The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-21
1t viii Begin It's Work in Ha.
vana To-Day.
WAITING FOR THE DIVERS
Experienced Men Needed to Do Efficient
Work-Photographs of the Wreck
Reinforce the Theory of
Boiler Explosion.

"oih dt I1dNdna tomorrow. Thi
news came to the navy department thi
morning from Admiral Sicard at ke,
West He simply teIegrapned as fol
lows: The court of inquiry sails TO
havana on the Goth by the lighthous,
steamer Mangrove. Mark arrived to
day."
IhlS prompt action is undouhtedl.
que TO the express directions of Secre
tafy Long, sent yesterday, to have tn,
investigation begin at the earliest pos
slple moment. The telegram was dat.
eu yesterday, SO the board arrived
there before nghtfall and will be read,
TO begin its work tomorrow morning.
by an error incident to the haste with
Wh1cn the orders We're gotten out, the
Irst accounts placed Lieutenant Com
IhdnueT oeaton schroeder on the board
as the third member, while, as a matter
oil fact, Lieutenant Commander Pot
ter, the executive officer of the flagship
New York, holds that place. The board
undoubtedly would have started preyi-
ously but for the necessity of awaiting
the arrival at Key West from WASH
| lngton of Lieutenant Commander Ma
Tx, naval officer we'll skilled in the
lntflcacles of marine law, who is to be
Judge advocate of the court.
captain Sigsbee was heard from late
/ iast night, but the telegram was not
| delVered at the navy department until
TINS morning His message goes to
confirm the press reports of the events
OF Yesterday in Havana harbor, so far
| as they relate to the exploration of the
wreck. 1t reads as follows:
Only most experienced wrecking di-
Nefs can do effective work on the
Maine. In the upper works / can use
service divers. Did some work to-day
but with little success. viii do better
tomorrow. Parts of the Maine, espe-
cialiy the superstructure and eonnec-
tions, are one confused mass of metal"
Another brief telegram from Captain
Sigsbee reads: 'Bache," which means
that the coast survey steamer has ar
rived at Havana, bringing on board all
the diving apparatus sent from the
squadron.
me statement referring to experienced
divers IS explained at the navy depart--
ment as no reflection upon the men
now engaged i'll the work, they being
enlisted men belonging to the navy. 1t
is the practice on board of men-of-war
TO assign few men. always volunteers,
on account of the hazardous nature of
the work, to duty as divers. in connec-
ton with their regular work. The scope |
OF their work is the exploration of the |
shlpS bottom generally, the disentangle- /
ment of cables from the propeller shafts
ana sometimes the search for a lost tor
pedo or anchor. Such work rarely car
fles then deeper than 25 feet in the
water and It is said for operations in
Nolved in the examination of the Names
bottom, their training has not fitted
them. They are also lacking in that
klnd OF skill necessary to ena BILE q diver
TO grope his way safely through the in.
lefnal parts of a mighty ship like the
Maine, torn and dsmembered as she is,
and this work is highly dangerous.
creeping through the iron-bound pass
ages and cropping for the doors Of the
Sater-tight bulkheads which divide the
1uli INTO compartments, on Shiny floors,
'eaulres the highest skill, and that is
Nng captain Sigsbee, with only his |
'ailof divers at command, has not been
lnle 10 do much towards unraveling the
mystery of the Names untfmely end 1t
$ to meet just this emergency that the
.aNy department is making every eff
ort to hasten the beginning of the work I
/ recovery of the goods and perhaps the /
alslng of the hull by professionals TO \
nat end Captain Lemley. the judge ad- S
ocate general of the department, was a
[ work to-day in his office with repre- f
OF wreckng companies try c
lg to draw up contracts for the imme- I
late prosecution of the work He has \
cen at the task now two DAYS. and il I
as not been easy to dispose of it, This i
OWING 10 an apparent disposition on r.
ne part OF at least one of the concerns n
, drive a hard bargain, leaving the II
apartment in the dark as to the
mount of money to be paid for their
arvices.
But it is believed that the obstacles i,
ave now been surmounted and the con-
acts can be signed tomorrow 1t is
he purpose of Captain Lemley to hurry :,
us work and to that end he is arrang- y
g TO have two of the companies conn =
ne their forces. They will be paid on -
e scale Of days work. with a proyis- -
n for bonus if they succeed in raising -
e vessel thus insuring the safety of r
mueh OF the valuable equipment as is az
'sslble, should il not be practicable to 90
'at the Maine again. Great difficulty ~
expected in recovering the 10-inch tur- -
I guns. each worth $40, 900. owing not O.
~ 10 their own weight, so tons apiece, In
lhoat carriages, but 10 the enormous
rTets enclosing them with 100 tons of co
eel. Ii Is doubtful If the tops of these ta
rrets can be removed, as was first ~
pposed, by cutting off the boltheads ON
II flx them to the sides, as these large 70
IL are probably counter sunk and the III
las peiow the surface of the metal | W.
llie the confined space within the tur- ne
5 would make it Very difficult to ops- on
e there on the side ends under the | un
ter 1t is hoped that it may be feas- reI
10 raise the turrets entire, with the ap
rs III hitting apparatus or sufficient sib
ger can be applied. ha
he newspaper reproductfons of tbe
otographs taken of the wreck were Fa
died with much interest by the ma ye=
~oiliSeIs ~ mere to-day. ate
treat surprise was expressed at the the
ent OF the work anG the vast mass 5
steel and iron heap q ia the forward cul
! % .Ile sup Nils ! part! uiaf OBJ tbs
!. ~ u dteeAt5on. E #A4sE;s who had isla
: , fe ed ttie sEstai% - a bursting ant
~ ~ % ehs AUS o= k41e obstruction Sta
I'M TO find stron- reIEtnr1 enaeat in nla
pictures for thGf benef. The great mo
= - tiletal appears L. Ia thE8Na wei
= s... 81 1hs polIef space, ana not oyer out
~ y did magazine, Mnlle the fore ker
apart Of the forward body Of The Erz
!, sties SdS. HIisht nave been as lear
iphshed by the enormous expansive f,ir5
- :. lite Hish f1essnfe steam car on
. - eHest ooltefss with their shells was
nan an men timex As 70 what ! trea
sed the boiler TO explode, whether 4 Eaf