The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 24, 1898, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24,,1898. 3 LK OF WAR 'STRONGER PROOE OF TREACHERY Almost Con Spa-iards clusive That Destroyed the Maine. Officials of the Navy Depart- ment Are About Ready to Abandon the Theory of an Internal Explosion. NEW YORK, Feb.23.—The Washington correspondent of the Herald telegraphs: Im- portant conclusions were reached by the authorities to- day as a result of an official cablegram and unofficial ad- vices received in themailfrom Havana this morning. These conclusions are: The boilers of the ship did not explode, and the responsibility for the destruction of the Maine can- not be placed upon them. If a bomb had been placed in the c and shoveled into the furnace it would have cdused a boiler to explode. The coal bunkers around the forward magazine were, empty of coal at the time of the catastrophe, spontaneous combustion could not therefore have sed the explosion of the hd and Admiral Sicard of- ported to the depart- ment the forward half of the ship was completely de- i owing, in the opin- tary Long and oth- er experts of the department, that the forward magazine did explode. Evidence is still lacking to prove that the forward maga- ne was exploded by someex- nal agency, but it can no er be denied that the nav- al officers in Havana are of the opinion that the funda- mental cause was of outside origin ter P F PP L4 44444 44444442444+ 44 444444444444+ P4 P40 4444444444444 4 4444444444444 404444444 authorities have no in- . but this opin- in private let- the Navy Department i to-day imme Ly ong receipt of Rear Admiral 1tch telling of the condi- fated snip that he h the explosion of the for- The cause of the declared, was still a yuld solved only Court of Inquiry affair wes re- f th the gating ernoon that he had ail opinion that the f ad exploded, t wn that he believ an responsible for the p, he would lked with him. Bureau are not n It of the Ordnanc that the act that eral loaded wder have been found does ate that there was no explo- It would naturally be the was told, that the bursting of 1 cans of powder would drive \ers through the air, landing them the water, where they would have led and an explosion have been thus nted. conclusion reached by sev The thorities that the the au- boilers did not ex- e, and that a bomb in the coal could not have caused the disaster, were derived from a letter ‘received on ; on board the Maine and from ar Admiral Sicard’s statement that he afterhalf of the battle-ship practically intact. In the engineer’ from an engineer officer who was du | letter it was stated that the boilers in | use at the time of the explosion were boilers G and H, which are the boilers rthest away from the forward mag- azine and in the half of the ship which ear Admiral Sicard reported was un- jured. To understand the importance of statement it must be understood R at the Maine was equipped Wwith eight boilers, divided by a bulkhead nning through the middle of the , four being in the forward half, ch are lettered A B C and D, 'and our in the afterpart, lettered E, F, G H, the lettering commencing at arboard boiier forward. It is ident that the boilers G and H. ch were in use, were a considerable from the forward magazine, in fact, next to the after maga- under the officers’ quarters, So the boilers had exploded the part of the ship would have been up and the officers would have illed. ad the forward half was blown ing in the loss of so many - ngineer in Chief Melville, in speaking to me on this point to-day, said he never believed from the first the boflers could have exploded. Im- mediately after the accident, he said, ¢ had refreshed his mind to ascertain if the boiler plates were strong enough to withstand pressure that would be exerted upon them, and he had found ample leeway of safety. & A letter received from another officer ©of the Maine, I was told to-day, stated d st nce and, 1 Constructor Hichborn | , and they | was | that on account of the Maine’s well- known tendency to be down by the head, the coal bunkers surrounding the forward magazine had been the first to be emptied It was also pointed out that they were probably cleaned thoroughly of coal, as on board ship every available space comes in for use, and this space was probably occupied by shovels and too It is admitted, however, that some