The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-25

wac kiNChi " AhE Gtik kEsklNh
that useless fittings and equipment be
towed to sea and thrown overheard, It
being left to Captain slgsbee's Judgment
to determine how far this destruction
should be carried. I. /. "A I
To the captains inquiry as to the saw.
Ing OF old metal and parts OF the super
structure, the aniwer was given that
such material was OF no tise ITO the
burcau OF equipment. Il was left to
Captain Sigshee 10 say what OF this
shattered material was worth preserv.
Ing. His statement 2that much blasting
VIII be REQUIRED to clear away encum.
pering material indicates that II Is es-
eentlal further to destroy the upper por-
tions OF the wreck In order to get at
what Ia more valuable beneath.
II Captain Sigsbee's statement that the
divers have been down aft seven days
and forward four days. gave the navy
department the first information OF the
time that the divers had been In tho vi
cinlty OF the zone OF explosion" as he
has termed II. This zone Is confined tt,
the forward part Of the ship, and while
the divers have been down aft for the
last week, their work forward In the vi,
cln.ty OF the large magazine has been,
In progress only four days, which pre-
sumably began on Monday. and included
to-day. i9 5y}.l
The statement in the slgshee dispatch
that friends OF the dead should under.
stand we are In the tropics" ls under.
stood at the navy department to refer
to the urgent pleas OF relatives OF the
dead that they be brought to the United
States. These appeals continue to be
received here and while they excite the
deepest sympathy Of officials, no hope
can be held out that the dead can be
brought back. One OF these appeals
makes a pitiful plea against the Surying
OF the dead 'sey allen hands In an allen
country" IS. =
There are circumstances which, II they
cnuld be made known, would end such
appeals and would show that the de-
partment has not been wanting in a de-
sire to bring the remains to this country.
These circumstances have been with
held, mainly through a desire to cave
friends and relatives from the pain
which would be caused by q full dis
closure Of the effects Of the explosion.
The press reports have given In part the
terrible mutllation Of the bcdIes, but It Ia
feared this has not been fully realized
Z by friends and relatives. The men were
sleeping or the berth deck, with metal
floors and ceilings. which. by the force,
Z OF the terrific expf5s.on, were ground to-
gether Into a confused mass. Knowing
this, there Is little hope THAI many OF
the bodies still missing will be found, or
Z II found, that they will be In condition
TO be brought TO the United States.
= ~, ~, a., n,,k
the figures showing the strength OF the
naval militia up to date. This shows a
total force OF 4,445 officers and enlisted
men, which Is a gratifying Increase from
the S.703 shown by the last report. The
number of officers and men by states Is
as follows:
California. 1856: Connecticut, 16s; Flori-
da, 1856; Georgia, 225: Illinois. 523; Louis
lana, 262; Maryland, 2i0; Massachu-
sets, Al; Michigan. 1893; New jersey,
3G4; New York, 472: North Carolina,
2S0: Ohio. 2l6: Pennsylvania, 21s: Rhode
Island. 1870: South Carolina, 152; Vir-.
ginla, A.. Total 4.445.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt says In
this connection that Illinois leads the list
with forty-three commissioned officers
and 1923 petty officers and enlisted men.
The adjutant general OF that state re-
+ Gently made O request that the United
States steamer Michigan be assigned
for the use OF the Illinois brigade for one
month during the coming summer. Dur
ing Mr.. Roosevelt's tour OF the lakes.
last summer, he was much pleased with
the showing made by the Illinois and
other naval brlgades on the lakes. and
he has recommended to Secretary Long
that the request for the Michigan be
granted.
Aside from the forces shown In the
above list. new brIgades are In progress
OF formation, which promises to swell
the total to much larger figures at m
early day.The organization Of this aux
Hilary arm OF the naval service Is under
the immediate direction of Lieutenant
Gibbons, U, s. n, whose energy has ao-
compllshed much in securing state or
ganIzatlon and in the harmunizing OF
the bodies Into one compact force, capa-
BILE In emergency Of cooperating with
the regular navy. In his last report
Mr.. Roosevelt said that the state naval
militia. In the event OF a sudden emer-
gency. could be utilized at once for
manning the smaller national cruisers.
It could be depended nn mainly, he said,
as second line OF defense and also be
used in placing mines and the estab-
llshmhnt OF signal stations for coast de-
tense.
The Appropriation Of $4,000 made by
Congress TO MD the work OF the naval
military will be apport!oncd among the
states In few days.
/: Thanks to the promptness and effi-
cheney of the chief OF engineers and the
chief Of ordnance OF the army. the city
OF Washington Ia now regarded as being
well nigh! safe and securc from attack
by water. The forti,icatlons at Fort
Washington and Sheridan Point, on the
opposite side of tho Potomac are suffi-
GENTLY advanced to be able to repel nn
ordinary fleet OF invaders and In case OF
necessity they could be vastly strength
ened In q comparatively short time.
These defcnses are considered sufficient
to keep all hostile vessels beyond the
range OF gun ehot OF the national capital
Moreover the river has been blocked
off and prepared FOR mnrs and torpedoes
at n point below the fortincations al
ready mentioned, SO that II Is probable
some Of the chips OF an enemy would be!
blown ou. OF the water before II would
be necessary to use the guns OF the forte.
The officers OF the British batlleshIp
Hood to-day cabled from, the island OF
Crete. expressing deep sympathy over
the disaster 10 the Maine. n
Late Tonight the navy department re-
ce!Yed two brlei telegrams from Captain
slBsbee Mt Havana, Ono related 10
some routine matter Of expenditures In
connection with the work on the Maine
and the other Ia MS follotva.. asgl y asTF-p.E
Divers discover more bodies In
wreck. Some In hammocka involved In
debris. Probably not recognlzable."is:&&s
This dispatch ludlcatra ina I Tho divar.