Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-28

| 1t took thirty years to settle in full the
navy prize money earned in the civil war.
Most of the claims were paid within twenty
| years. and few dragged along until the
| fall of 1897. Like experience is in store
for the prize winners OF the Spanish -Ameri-
can war. Two months ago Secretary OF the
Navy Long referred the whole matter to
! the court of claims where the claims will
remain for an indefinite period The court
! has not considered the question and Is not
! going to unless congress provides means to
! pay for investigating the points involved.
! The case is said to be the biggest yet sub
mtted to the court. I'VE are expected"
says the clerk Of the court, Ito settle some
OF the most important points in connection
with the war, such as to determine for in
stance, whether or not Schey was in COM
mand of the American naval force at the
time of the defeat OF Admiral Cervera's
! fleet and whether or not Admiral SIMPSONS
/ vessel, the New York was engaged in that
battle. The court also is expected to aScer-
/ tain just what ships took part, which vessels
were within signal distance, how many men
/ were on our vessels and how many officers
and sailors were on each of the ships of the
enemy. To get all this information would
necessitate the taking of an immense amount
of testimony from persons scattered all over
the world, for since the battle Of July 3 the
department has switched the men, officers
and ships engaged in that fight to the four
points of the compass. In order to get the
facts in regard to the Spanish strength dur
ing that battle we would have to send COM
mssioners to Spain to take testimony from
the naval authorities there or to get copies
of official naval reports of the fight
THE same problems are involved in con-
| neCtion with the Manila battle, although the
/ settlement CT them will be much easier
matter, as there are no conflicting state
/ ments as to the Manila battle. All that we
will have to do in that case will be to get
the sworn statements of the men on Ad
miral Dewey's ships, ascertain the relative
/ forces and then adjust the accounts After
! finding out all these points we are expected
to determine how much head money and
other prizes our men are entitled to, and
also to submit list giving the amount
which each individual officer and sailor is
! to get.
There is no fund whatever at the dis
posal of the department to permit this stu
pendous investigation TO be carried on and
even If we were disposed to do so we could
not move in the matter until the next con-
| gress makes an appropriation for this pur-
pose. But it is not the place of this court
TO make the initial move in this case. We
are not expected to prosecute the claims of
the sailors and men, but. on the contrary,
| they will have to submit absolute proof to
show that they are entitled to the money in
question. Until the men concerned get to-
gether and send in their cases, nothing
whatever will be done
Lieutenant Aaron Ward, who refused pro-
motion for the sake of a classmate at the
| Naval academy, Is known in the navy as the
| millionaire lieutenant. His social position
and family are of the best and his wealth
is entirely beyond the dreams of even an
admiral's emoluments. He Is a lieutenant
| in the navy because he likes it and because
it amuses him. There is no finer specimen
of the naval officer than Lieutenant Ward.
He was a member of the personal staff Of
Admiral Bunce, commandant of the Brook
lyn navy yard, and went into the war, on
his own assignment, as commander of the
converted yacht Wasp.
The secretary of the navy has received
hundreds of propositions to raise the wreck
of the battleship Maine in Havana harbor.
These offers come from various sources
many of which are reliable firms who pre-
sent comprehensive plans for the salvage OF
the ship. Others come from individuals who
of a ship and another; railroad men, house
builders, theatrical spectators and in gen.
eral from persons who have no facilities for
doing the work and are without any clearly
defined plan for it's execution. The propo-
stions in the first mentioned cases have
been given careful and thorough considera-
tion by the secretary Of the navy and have
been filed away for future action. They al
most invariably stpulate that certain
amount OF money be paid by the government
in any event and in most Instances demand
the advance of certain sums for the com
mencement of the job and more at certain
periods as the work advances. Nothing has
been or can be done by the department until
congress makes provision for the expense
Department officials are not much inter-
ested in the sche me looking to the salvage
of the Maine, as they claim that should it
be raised 1t could not be made of any use
to the navy and would certainly involve a
great expense to the government 1t Is said
also that if success were met with in raising
and repairing the ship 1t would always be
known as a "hoodoo," and that sailors would
be so superstitious they would not go to
sea in it. Taking all this into consideration
it is believed by the naval authorities that
the most practical scheme is to blow it UP
and remove the debris, which is a serious
obstruction to navigation.
Leonard Sargent of ST. Paul who with
one companion, spent six weeks in travelling
through the uneXplored wids of the island
of Luzon, has returned home He says thai
} Agunaldo's house. in Malolos is beautiful
5 dwelling, surrounded by gorgeous tropica
= gardens. Insurgent soldiers guard every ap.
proach. The leaders cabinet resides Will
him and apparently all matters of state ar,
Y transacted through them. Sargent was me
In the reception room by one of the sec
y retaries, who, writing down what the younl
American had to say, took the paper to hi
chief.
NEW MOTIVE POWER