waste might have been thrown in in which fire might have been generated by spontaneous combustion. Commander R. R. Bradenford, chief of the Bureau of Equipment, told me to-day that when the Maine left Key West for Dry Tortugas and Havana she took on board a supply of coal which took the place of a supply of bituminous coal of excellent quality which had been practically exhausted. Commander Bradenford declared his conviction that spontaneouscombustion could not have been the cause of the disaster. The fact that the court desires that the ship be lifted without delay is con- strued in two ways by department of- ficials—first, that the wreck is sinking into the mud so fast as to make delay dangerous; & econd, that it desires to make an examination of the hull before finally determining upon its | findings. The officials hope the wreck- ing boats will arrive at Hayvana in a week, in which event it will take some time for the court to exar e the hull, if it desires to do so. It is believed at the department that the court will complete its work in Cuba within a few days and then proceed to Key West, where it will examine the survivors who are at that point. ary Long, after seeing in the morning pape to-day indications that diverswhoareexamining the wreck had talked with newspaper correspondents, cabled to Captain Sampson, president of the court of inquiry, asking him to inform the department if the divers had made the statements attributed to them and as to whether they were tr During the afternoon this reply was received from Captain Sampson: “Any reported interview with divers untrue. Every precaution has been taken; officers always present.” | As bearing upon the probable cause the Maine's destruction, this letter. s received by Secretary Long to- from Joseph Wrensky of Chicago, a naval officer of the Aus- w day formerly | trian nav. | “Relative to the explosion of the bat- | tle-ship Maine, I wish to state that I have seen three warships blown into | the air, in all of which the powder chamber, or ammunition magazines, | exploded. All three sank immediately. | According to the dispatches the Maine | could not have been blown up as a re- | sult of internal explosion. A mine or torpedo must have done the work. The ships which I saw blown up were as follows: Imperial Royal Brigand | training ship Triton, in the harbor of Cravaso, Dalmatia, in 1863. The sec- ond was the Royal Italian armored frigate Exherzog-Ferdinand-Max. The | third was the Austrian frigate Rodetzy | in 1863, in the port of Lisa. In this case the ammunition magazine caught fire and the ship sank at once. At the na- val maneuvers and naval battle exer- | cises T have seen some old hulks blown | up by means of torpedoes and they did | not sink at once, but kept above water for some time. Therefore, the battle- ship Maine was sunk by torpedoes.” T | PAYMASTER CANN APPOINTED. | Will Receive Funds for Families of Those Killed on the Maine. Acting under instructions from Ad- miral Kirkland, Lieutenant T. Porter, | the executive officer of the Mohican, | yesterday met the officials of the Cit- | izens’ Committee to arrange for the | disposition of the funds that are to be secured from the benefit to be given on Monday for the families of those who were lost in the Maine dis- aster. Lieutenant Porter, with full power to act in the matter, appointed Paymas- ter J. E. Cann, who is a bonded officer of the Government, to be present on the occasion of the benefit, and to re- ceive the funds on behalf of the un- fortunate families. Should the committee not be able to turn over the entire proceeds on Mon- day night they will make the remain- der payable by check to Paymaster Cann as soon as they are secured. Lieutenant Porter was unable to say just what part the naval officers would take in the benefit, but he was sure that a large delegation of them would be present on Monday night. VISITORS EXCLUDED FROM THE ENGINE-ROOMS. SAN DIEGO, Feb. 23.