The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-19
Tribute to Captain sigsbee, in Whom
the Department Omcials Have
the Utmost Confidence.
DIVERS TO BEGIN WORK SOON
NEGOTIATIONS COMMENCED WITH
THE WRECKING COMPANIES.
Little Probability that Bodies of the
Victims VIII BE Brought Home
dispatches from Sissbee.

WASHINGTON. Feb 1s-The feature of
the day at the Navy Department was the
large number of rumors of warlike tend
ency that came to the attention of the Off
Gals as requiring attention, and, In every
case, contradiction. So formidable had
| grown the list that at the close of Office
hours Secretary Long was induced to make
the following statement as the easiest man
ner of disposing at one time of all these
! stories:
Really no information has been received
since Captain Sigsbees first dispatch adding
! anything to our knowledge of the disaster
! All we know is that the Maine blew up
i There is abundant room for speculation of
! all sorts, but no conclusion can be arrived
at until examination has been made by
the divers and more facts obtained. 1t is a
simple fact to say that such a thing might
happen by design, or it might happen by ac-
cident. AS yet there is no indication of de-
sign. Therefore, my impression has been all
along-and l rather think the general opin-
! ion preponderates in the same direction
| that it must have been accidental
| "At the Cabinet meeting to-day the mat
| ter was not discussed, except as any body
| of men talk about an event of that kind
and most of the talk related to the terrible
loss Of life and to expressions of sympathy
| for the sufferers. 1t certainly was a very
| kind thought in the President to send flow
ers to the families of Captain Sigsbee, OF
the executive officer, Wainwright, and of
| the lost seamen whose residences are in
| Washington.
"You may say absolutely that there has
| been no secret Cabinet meeting; that moth
ing has taken place in the Cabinet that the
public have not been informed about; that
the whele policy of this department has
been to give the public all the dispatches;
| that the department has no more knowl-
edge on the subject of the cause of the dis
aster or even of the circumstances attend
ing it than have the public. and that the
! port which was to the effect that Captain
Sigsbee had warned the department that the
Maine was in danger from submarine mines
or torpedees is without foundation, no such
report ever having been received from him
| or from anybody else"
! The secretary also denied briefly and COM
prehensively wild rumors that he had re-
quested the chief of police of New York to
| guard the Vizcaya, and that he had selected
| Constructor Bowles to go to Havana and
raise the Maine. The last work of the day
| fof him was to consult the representatives
| of the wrecking companies. who probably
| will have charge of this work and endeavor
to arrange for both of them to work to-
| gether so as to secure the use OF each Pc
cuiar plant and to save time.
The secretary, when asked what was the
| departments estimate of the conduct of
! CAPTAIN Sigsbee in the terrible situation in
which he had been placed, replied: Il think
L express the feeling of the President, as
| well as my own, when l say that Captain
| Sigsbee has conducted himself an officer
| of our navy should. He was the last to
| leave his ship when she went down. His
| dispatch to that night was so complete
| that, since then, have thought of no ques-
| ton of fact to ask him which is essential
| to the situation and which he could answer
which is rot covered by that dispatch. Its
| tone too, is that of a discreet and level
| headed man who realized the impression
any word from him, at the time, would have
| on the public mind. Nothing is harder than
| for naval officer to lose his ship, so that
1 have great sympathy for him. l await
with confidence further reports"
During the day the department was in re-
| ceipt of a number of kilograms from diff
ferent parts of the country asking in behalf
| of relatives of the dead sailors that their
remains be brought back to the United
States for interment. Among them were
| queries from friends of the two officers,
| Merritt and Jenkins. The department for
warded these to Captain Sigsbee, whose
answer was that the officers bodies have
not been found; that as to many others
| identification Is not possible, and throwing
| great doubt on the practicability of taking
any of the remains away from Havana.
| While no decision has yet been reached
| formally on the application of the Spanish
| government for authorization to examine
the wreck of the Maine to ascertain the
cause of the explosion, the officials seem
inclined to regard its request as one that
| could not properly be refused, and it is
! likely that each government will make an
investigation of this character concurrently
The miniature United States flag on the
model of the battle ship Maine in the main
| corridor of the Navy Department was low
cred to half mast during the day by direc-
ton Of the secretary of the navy The
handsome model has been a center of in
terest for the throngs at the department
within recent days, and the several flags
| have continued to fly at the mast heads
| in apparent ircny of the actual condition of
| the Maine. A movement was started to-day
to drape the model in mourning after the
/ manner that the model of the British ship
| Victoria was draped at the worlds fair.
| Secretary Long did not approve of this
however, as it suggested an ostentation not
fitting the circumstances. But he gave his
assent to lowering the miniature colors,
and. accordingly, the stars and stripes fly
ing from the stern of the Names miniature
counterpart We're lowered.
The Spanish legation gives emphatic de-
malls TO continued reports that Senor Du
! Eosc has been instructed to intercept the
Spanish war ship Viscaye outside of the