The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-24
Disposal of the Report that a Boiler
Explosion Caused the Destruc-
tiOn of the Ship.
RUMORS AND THEORIES
REMINDERS OF THE WRECK RE-
CEIVED AT NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Great Fleet of War Ships Gathering in
Florida Waters-Americans Not
Advised to Leave Havana.

HAVANA, Feb. 2S.-If the divers working
| this harbor to-day found anything that
would throw light on the cause of the dis
aster their discovery was not made public.
| Under instructions from the naval officers,
! the divers are as secretive as the court of
| inquiry itself large quantity of clothing
| has been taken from the wreck and after
| it has been disinfected it will be given to
the reconcentradoes. The bodies of the
missing officers, Lieutenant Jenkins and
Assistant Engineer Merritt have not been
recovered. The divers reached the formers
| room but it was found that his body was
not there.
Thus far the sharks have given no
| trouble, but the vultures have left scarcely
anything but the skeletons Of three men
who were entangled in debris very near the
surface of the water. The bodies were not
noticed by any one until the foul birds had
completed their CHASTITY work. From the
hand of one Chaplain Chadwick removed a
deeply chased gold ring for the purposes of
identification. Early this afternoon Chap
lain Chadwick received u communication
| from Mrs. ]. p Kean, of No. 6O3 Blue
| Island avenue, Chicago, asking news of Ed
ward F. Kean, her son. 1t seems certain
| tlldI Hc ID dulOl6 Tie NlCLlLuS. OHdpldlIl
Chadwick says the total number of missing
| is eighty-five or eighty-six, and five have
died in the hospital OF the missing, many
doubtless were blown to atoms, no portions
| of their bodies being recovered, and there
| is much doubt that any considerable num-
ber of those whose remains are now being
removed will be identified.
| The United States court Of inquiry into
| the loss of the Maine met this morning at
| 10 o'clock and examined DR.. Honeberger,
Paymaster Ray and Chief Engineer Howell,
of the battle ship. There was a recess or
! dered at noon, and it lasted until 80 i. m.
| Several witnesses whose names are not OBJ
tainable were examined during the after
noon. Another visit was made to the wreck
by Captain Sampson, president of the court.
The captain says he has no idea of the
length Of time the court will remain in ses-
sion here 1t all depends upon the testi-
mony and new features requiring further
investigation may develop at any time.
Captain Sampson added that, sooner or
later, every survivor of the Maine will be
examined by the court, which seems to
imply that sessions for that purpose will
be held at Key West. Although this in
formation is meager, it is absolutely all
Captain Sampson will give to the press.
The correspondent of the Associated Press
sees him by appointment twice daily, but
| there is a rigid rule to observe silence until
| the facts i'll the case have developed
through the testimony presented.
The tug Right Arm, of the Merritt &
| Chapman Derrick and Wrecking Company,
which arrived from Key West to-day, is
moored about two hundred yards from the
poop of the Maine. The wrecking tug looks
81
is reported that she is not supplied, owing
| to her hurried departure for this port, with
all the apparatus she needs for the work
which is before her. Captain McGee, the
| commander of the Right Arm, has reported
to Captain Sigsbee, ordered by the Navy
| Department and will act under Captain
Sigsbee's orders, which are not yet formu-
! lated, or at least are not made known
| A strong wind to-day made the harbor
rough and added to the difficulties of the
! divers, as the electric lights are worked
| from a battery on board the lighthouse
| tender Mangrove two hundred yards dis
| tant.
| Captain Sigsbee is panied by the COM
| ments on his conduct while the Maine was
! afloat made by some Of the papers here
| but it is pointed out such papers are not
| of the better class. The captain has been
so universally courteous and is apparently
so popular with all that it is surprising
that any of the papers of Havana should
seek to do him injustice.
| To-day has been the quietest since the
| explosion. The wounded are all doing well
! except Frederick c. Holzer who is slightly
worse. The divers have been continuously
| at work, but the results of their labors so
far as these would throw light on the cause
| of the explosion, are kept strictly for the
court of inquiry. 1t is reported that twenty
bodies have been found under the forward
| hatch but only three have been removed
owing to the mass of chains and wreckage
in the way.
The officers of the court of inquiry during
covered, it is said, that the armor plates
projecting from the water forward near the
bow Were from the bottom OF the ship.
There is a good deal of speculation as to
what caused this, many contending that the
position of the plates shows that the big
magazine forward did not explode The div
ers it is believed by many, will find very
little Of the structure of the ship forward
of the ten-inch turret
Consul General Lee VINO has received a
number of dispatches to-day, inquiring as to
the accuracy of the report that he is ar
ranging 10 go TO Key West on the torpedo
boat Cushing to meet Senior Proctor. saws
he has no present intention of doing So
-A
A CORRESPONDENTS sURNIsEs