—It is learned here by visitors to the United States men-of-war Monadnock®'and Monterey, now in port, that since the blowing “1p of the Maine in Havana harbor all vis- itors to United States warships are by a general department order excluded from the engine or boller rooms and from the turrets of these vessels, no matter where they are located. This indicates a belief on the part of the Navy Department that the explosion of the Maine was not due to accident. TIME IS COMING TO T/ THE DYNAMITE GUNS ON PRESIDIO HEIGHTS. VARSHIPS SPAIN MIGHT ACOUIRE Could Add to Her Navy by Purchase From Other Nations. | Fifty Million Dollars Sufficient | to Raise a Formidable | Fleet. Modern Men-of-War W hich Impov- erished Governments Would Part With. During the past 250 years Spain has been in a chronic state of lmr\e('uninus-l ness. As far back as 1657-5 when England's great Admiral Blake block- aded the entire southern part of Spain and intercepted the silver fleets from Peru and the West Indies, the mer- chants and hidalgos voluntarily con- tributed funds to fit out naval vessels which the bankrupt Government was unable to do for the common defense. Nothing came of it, hqgever, the pa- triotism simmered down and the gal- leons remained in Cadiz. History would probably repeat itself in a war with the United States, for Spain with a na- tional debt of nearly $1,200,000,000 and still growing is practically bankrupt, and its merchants and rich nobles will have to provide the sinews of war to endeavor to save the worthless Govern- ment. The navy of Spain, assuming even that every vessel in the list is service- able, would be unable to meet our ponderous armor-clads and swift cruisers, and there is a strong prob- ability that at least one-half of the Spanish navy is either incomplete or in bad condition for lack of care and proper repairs. It would, therefore, be- come necessary to augment the fleet from other sources, and there are four countries from which Spain with ready cash could obtain a lot of war vessels, bullt chiefly during recent years by such noted firms as Armstrongs in England and at La Leyne in France. Portugal has a small iron-clad Vasco da Gama, of 2422 tons, with a 9-inch belt and armed with two 10.2-inch Krupp rifles. The Adamastor, a crui- ser of 1993 tons, has just been compieted and is a good vessel, steaming eighteen knots and carries a battery of qui firing 5.9 and 4.7 inch guns. Don ( another cruiser of the same type, and two of 1800 tons, are building at Elswick and are to have speeds ranging from twenty-two to fifteen knots and carry heavy batteries of quick-firing guns. Brazil, which is in financial straits, has the armored Richanello and Aquid- aban of 5700 and 4950 tons, respectively. Two others of 3162 tons, building in France, are said to -have been turned over to Japan. Of cruisers three of 3600 tons each are building at Elswick, likewise alleged to have been sold to Japan, but there are others built which are good ships of their type, such as it the Tamandore, 4735 tons; Benjamin Constant, 2750 tons; Caramura, 1030 tons; Fimbera, 1030 tons; Paysunda, 1900 tons, and Tupy of 1030 tons, with speed of twenty-two knots for the smaller vessels and seventeen knots the larger, making two armorclads and six cruisers and torpedo gunboats. The Argentine armored fleet tonsists of the Almirante Brown, 4200 tons; Gar- ibaldi and San Marino, sister ships to the Cristobal Colon, in the Spanish navy and of 6840 tons each. They are armored cruisers with 6-inch belt, and carry two 10-inch rifles. In addition the Independencia and Libertad, 2300 tons, with 8-inch belts and two 9.4-inch rifles, are also modern armored vessels. Of cruisers there are the Buenos Aires of 4740 tons and twenty-three knots speed, recently built at Elswick; Nuevo de Jullo, 3570 tons and 22.74 knots trial speed, built in 1892; 25 de Mayo, 3200 tons, 22.43 knots, built in 1890, and a torpedo gunboat, Patria, 1070 tons and 20.75 knots, turned out in 1893, Chile’s armored -navy of modern build consists of Capitan Prat, 6900 tons, 12- inch belt, 18.3 knot speed and six 9.4 inch rifles; Esmeralda, 7020 tons, 6- inch belt Harveyized steel, 23-knot speed, and a battery of two 8-inch and sixteen 6-inch and quick-firing guns. The O'Higgins is completing at Els- wick and is 8500 tons, with 7-inch belt, 21.25-knot speed and an armament of four 8-inch and ten 6-inch quick-firers. The new cruisers and smailer tn- armored vessels include Blanco Enca- lada, 4400 tons, 22.78-knot speed and ar- mament of two 8-inch and ten 6-inch 8. f.; Minestro Zenteno, 3600 tons, 20- knot speed, with a battery of eight 6- inch g. f. Two other cruisers, Presi- dente Errazuriz and Presidente Pinto, are each 2080 tons, have a speed of 19 knots and carry four 6-inch g. f. guns. The Almirante Molinas, of 