The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-02-26
BOARD OF INQUIRY
HOLDS 4 SESSION.
Captain sigsbee Is the First Wit.
ness and His Examination Con-
tinued for Several Hours.
TESTIMONY is NOT GIVEN OUT
Divers Find Evidence Which Shows
There Was an Explosion In
the Magazine for Fixed,
Ammunition.

Havana, Feb. 23.-The board of in.
quiry in the Maine disaster met on the
lighthouse tender Mangrove ut 1G
o'clock yesterday morning with Cap.
tains Sampson and Chadwick and Lieu.
tenant Commanders Potter and Mark
present. Captain Sampson presided,
and Lieutenant Commander Mark act
ed as recorder.
Captain Sigsbee was the first witness
called. He was under examination UNI.
til l o'clock in the afternoon ut which
hour an adjournment was taken. Cap.
tain Sampson Immediately after the
session of the board said, in the con.
course of an interview:
81 would be glad to give the Associ.
atca Press ne.ys but owing to the del
icate situation the board has decided
to make nothing whatever public.
Il do not know what the testimony
will develop, or when, and it is only
fair to the Spanish government not to
tell the public the testimony until all
has been received and the findings
have been considered.
You may say that this rule is abso-
lutte. Due care will be taken for the
rigid enforcement of it, and all stories
p%urporting to come from the court
should be set down as false. l have no
idea how long the court will remain
here. No one is authorized to fix the
time, as the members themselves do
not know. l shall give to the Associat-
ed Press such routine news of the pro.
ceedings as is proper"
Captain Sigsbee told the correspond.
emit that he was quite pleased with the
examination, and that he was able to
answer all the questions asked, not
only as to his own acts, but as those
of his s~ubordinates on the Maine.
There are no signs of disturbance
here, and carnival week is apparently
closing in perfect quiet.
Gunner Charles Morgan, Of the cruis.
err New York, arrived on the Mangrove,
and is in immediate charge of the div.
ers. The latter were at work all day.
but no discoveries of importance have
been made. II. is believed that the sal
wage by the wrecking company will
be considerable and valuable.
Yesterday 95 officers and $50 sick sol.
diers started on their return to Spain.
Consul General Lee says the Spanish
officials are not interfering with the
investigation into the causes of the
| disaster.
This morning Consul General Lee
will escort the officers of the court Of
inquiry to pay visits of ceremony to
the captain general and Admiral Man.
teroln.
Divers found a copper cylinder used
in conveying charges to the six inch
guns. The fact that it had exploded
seems to show that there was an explo-
sion in the magazine for fixed ammuni.
ton on the port side forward.
All the wounded men except two are
doing well. Paul Lotus and one other
will be taken to Key West Wednesday.
Yesterday afternoon the court Of H.
quiry personally inspected the wreck
of the Maine. BY their invitation Cap.
tain Peral, appointed by the Spanish
government as a special judge to inves.
tigate the disaster. and his secretary
viewed the divers at work. Captain
Peraf expressed his appreciation Of the
courtesies shown to him by the court
of inquiry.
A number of bodies were discovered
in the forward hatch. 1t was not pos
sible to move them, but they probably
will be moved today.