The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-19
onR RIGHTS ATTHE WRECK.
..,- sussBEE STOPPED BIZ sPAN-
,sH GUARDS AT THE MALNE

Hang and Earnest Discuss''h "''A IN SpS"
a., Authorities Fo~iious-Bianoo ~ Last
,..,.,,, Our Exclusive Right to Kntor the
v,sch. whue spain Asks fer Permission
..,s MYERS Aise Inte the R~Eaine-Twen'
,,.on. wounded Mon Die in Tive Day''
HAVANA. Feb. 1s.-The most striking develop
-, to-dav IN the sad affair of the Maine wal
~. a,.cussion between Capt. Sigsbee and Con
1sn.,oral Lee. on one side. and the Spanish
ss,sori,ics ON the other. with regard TO the right
ss,h. American Government 10 have American
49,, examine the wreck Of the bnttloship, with
~, h.inu accompanied by Spanish divers. The
..,,ovcrsy began soon after dawn In the morn
- md continued until 8 o'clock in the after.
:, Cant. siCsbee was placed In q very disa-
sro..b,e ~position, but the tactful and able efforts
:, co,su,.General Lee at last resulted In o 90
,n,ion Of the difficulty that may perhaps be no.
rorded BY the United States as admissible.
Here are tho facts:
Cant. siesbeo, Lieut.. Commander Wainwright,
thief Engineer Howell, and Lieut.. Holman. all
Al rho Maine. went this morning to the spot In
,hs br where the wreck of the Maine lies. in
order to make an effort to find in the hulk the
bodies OF Lieut.. jenkins and Assistant Engineer
Merritt. the only officers who persisted. They
brought with them several divers employed by
Capt slgsbee for the purpose he had in view.
As soon as they approached the wreck Of the
Maine they were stopped by the guard Of armed
epanish sailors who surround the wreck OF the
American battleship. Capt. Sigsbee declared to
the guard who he was and what his intentions
were, but they emphatically refused to permit
him to advance any further. Neither you,
Captain, nor any one else is permitted to come
ANY nearer" was the determined answer OF the
spaniards. Then they explained that they had
the most stringent orders not to allow any
American diver or any diver employed by
Americans to go down into the Maine without
being accompanied by Spanish divers.
CJpt. sigsbcc Immediately sent q report Of
what had occurred to ConsutGeneral Loo. who
started at once to the palace Of the Spanish
Admiral, the headquarters Of the Spanish Navy
in Cuba. to explain the situation to him and re-
quest the withdrawal of the order given to the
Spanish guard around the Maine. Consul-Gen-
eral Ice explained to Admiral Manterola that
It was his view and that of Capt. Sigs.
boo that, as the Maine is the property
Of the American Government, no one but
American divers and American officers lave q
right, without American authority. to 60 into
the wreck or handle anything belonging to it.
'onsulGeneral Lee maintained this Wow with
u.bcbtv arguments and asked tbe Admiro, foro
prompt decision.
Admiral N.n,ero,, aa;a bo would oo,,,,r
with thu request NJ Can't S;,sbeo mud rive
apeci,l orders IN tho Sn,nieb pua,d IN ncrm;t
Cant. sjRsbeo TO do whatever he dosirsd a. tho
xrsrt of his vase,
AHA. NJ. nothing Ind hem do,e m ,orrv
into effect the nromise of tho Adn,r,l C,nt
slgsbee, Lieutenant.C Commander WAINWRIGHT
Chief Engineer Howell, md Lieut. uo,m,r ia
A consultation nm hoard IN, r.r, Thor Al
cussed the project Of beginning nm i,nmsdi,,.
inopiry AZ to he oencroI rasrl,s ~ tho d,.a.,ar
and an eromIn,t,on ~ 49, 49, ~ 49,
divers. The consultation lasted for somo ho,,rs
and IL vas finally dec;doa IN o,,,i. ~. -
dCapt. sampson and tho othor Amor,o.n -.
officers who comnose ,bs Amerioon pnar5 =,
Inquiry. and who a,c oxn.otoa 20 .nrn.~.S
time. At tho same time thov vsro a,~,on.t
know what the hitch was at rho omce -, tha
Spanish Marina.
AtIasta solu,io, NJ tho
out By the snanisb outbori,iaa ~, , . ar 50 80
step had been taken to carry ont tho nron,jsas
Of the Spanish Admiral
dcrsd a carriage and drove ~ 49, n,,asoa.
Goyernor-General Blanco IN n-es. tha rioht
th authority in the island. Cen pI.nno ia
that the Spanish Government ia verv mnoh ~.
terested to have its w divs-s sTSmin.
The Maine in order to learn ~ noa.,h,a
the cause of the disaster, ConsuLGaDarar
Lee held to his .rgnmont 49,, ~ W''
Is the property of the Initial So cara"n
ment, and that therefore, oniv Tho 49, Cru
tain, officers under his comm,nd ana tho sa
controlled by him NAV nronorIx oondna ~ uivers
cations on the wreck Lao addsd IT. w. 80
representative of the American $1,000 = 'no
Havan,, had no authority 70 Gran, nanm,as,a ~
to the spaniards to carrv m. .n s-"u smissioh
the Maine with their divers VI
Finally it was agreed. as 70 ,,. s.,.
quest, to ask the Governmsnt y, wsnn, ni 70
It was willing that snanish 49,, aSn hnn II
the Names hull With rseasa ' !" 20
request it was decided that -, !" oaps
can divers may enter the wrscI :. h.,no Inc Ameri
~propsrty, but the Spanish I' ai ~ ue'nR Ameri-
anime tho waters outside the b.t,,.sh,n may OK,
are Spanish waters 'esn'p' because
All divers employed bv nor.,eo,., -
aFc absolutely prohibited ,rom n.n,' persons
any mari NJ ,ho,.. P"ftacip1tinB In