1200 tons and 22 knots, is building in England. Of torpedo gunboats the Almirante Condell and Almirante Lynch are 750 tons and a speed of 21 Knots, and the Alm ite Simpson is 812 toms, 21.5 knot and carry good Dbatteries of quick firers. The first two named have five torpedo tube the Almirante Simpson has three torpedo tubes. This completes the list of availabie and purchasable ships of war from Latin countries where the sympathies in a war with this country are apt to side with that of their common origin. There may be some unassigned vessels on the stocks in British and French yards, but without speculating on un- certain quantities Spain has in sight a fleet larger than her own which may no doubt be had for cash. Summarizing the ships of the several countries the tables would show as follows: ‘mored. Countries. Tons. Portugal 13,50 Total . Grand total, 34 The sum of $50,000,000 would proba- bly enable Spain to transfer this fleet under her own flag, and this added to her own navy would make matters in- teresting to the United States. HELD A REVEL WHILE THE NATION MOURNED. Representative Mahaney Bitterly Denounces New York’s ¢«Four Hundred.” WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.—During the debate on the sundry civil appropria- tion” bill in the House to-day Mr. Mahaney (R.) of New Yaork creat-- ed something of a flurry by de- livering a five-minute speech in de- nunciation of what he termed the revels of the so-called 400 of New York while the nation was in mourning for the loss of the sailors of the Maine. He said he felt it to be his duty to rebuke a circumstance in connection with the disaster of the Maine. While the mangled remains of the brave sailors who perished in that awful explosion were heing car- ried to their graves, the self-denominated 400 of New York held social revel which was termed a ‘“‘vegetable party.” How different, he said, was the feel- ing manifested by these so-called so- cial leaders in the metropolitan city of the United States and the condition in London when the Camperdown sank the Victoria. In London, on that oec- casion, there was everywhere the black badge of mourning. Every social fune- tion was abandoned, while in New York the social leaders wearied high heaven with their revels. Yet in.the last campaign these same people prated of national honor when a financial question was before the country. Then it was national honor. A few days ago, when the nation’s head was bowed and the dismembered fragments of her dead were going to their graves they seemed utterly oblivious to her grief. He had no desire, he said, to reflect upon the rich. There was a distinc- tion between thpse who employed cap- ital in a productive capacity and those who were drones, who toiled not nor spun, who dared to disturb the hours ‘of the nation’s mourning with this in- sult to the dead. (Applause.) He would not hesitate, he said, 8o far as he was concerned, to endeavor to free the skirts of the Republican party from as- sociation with these mere possessors and spenders of riches who assumed to represent national honor when they thought their bonds were threatened, but who had not a tear for those who went to their graves in its defense. (Renewed applause.). Mr. Mahaney referred to the “vege- table party” given by Abram S. He- witt of New York on the evening of February 17. READY TO ENLIST FOR WAR WITH SPANIARDS. Patriotism at Fever Heat in the State After Which the Maine Was Named. NEW YORK, Feb.. 23.—A Bangor (Me.) special to the Herald says: Citi- zens of Maine are ready to show their patriotism in the event of war with Spain. Plenty of war talk is heard on every hand, and there is no doubt that in the event of trouble there wculd be | a large number of volunteers from this | section. Fred Odlin of Lewiston, State | detectlve, is said to have the names of 200 men who want to enlist the mo- ment war is declared. He says he could | have them in Portland as soon as the Government coculd get a transport ready to take them to New York. , AR Regiment of Volunteers. NEW YORK, Feb. 23.—A Cincinnati special to the Herald says: The “First Ohio Regiment Havana YVolunteers,” 500 strong, and headed by the First Regiment Natlonal Guard Band, to- night paraded the streets, with banners reading “On to Havana” and “Avenge the flag.” 4 DATA GIVEN BY THE RAILWAYS Information as to Their Capacity in Case of W ar. Statistics Supplied at the Urgent. Request of the Gov- ernment. Evidence That They May Soon Be Called Upon an Army. to Transport Spectal Dispatch to The Call. NEW YORK, Feb. 23.