Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-02-18
Court OF Enquiry Appointed.

Admiral Sicard, in command of the
North Atlantic squadron, has appointed a
court of enquiry to investigate the cause of
the Maine disaster. Captain Sampson, the
president Of the court, is commander of the
battleship Iowa, now at the Tortugas.
Captain Chadwick is commander of the
New York at Key West. Lieutenant Com
mander Schroeder is executive officer of
the battleship Massachusetts,, now at Tor
tugas. Lieutenant Commando Mark is
executive officer of the Vermont. He was
formerly with the Maine as executive Off
Ger before the detail of Lieutenant Com
mander Wainwright, who relieved him.
The coal bunker theory is sustained by
proofs OF similar fires on other vessels of
the navy. 1t iSsaid that on the battleship
Indiana no lesS than seven fires have oc-
CURED in the coal bunkers. The Phladel-
phia has had at least one within the past
year, while in the case of the flagship of
the North Atlantic squadron, the New
York, the department was obliged TO order
the discontinuance of the use of the maga-
zine in the centre of the ship, because of
danger from this cause, and because it was
subject to a high degree of heat by radia-
tion from the furnaces.
Is Havana Harbor Mined!
There is report in Washington to the
effect that several days ago Captain Sigs-
bee reported to the navy department that
the harbor of Havana was mined and
planted with torpedoes, and advised that
no additional warships be sent there. If
this be true it is possible that the Maine
came in contact with one of these sub
merged torpedoes, which might have be-
come detached from its mooring and float
ed against the vessel. Color is given to
this theory by the fact that the President
resisted Wednesday all appeals to send ad-
dtional vessels to Havana. Early in the
morning, when the nature and extent of
the disaster became known, many naval
officers urged Secretary Long to order one
or more of the vessels now in the vicinity
of Havana to that harbor, but, after CON
sulting the President, these appeals were
denied. From this action of the President
it is inferred by those who incline to the
torpedo theory that the knowledge that
the harbor is planted with torpeioes re-
strained the authorities from risking other
vessels at Havana.
The Maine to Re Raised.
The latest dispatches say that the navy
department will make the effort to raise
the Maine. Officers say that they are
bound to remove the hull from the small
hai OOi III NdoCy duu IL may Dt easier W
raise her than it wonld be to destroy the
hull and machinery by the use of divers
and dynamite. 1t is believed that this
work can best be done by private wreck
ing corporations, and negotiations are al
ready afoot for placing the contract, based
on work by the day, at an estimate cost of
100000. No work on the ship has yet
been done by divers.
Other Similar Disasters.
1t is said at the navy department that
there is no lack of precedent for such a
disaster as that sustained by the Maine,
all of which can be traced to accidental
causes. In 1885 the United States man-of-
war Missouri, then lying at Gibraltar, was
totally wrecked by the explosion of her
magazine. Another case famous in naval
history is that of the British ship Dolerel.
In 1887 she was lying at anchor in the
straits of Magellan. An explosion wiped
the ship from the face of the waters and
left almost none of her crew alive. This
was another case of probable magazine ex-
plosion, though it may have originated in
the coal bunkers or boilers. But this is
the first disaster of the kind to a battle
ship of any country of the class which COM
pose the modern navies.
Burial OF the Victims.
The burial of bodies recovered from the
disaster took place at Havana yesterday
afternoon at o'clock. All Havana was
in movement. The flags on the public
buildings were at half-staff and many of the
houses were draped in mourning. All
classes were represented in the throngs
that filled the streets.
A Burlington Roy Escaped.
The only Vermonter connected with the
Maine was Hannibal Holden, son of Geo.
II. Holden of Burlington. The young man
graduated two years ago from the naval
academy at Annapolis, and has been on
several cruises. He was assistant navigator
and captains clerk on the Maine. A tele-
gram has been received announcing that he
was not injured.
Those who know the Vaccinations of
the Cuban junta csnsider some of the in