The news & observer., 1898-02-24


| Mobile for Key West. These movements
are also part of the orders given early
this month. before the Maine disaster
The Montgomery is also due at Key
West. having left San Domingo for
Key West OH the 10th.
The result will be to bring together
again the large number of vessels under
Admiral Sicard ut Key West and the
immediate vicinity. These will be the
New York. now at Tortugas; the In
diana, Massachusetts, Texas, Iowa.
| Marblehead, Detroit, Nashville, Mont.
gomery, Ericsson and Gushing. The
torpedo boats Porter and Dupont are
in dry dock at Mobile, and are not ex-
pected to be ready to go to Key West
| for several days. The Brooklyn is also
| cruising in the West Indies, at present
en- route from st. Thomas to Neracruz
At the Spanish legation affairs have
reached their normal aspect. SenOr Du
| Bose has received no reports of any
| character concerning the Maine or the
| progress being made by the Spanish au-
thorities at Havana in investigating
the occurrence.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt today
received a postal order for 81 from the
Evening Post Publishing Company, of
Bridgeport, Conn, with Il statement OK
planning that it was sent by patriotic
little girl of Bridgeport, Conn. who de-
sired to help some other little girl or
phaned by the disaster to the Maine
The girls name is Lalla Cook.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt wrote
an Acknowledgement of the receipt of
the money to the editor Of the Bridge
port Evening Post, and said:
Through you ! want to thank little
I4alla Cook for her gift, and to say that
it shall be used just aS she desires, and
that the people in the Navy are glad
that the little American girl should have
| thought of the children of the Ameri-
can sailors who were drowned while
doing their duty"
A meeting of the wives of the chiefs
of bureaus of the Navy Department was
held at the office of the Secretary of the
Navy at 1890 O'Clock this morning to
devise means for the relief of the fami-
lies of the sailors who lost their lives
by the wreck of the Maine.
The newspapers of the city were re-
oucstcd to state that all persons desir-
ing to contribute to this fund should
communicates with Mrs. Stewart at 1915
New Hampshire avenue. A form of
circular inviting contributions was sub
mitted and approved. and copies ordered
to be sent to all Navy yards at stations
and all vessels of the Navy.
Secretary Long this afternoon received
the following telegram from Admiral
Sicard:
''Key West, Feb %.
Long, Secretary Navy:
Right Arm arrived at Havana this
morning. Captain Magee seems to be
an experienced man who will be able to
give good advice. Captain Sampson
wires me condition of wreck is such as
TO require most powerful appliances the
government can secure. Court recon-
mends contract with best equipped
wrecking company to remove material
and life ship without delay. Forward
half completely destroyed, after half APP
parently intact except in minor mat
ters."
Sensational reports having been cir
culated that Senator Hanna had express
ed the belief that an encounter between
the United States and Spain was imrni-
nent, the attention of the Senator was
called to them. He emphatically denied
them saying: II do not believe there is
anything in the Maine incident or in
our relations to Spain regarding Cuba
that will lead to war. am firmly Of
the opinion that the explosion of the
Maine was due to an accident, and L
think that the Naval Court of Inquiry
will reach the same conclusion.
The Washington Evening Star has re-
ce.ved the following from its staff cor
respondent in Cuba:
Havana, Feb. %, via Key West, Fla.
Inquiry into the Maine disaster pro-
crosses along definite lines. The results
so far as may be summed up in this
statement are that the probabilities that
it was an accident seem to decrease
with the progress of the investigation.
1.-THE most intense anxiety lis shown
by the Spanish officials here, who are
in constant communication with Mad
rid. They realize that the relations with
the United States were never so much
in danger of rupture as now. This is the
general feeling.
'Hrhe commercial classes here are
hopeful of American intervention on
peaceful lines, but what they base their
hopes on is unknown.
''Ihe insurgents continue to win min
or military successes. The autonOmists
are TeSbeSS anu some OF the leaders
seem on the point of breaking away
from the government. Army officers
continue to show an anti-American SEN
timent. They are apparently the only
class that does not look for any early
crisis.
(Signed) 'PEPPER.'
CORPSES NOT IDENTIFIED.
Havana, Feb. 23.-The tug Right
Arm, belonging to- the Merritt Chap
man Wrecking Company, with addition
al divers and apparatus, arrived here
| this morning.
The wounded are doing we'll. The
Olivette may take two bodies to the
United States this afternoon The iden-
tity of the corpses is not known at pre-
sent.
1t is reported that FIVE bodies, proba-
bly, of firemen were found under the
hatch leading to the fire room to-day.
The weather is much cooler, the wind
is higher and a norther is threatened.
Ash Wednesday is passing very quiet
ly. The churches were crowded with
people, and the ashes of forty Jesuit
fathers, which had been collected, were
buried in a tomb in the cemetery of
I haI.-