—An Atlanta (Ga.) special to the Herald says: It QAevelops to-day that the War Depart- ment has on file at Washington re- cent reports from all railroads in the Southeast giving estimates of the num- ber of men and the amount of muni- tions of war they could move in a given number of hours and upon what notice such movements could be made. The information covering movements from Atlanta to ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts was collected with the idea that in case of war with Spain or a movement of troops to Cuba Atlanta would be an important base of opera- tions as a supply depot and forwarding station for the movement of troops. The situation of Atlanta is peculiarly favorable for such operations, and when General Sherman was here some years ago he said that in case of war Atlanta would be the most important strategic point in the Southeast. Railroad men are reticent about the information given the Government, but admit that blanks for that purpose were sent out from Washington. The information was got up very carefully by transportation men, and their es- timates are held by the War Depart- ment. From inquiries made here to-dayitap- pears that in case of an emergency re- quiring temporary interruption of or- dinary business the various lines could move 100,000 men from Atlanta to Brunswick, Savannah, Port Royal or Charleston within twenty-four hours. They could deliver the same number of men at Tampa, Punta Gorda and Miami in thirty-six hours. These es- timates allow twelve hours in which to get trains ready after the notice. The Southern Railway has over 60 per cent of its boxcars equipped with air brakes, and other roads are to some extent equipped in the same way. There are three lines to New Orleans that could deliver about 75,000 troops in twenty-four hours. These figures are based on estimates supplied to the Sec- retary of War. The amount of commissary business the railroads could handle is practi- cally unlimited. There are three routes to Brunswick and as many to Savannah, Charleston and Port Royal. It is thought that trains could be run to any one of these places in from eight to ten hours with twenty cars each and fifty soldiers in each car. Trains-could be run twenty minutes apart, and in that way could move 3000 men an hour. The Central of Georgia Railway has 1100 cars equipped with air brakes and the Southern has about 12,000 so equipped. The Atlanta and West Point has 60 per cent of its boxcars fitted with air brakes, and other roads have smaller proportions. With these equipments movements of troops could be far more easily and safely made than during the Civil War, when there were no such equipments. B HOLLAND’S SUBMARINE BOAT IS AVAILABLE. NEW YORK, Feb. 23.—After lying for months in mud on the flats close to Nixon shipyard in Elizabeth, N. J., the submarine boat Holland, owned ' and built by Mr. Holland, was towed into deep water to-day. It is said’'she is in perfect condition and prepared for work. No test of her has been made. The delay was caused by some altera- tions in the electrical fittings, which Mr. Holland saw fit to make after the beat was floated. Mr. Holland says he built the boat to prove that his theory of submarine navigation was correct, and "he be- lieved she would do all he expected of her. She would always remain his | property unless the United States Gov- ernment wanted her. The owner prob- ably will take her out in a few days and have a trial on scme sandy beach. He says he wants his first trials where there will be plenty of sea room and little mud, as the boat when submerged | might. make the water thick and ren- Lder steering difficult. . BULATE’'S = PRAISE OF AMERICA Not Afraid of Treachery While in New York Harbor. Says the Precautions Taken by the Authorities for the Viz= caya’s Safety Are Needless. NEW YORK, Feb. 23—For the first time since the arrival of the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya unofficial visitors were allowed on board to-day. Captain Eulate sent’ me a pass, without which it is impossible to get through the American lines. The police patrol is as strict now as it was upon the first day, but at the foot of the warship's gangway their