Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-02-21

metropolitan C1uDS, the TWO ConterS
for the army, navy and diplomatic cir
cles, the same intense interest is man
Tested. At these public quarters there
is an under-current of doubt, a ques-
tioning as to the coincidence of the
accident to this particular vessel at
this particular time.
The members of the Spanish legation
called at the navy department in the
afternoon and left individual cards as
an expression of personal condolences.
The legation has not heard from Ma
drid. 1t is stated that the delay is
doubtless due to the fact that in
matter of this gravity the queen re-
gent would send message of sym
pathy and regret.
Out of 354, the total number of the
crew OF the Maine, So were saved.
Frederick Page, one Of the officers O
the Maine, came from Waukesha Wis
while Jungman at one time resided in
La Crosse.
The state department received the
following from Lee last night: TN
by the government and municipal au-
thorities, consuls of foreign nations,
organized bodies Of all sorts and cit
liens generally. Flags are at half
mast on the governor generals palace,
on the shipping in the harbor and in
the city. Business is suspended;
theaters are closed. The dead num-
Der about 200. The officers quarters
being in the rear and the seamen's
forward where the explosion took
place accounts for the greater pro-
portiOnai loss of sailors. The funeral
will occur tomorrow at p. m. Of
ficers Merritt and Jenkins are still
missing. Suppose you ask that a ma
val court of inquiry be held to ascer-
tain the cause of the explosion. Hope
our people will repress excitement ard
calmly await the decision"
| Both Secretary Long and Assistant
Secretary Roosevelt called consul
tation of all chiefs of the navy de-
partment and several officers of high
rank not directly attached. The pur-
| pose of the consultation was to secure
| the best expert testimony as to the
probable cause of the disaster, while
at the same to ascertain to what ex-
| tent the naval situation would be af-
fected by the loss of the Maine A
good deal of disquiet was exhibited
when it was shown that the loss of
| this fine battleship had done a good
deal to destroy the balance of power
theoretically between the navies OF
Spain and the United States, which is
now left only six seryiceable iron
clads as against seven in the Spanish
| fleet.
The president has ordered that un-
til further notice the flag in all the
navy yards and ON all naval vessels, at
pests, at army headquarters and on all
public buildings be half-masted.
Late last night the following dis
patch from Captain Sigsbee at Havana.
addressed to Secretary Long, VIZ
received: ''All the men whose names
have not been sent as saved probably
are lost. Have given up Jenkins and
Merritt as lost. Bodies are still float
Havana, Feb. 17.-Captain Sigsbee
when interviewed last night with ref
erence to the cause of the explosion
said: 81 cannot determine the cause
but competent investigators will de-
eide whether the explosion was pro-
duced from an interior or exterior
cause. cannot say anything until
after such investigation is made I
do not and cannot conscientiously an
tlcipate decision, nor do I wish to
make any unjust estimate of the rea-
son for the disaster
One of the officers of the Maine
said that at o'clock Tuesday night
all the magazines on board the battle
snip were closed and the keys turned
over to Captain Sigsbee. The explo-
sion occurred at 9:45. The Spanish
cruiser Alfonzo XII which was an
chored close to- the Maine lowered
boats and saved thirty-seven of the
crew.
another officer said: t'I was sitting
with two other officers in the mess
room when a heavy explosion oc-
Cured. It was so heavy that we I'M
derstood that the ship would be lost
and we rushed to the upper deck and
found that she was badly wrecked by
the explosion; that she was on fire
and sinking. All our efforts were
directed towards lowering boats and
saving lives. The Maine settled
quickly on the bottom of the harbor,
Only the upper works remaining above
water. A number of boats from the
Spanish warship Alfonzo XII and
boats from the Ward line steamer
City of Washington came alongside
and rendered assistance. Twenty
four men who were slightly wounded
were carried on board the City of
Washington and the rest of the wound
ed were carried on board the Alfonzo
XII from which they were taken to
Tho T~u Ic f+orc