailcrS were OutspOllen in their deca- v
alton of belief that that explosion +
vas a deep laid plot Of the Spaniards u
hey are greatly incensed at the Ha- ~
ana reople, who have shown them c,
mall courtesy, who looked upon their 81
+. scnce as Il national affrOnt. and who -
ave published anonymous circulars. =,
ipuOncd Down With Americans. in
hey believe that the author of such Nj
lprcsscd and cOwardly hatred would k'
u stop at an act Of such terrible ven
'auce as the blowing up of the Maine. G.
ncse sailors, acquainted with the Pi
ills. discipline and ensemble of a IN
an of war, pooh-booh the idea of an ne ne
tcrnal explosion as the last thing to Ke
thought of. Bu
WAsHINGTON, Feb. 17.-The news of W.
e Maine disaster was learned at the w
'anish legation with horror and was On,
e occasion for many expressions of F.
= most profound regret and condol- =
&c. Early in the day Senor Du Bose, tne .l
= Spanish charge d'affaires, received 7
message from Capt. Gen. Bl&nco G.
ich had been filed at Havana at , r.
lock Wednesday morning, 1t read Sam IAN
follows: nDu
With profound regret have TO in PAN
IN you that the American Shin B. i
inc in this harbor blew up 10y an iian nan
'"""0o "o''.'0n'' "clloNVu sim
result rom an explosion of the r. !
er of the dynamo Immediately WIN
owing the accident all the disposal r. Is
elements Of the capital hastcncd To HovI Row.
spot TO extend every aid possible
sc included the force of the marine Jol
brigade and all the generals in Gers Gers
ana, among them my chicf-of-staft.
re have been deaths and wounded. os,
ave sent an aide-de-camp to offer Allen
y assistance 10 the North American Dani
nj that he may wish for. / Will '"r, rau
'ard further details as they become patri
liable. LSigned "BLANco." wm.
IcAGo, Feb. l7.-Commodore j. Il. Ham.
tgomery, once of the United State, II 3D. u
r, commanding officer of the con- Ired
rate fleet during the civil war, and tcr {
man who raised the frigate, after M9a
the ram Merrimac. was very "il'
sat c WedE, soay - declaring the ArLu
ng Of the batl,.ahip Maine Ia Clri