authority ends and there a midshipman of the Spaniard took me in charge. On the quarterdeck was Captain Eulate. He extended his hand and, greeting me cordially, in- vited me to his cabin. o o feg=FeguegegagegaFagegagagugagugugel VROV OUSVQVOVOOO0 It is finished in costly woods, highly polished, and the chairs and tables have gold embroidered coverings. On the wall was the picture of a hand- some woman. It was the portrait of the captain’s wife. Captain Eulate said she was in Porto Rico and so were their children. In order to speak freely the captain | sent for an interpreter, and the name | he pronounced astonished he—Farra- gut. Sanchez Farragut is a bright- eyed, alert midshipman who speaks English well. When he entered he sa- luted the captain and we were intro- duced. I repeated the historic name and the young sailor smiled. He said he was distantly related to the great American admiral. His grandfather was an American. From his mother he draws his Spanish blood. Senor Farragut was born on the Balearic Islands. “Yes,” said the young sailor, in reply to a question, “I am proud to bear th name of the great American admiral.” I asked Senor Farragut if he had ever been in America before. He said he had not, but hoped to see New York before the ship sailed away. Captain Eulate told me that with the exception of a few routine orders from home he had not received any special instructions. “I do not know,” he added, ‘“when I shall leave New York. We have been coaling the ship and will finish this afternoon.” 1 noticed that the coal barges were strictly guarded and that an officer seemed to watch every lump of coal as the baskets were sent to the bunkers. “You are not afraid of American coal, captain?” I said. He laughed heartily and replied: “Why, of course not. No, no,” he added in English, and laughed again. “American coal is all right. We are taking enough to last for a ten days’ cruise. 1 may say that I do not like to have your patrol boats around the ship. We have the utmost confidence in Americans. This is a very fine harbor, and New York is a magnificent city. The height of your buildings as- tonishes us, and there are so many of them. This is my first visit to this country. I am much impressed with all the evidences of a great commer- cial port. You have most beautiful surroundings. I have been in London and in many otherMig cities of Eu- rope, but none of them can compare with you. You seem to be very busy. The pleasure of our visit is marred by the deplorable accident to the Maine.” “I see you keep your flag at half- mast,” I said. “Yes,” said the captain, and a shade of sadness came over his face, “and it will remain there until we leave the port.” One other impréssion we made upon Captain Eulate—the beauty of Ameri- can women—and he laughingly con- fessed it. He said they had captured all his officers. He directed one of the officers to show me over the ship, but before leaving he showed me the mag- | nificent presentation flag of the Viz- | caya—a gift from the people of Ma- drid. He said Americans presented their battle-ships with a silver ser- vice, but it was the custom in Spain to present a flag. The Vizcaya's flag was in a carved mahogany cabinet. The banner is of silk and satin, with the royal arms of Spain woven upon | it in bulllon. The crown surrounding the arms contains sixteen large emer- alds and sapphires. Captain Eulate gave permission to most of his officers to row ashore and see the city. The party consisted of Lieutenant Ristori, Second Lieutenant Girardi Sobrini, Second Lieutenant Si- rin Fajardo, Chaplain Natias Diego, Surgeon Antonio Jurage, Paymaster Jose M. Canovas and Second Comman- der Emaueil Roldau. They were citizens’ dress. Their first visit was to the Spanish Consulate, and thence they went to Wall street and viewed the statue of Washington. Afterward they went up town. The Vizcaya was dressed in' bunting on Tuesday in honor of Washington's birthday, and in recognition of this compliment Admiral Bunce to-day sent Lieutenant Aaron Wand to pay his respects to Captain Eulate. At Tompkinsville the "shore opposite the cruiser was lined with persons all day gazing at the Vizcaya. That is the best they .could do. No one was in | allowed to pass the patrol lines withe out a pass, and a pass was not easy to get. There was an accident on the Viz- caya to-day. Four men were working on the after smokestack when a plank slipped from the chain supporting it. Two of the men fell upon an iron grat- ing at the foot of the stack and were picked up in a semi-conscious condi- tion. The surgeon reported that it was feared that both men were injured in- ternally, but that no bones wera broken. Two of the men saved them- selves by clinging to chains on the stack. —_—— NOT WRECKED BY AN EXPLOSION OF BOILERS. One Theory Regarding the Maine Disaster Effectually Dis- posed Of. WASHINGTON, Feb. 23.