The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-02-18
MYSTERY YET.


lations to show exactly the state OF
Names coal supply and the quality OF
| the coal.
At the end OF December the vessel had
nity-two tons OF coal only in her bunk
crs This was made up OF Pocahontas and
/ New River coal
Captain Bradford said that Pocahontas
\ is the standard naval coal and Is rated
! at log New River follows next and is
set down az ~ per cent. These are semi
bituminous Goals OF "A quality closely APP
preaching that Of the celebrated Welsh
navigating coal the British naval stand
ard.
NOT DANGEROUS.
In the opinion of Captain Bradford
neither OF these Goals Is particularly SUBJ
ject TO spontaneous combustion. Since
/ the Maine has been In the Gulf of Mexi-
/ 60. however. she probably consumed a
/ good part Of this coal and replenished
/ her stock from the naval store at the
/ Key west station. Dho coal there taken
I on was anthracite. which Captain Brad
/ forG said rs no more subject 10 sponta-
neous combustion than a pile OF stones
! The Maine took on 80 tons Of this coal In
/ December. and in January. before she
! left FOR Havana. she loaded up with "a
tons more This coal az Key West IS
Z kept behind "a picket fence, very mucn
/ EXPOSED TO any evil lulilufl pNlE'H WIZ
/ might desire 10 conceal a bomb therein:
/ something which could only be effected
with great difficulty after the coal was
/ stored in the bunkers.
! In splto of the British reflections upon
/ the discipline on American warships' the
officers here DO not hesitate to say that
/ In the matter Of careful inspection or the
coal bunkers. the magazines and the Ike.
/ our navy is second TO none IN the "oilo'
CUBA : SYMPATHY.
CaDtain-GenoraI Blanco to-day cahied
I "a senior Du Bose. charge OF the Spanish
! LEGATION. giving the formal action OF the
iusular government q cuba expressing TO
| the President OF the United states pro-
found sorrow over the catastrophe 10 lhe
Maine and the resulting loss OF lie 10
| Americans At the same time the Al
/ cade tor Mayor Of Havana sent resolu-
| lions of the municipality expressing 10
/ the President the grief of tho authorities
and the people OF Havana. Senior bu
Bose presented the dispatch 10 Assistant
Secretary Day. who laid them oeloie
I President Mckinley.
In execution OF the decision Of the Pre-
silcnt last evening 20 have national
I Observance Of mourning, the following
order was to-day communicated by tcle-
graph from the War Department 10 COM
handing officers of the army.
"As appropriate honors to the deceased
| I'M the recent loss of tho batilcship Maine.
the President directs that flags at an
I army headquarters. military posts and ON
9r,nv buldinps bc displayed from SUM
,ie, IN sunset al half stan until FUR
Their orders. 800.
fsieneeD SAM FL BECK.
"Ndiutant General"
HONORs FOR THE DEAD.
Secretary Long to-day directed that dis
matches be sent 20 the commandments OF
naval stations and the chief oIhcers OF
/ United States vessels throughout 'he
world 10 display an flags az half mast
,,,tl further orders as n mark Of respect
/ 10 tho officers and men drowned from inc
batueship Maine.
Admiral Sicard telegrapned Secretary
| Long from Key West as follows;
.Tn the oninion OF Lieutenant John
| Hood Of the Maine who has just ar
! rived from Havana. the Maine can never
/ again De utilized as "A ship. lie describes
/ the whole forward body OF lhe shlp as
completely collapsed where the shock OF
| the explosion was heaviest
photographs of the wreck viii be sent
/ to the department to-day.
GENERAL LEES MESSAGE.
The state Department this evening re-
ceived the following dispatch from Con-
sui-General Lee:
Havana. Feb. Il.
Assistant Secretary Day. Washington
j. c.:
Merritt. in Junior officers mess room:
Jenkins IN ward room mess room at the
time Of the explosion. Latter left before
an officer who was saved. Must have
gone the wrong way lights out inn
m,diately and water rushing in.
Merritt got 20 hatch with Naval cadet
Boyd. Latter gone. Boyd climbed
through and tried TO pull Merritt up, but
latter let 60 his hands fen back and was
drowned.
Bodies Of these officers not yet foun>,
! possibly IN wreck
Sailors funeral to-day at o'clock.
1 VIII be an imm nse procession
The following message was received az
the Navy Department al 1886 this after
noon from Captain Sigsbce at Havana:
Secretary Long. Washington. ID. c.:
General Blanco called on me person
ally at the hotel last night and also the
mayor of the city. They have requested
me to permit the government here TO
give public burial 10 the dead already
found IN order that public sympathy may
hoe expressed thereby and due honor
shown the dead.
Ground for the burial has been Sc
cured Is 10 assumed that l am eX-
pccied by the Department 10 bury tho
dead here? In fact. would De imprac-
ticable To transport 90 tha United States.
Facilities are lacking. I have accepted
the offer OF the authorities and there
will be- a public funeral at 3 o'clock to-
day All here from the Maine will go.
also a delegation from the Fern.
Fifteen bodies recovered during oper-
ations. Operations prevented by rough
weather"
4 PILE or WRECKAGE.
HAVANA. February 1.-THE night Of
the disaster 10 the Maine a light wind
from tho southwest was blowing and her
head pointed in "a southeasterly direction.
She was moOred Ina about twelve metres
of water forward and drew about thir-
teen metres art. The Spanish cruiser
Alfonso XII. was about two hundred
metres from the American battleship.
Tho explosion so disiOinted and twisted
the battlesnip that her remains now APP
pear like pile OF wreckage. %. the up
per decks. structure, turrets and guns
are in a heap; one boiler has been blown
out Of It's place. and at O'Clock yester-
day afternoon was still smoking on deck.
The foremost and bow Of the Maine have
collapsed. and now only the end Of her