The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-21
THECOURTOF INQUIRY
It Will Begin Its Sessions at Havana
Today.
SALVAGE WORK WILL BE DIFFICULT
Regarded as Almost impossible to
Lift the Wreck
THEORY OF BOILER EXPLOSION
Is Said to he strengthened ny nm tn
spcction of Photographs OF
the wreck.
THEORY or BOILER EXPLOSION

navy department this morning from Ad-
miral Sicard at Key West. He simply tele.
graphed as follows: "The court OF inquiry
sails for Havana Goth by lighthouse steam-
er Mangroye. Mark arrived today
This prompt action is undoubtedly due to
the express direction from Secretary l.oag
sent yesterday to have the investigation
| begun at the earliest possible moment. Tie
| telegram was dated yesterday. so tho board
should have arrived there before nightfall.
and Will be ready to begin their work to-
morrow morning.
BY an error incident to the haste with
which the orders were gottenoou the first
accounts placed Lieutenant Commander
Seaton Schroeder on the board as the third
member, while as matter of fact Lieu
tenant Commander Porter, the executive
officer OF tho flagship New York. holds that
place. The board undoubtedly would have
started previously but for the necessity Of
awaiting arrival at Key West from Wash
ington of Lieutenant Commander Mark. a
naval officer well skilled in the intricaeies
of marine law, who is to be the judge advo-
cate of the court
Captain Sigsbee was heard from late last
night, but the telegram was not delivered
at the navy department until this morning.
r,,is ,,,ss,,, ,,1,,, =, .an s,r,,, ~, ,,.a.. -,
| s'.
ports OF the events oil Yesterday IN havana
harbor SO far as they relate to tho explora-
ton of the wreck. 1t reads as follows.
Havana. February 1o.-oniy NEST OK
perienced wrccking divers can do effective
! work ON the Maine. In the upper works
can use service divers. Did some work To-
day with but little success. VIII do bet
| ter tomorrow. Parts Of the Maine. espu-
cially the superstructure and connections,
| are one confused mass OF metal.
Another brief telegram from Captain
| Sigsbee read
| Havana, February 10 .--Bacbe, the coast
| steamer, has arrived in Havana bringing
| on board all the diving apparatus sent
| from the squadron
The statement relative to experienced
| divers is regarded at tho navy depart
ment as no reflection upon the men now
engaged in the work, they being enlisted
| men belonging to the navy. The scope OF
the work is the exploration OF the ship 3
bottom generally the observation-disclosures Of
| cables from the propeller shafts and some
| times the search for lost torpedo or
anchor. Such work rarely carries them
deeper than twenty Ave feet into the water,
| and it is said that for operations in deeper
water, such as would be involved in The
Names bottom, their training has not
| fitted them They are also lacking in that
kind OF skill necessary to enable diver
TO grope his way safely through the parts
of a mighty ship like the Maine, torn ana
| dismembered as she is, and this work Is
highly dangerous. Creeping through lar
row iron bound passages and cropping for
the doors OF the numerous water tight
buIkheads which divide the hull into many
commandments. on Shiny floors. requires
the highest expert skill and that is Why
Sigsbce wants only expert divers.
Captain Lemly. the judge advocate gen.
eral of the department, was at work today
in his office with reports OF wrecking com
the work. He has been at the task now
two DAYS and IL has not been easy to dis
pose Of. II is believed that the obstacles
have now been surmounted and that the
contracts can be signed tomorrow. IL i
the purpose of Captain Lemly to hurry
This work and to that end he is arranging
IN have two of the companies combine
their forces. They will be paid on tn,
scale of davis work. with a provision 70,
bonus IL they succeed in raising til,
vessel. thus ensuring the recovery of al
much of the valuable equipments as II
nn.sit,a ebould a mt he practicable Il
sna, ,ho Maine again.
Great dIfficu;ty Is expected in raisinl
,ho hio ten-incb turrent guns, each wnrtf
! sao ooo owing not only to ,heir cwl
, uaicht 1fifty tons apiece. without far
r,aaos5 hnt N the enormous turre ., en-
c,osinp them with 100 tons OF steel 1
, cios,hs uh,h :, ,ha IONS NJ these t,irret,
] 10 u ,' .aoyaa az was first suppnsad u,
. onttinp off the bolt heads that fiy iben
1877. ,ta s,aas as these large bolts are prnb
.ne 800 and the lea1s teInv
aos ,,.raaa ~ The metal, while the tcn
sne ~, ,au ,vi,,in the turrets would maxi
, unsa diesic,,,t IN operate thereon r1de
it very 9inicu,p ~ Z, NAV he feagisle I,
wafer IL 10 n"p'- .,s ,,,.b 40 ,,uns /