—The arriv- al of mail in Washjngton from Key West this afternoon, bringing several private letters from naval officers late- ly attached to the Maine caused a wave of excitement to run over the-depart- ment and the €apitol. There were all scrts of rumors as to the contents of these letters, very few of which ru- mors, in point of fact, had any sound basis. The only feature, so far as could be discovered, of real importance as throwing any light on the cause of the explosion, was the statement that only the two aft-beilers in the after-boiler space, of all of the eight boilers of the Maine, were under steam at the time of the explosion. This fact had a negative value, for it disposed at once | of the theory that a boiler explosion had caused the wreck. The experts all | say that by no possibility cculd the after-boilers’ explosion have wrecked the fore part of the Maine and left the | other part almost unharmed. Much interest was shown in a dis- | patch received shortly before 3 o'clock from Admiral Sicard, giving the recom- mendations of Captain Sampscn of the court of inquiry as to the raising of the wreck. The view of the naval officers was that Captain Sampson and his as- sociates were giving this advice, not as a court, but as officers in a position to speak as to the best methods to be adopted for wrecking the Maine. Varl- ous interpretations were put on the expression, “forward half completely destroyed.” This was regarded as a partial confirmation of the theory that the forward magazine had exploded, as that is one of the most important por= tions of the forward half of the ship. At the same time, it was held by some naval authorities that the destruction of the forward half of the ship did not necessarily mean that the forward magazine had exploded, as this might be still intact, although a part of the general wreckage. In the absence of an explicit statement as to the for- ward magazine, there was a disposi- tion not to accept any implied statee ment as to its destruction. ADMIRAL SICARD T0O ILL TO LEAVE KEY WEST. Captain Taylor of the Massachusetts May Take Command of the Squadron. WASHINGTON, Feb. 23.—The noon mail brought to Secretary Long a let- ter from Admiral Sicard at Key West. The admiral wrote that he had not yet recovered his health, and would be un- able to go to sea with the squadron. He will remain on shore at his hotel in Key West to retain command of the squadron from that place so long as !t remains in harbor there, relinquishing it only when it becomes necessary for the vessels to go to sea. It will be remembered that the ad- miral ‘has suffered an attack of mala- rial fever, and had procured leave of absence of two weeks just before the explosion on the Maine. He got as far as Tampa, but returned immediately to his command, which for enly one day he had left in the hands of Cap- tain Sampson. Should the squadron be obliged: to go to sea with the admiral ill at Key West, and the senior offi- cer of his fleet, Captain Sampson, en- gaged in the investigation at Havana, probably the command of the squadron would devolve upon Captain Taylor, now commanding the battleship Mas- sachusetts, and commonly regarded as “one of the brightest officers in the serv- ice. TORPEDO-BOAT GWYN READY FOR SERVICE. Her Engines Found to Work Finely on the Builders’ Trial Trip. NEWPORT, R. I, Feb. 23.—The tor- pedo boat Gwyn went down the bay on the builders’ trial trip and touched at the torpedo station this afternoon. She was speeded for a short distance. Her engines worked finely. If she is wanted hurriedly she can go into serv- ice as soon as her torpedo outfit can be put aboard, which wculd be only a matter of a few hours, as it is already at the torpedo station. The Navy De« partment has been informed of this, and also that the torpedo boat Talbot, not yet launched, can be got ready by the Herreshoffs in a few days A