The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-22
INVESTIGATION BEGINS
COMMANDER SIGSBEE FIRST TO
Be EXAMINED.
THE DIVERS ARE HARD AT WORK
But No Reports Are Official or Reliable Except
Those Furnished to the Department and
Special Dispatches Discontinued.
Divers DEVELOP Nothing.
Divers Develop Nothing.

Divers Develop Nothing.
Washington, d. c., Feb. 21.-To-day' S
developments i'm the Maine disaster were
of a negative character, greatly to the
disappointment of a considerable num-
Der of persons who were looking for
some startling discovery by diver
working in the sunken hull.
The State Department, after learning
that Lieutenant Commander Sobral was
no Tcnger recognized as an attacne of
the Spanish legation, decided to ignore
the interview attributed to him, which
it at first was disposed to resent. 1t is
now learned that Secretary Long late
Saturday evening, called upon Secretary
Day, of the State Department, and laid
before him newspaper clippings contain
ing the reported interview. Acting
Secretary Day agreed with Secretary
Long that there was warrant for look
ing into the matter, and called the at
tention of the Spanish charge to the
publications. The charge, however.
promptly declared that the Naval officer
was no longer an attachc of the legation.
his successor having been appointed and
gazetted. December "A last He further
explained that it was owing entirely to
the more important and pressing mat
tiers of business before it that the lega-
ton had overlooked the sending of the
lirpller notification of the change to the
State Department. 1t is said that as Il
matter of fact, there are frequently
great delays III the receipt of such infor-
nation of changes among attaches at
the State Department. For very obyi-
otts reasons Captain Sigsbee. at Havana,
IL making strenuous efforts to hasten
the recovery of the bodies probably near
~ a hundred in number, still imprisoned
in the wreck of the Maine. 1t was a
knowledge of the captains desire that
probably led Consul General Lee to noti-
fy the State Department of the need
for more divers. This had the desired
effect for the Navy Department took
action to send more help
SPECIAL DISPATHES CEASE.
Admiral Sicard telegraphed from Key
West this afternoon that he had sent
five divers to Captain Sigsbee, and asked
if that was sufficient. The acting chief
of the Navigation Bureau, Captain Dick
els, at once took the sensible course of
directing the admiral to put himself in
communication with Captain Sigsbee,
and learn his needs at first hand. The
business of the Navy Department is get
ting back to its normal condition, as
is evidenced by the fact that an order
has been issued to discontinue the spe-
cial telegraph service which was estab-
IA nv nd ff1aKs
the office at that place will close at 10
o'clock at night as formerly. Command
er Forsythe, the commandant at Key
West, has also asked permission of the
department to stop his daily bulletins,
and this has been granted with an
understanding that he will report any
deaths that may occur among the suffer
ers in the hospital there. Today he
reported that they are all getting along
nicely. The exchange of official con
dolence still continue.
Today Secretary Long sent tele-
gram as follows to Captain Eulate:
Commanding Officer of the Spanish
cruiser Vizcaya, ng Epi eAwg'h oSh
Il have the order to acknowledge the
receipts of your telegram of coincidence
for the loss of the Maine. and to thank
YOU for the expression of sympathy
similar response was also made to
a cablegram from Vice Admiral Spann.
at Vienna, expressive of sympathy for
the disaster of the Maine.
NO CRISIS AT HAND.
Washington, d. c., Feb. 21-Inquiry
at leading foreign embassies and lega-
tions today fails to confirm rumors that
members of the diplomatic corps have
reached the conclusion that crisis in
Spanish affairs is near at hand. and
That several of the foreign representa-
Uyes have notified their governments;
that war is inevitable The rumors
mentioned the French and British EN-
bassles as having advised their govern
nients TO this fact, but it can be stated
positively that no such reports have been
made from these quarters.
Several reports came by teIegronh ia
the State and Navy Departments TO-DAY
from Havana. All of the Naval telq-
grams. however. bore date of Yesterday
while that from Consl General Lee "a
the State Department probably was
sent late last night though marked
as received this morning. None ol
these messages throw any light upor
the cause of the Maine disaster. and il
fact the officers in the Navy Department
have about resigned themselves to tht
belief that nothing definite on thi
point can be known for several days t,
come Their reason for this belief il
that the operations of the divers upon
the wreck of the Maine are being con
fined at present to the recovery of TIN
bodies of the dead still entanlgled il