. ""! n tut. ' sFair: westerly winds. f f Girculafioiifesteraay:.47, 339. .'A.'t . y I ' NO. 1,407. WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1898. ONE CENT. 118 Mill DISASTER 4 Scattered Wreckage Tells i Mournful Storv. the THE ELEMENTS MERCILESS $ Lushed to a. Simr, a Man and GlJild i Floated Cold in Death Twenty Persons Helloved to Have Per- i ished Off Nniituchul Island in a i t GaJp. "Woods Holl. Maps., Feb. 22.-Thcrc is ovory indication that the good ship Asia, Capt. Dakln, went down with all on board ' oft-Nantucket Island during the" north "4 west. pale that has just blown Itself out. ,' Twenty are believed to have perished. Jt ? is the most terrible tragedy on the Xew ; England coast since the Jason, in Janu ary, 389!, went head-on on the sands of Cape Cod, under Highland Light, and not n soul of her company of thirty men lived j to Uell the tale. ' Scattered wreeljage, spars, sail;, scores 1 of boxes "and bales of hemp speak the , story of disaster more plainly than words. All the south shore of the cape is lit- t tcrd with debris. A portion of a ship's : long boat, discovered on the sands of c Monomoy by the life-saving patrol, bears the jiamc "A via." The vesstl's wheel, J similarly inscribed, was picked up afloat by'U coaster. To the eje of the sallorman ' these signs speak an uilmislakable lan- f guage. . The At-ia sailed from Manila, in the Philippines, bound for Boston, with a cargo of 11,000 bales of hemp, consigned to j Henry "V. Peabody, of Salem. Mass. She was somewhat overdue and the consignee and nhe owners, who arc the Taylor Brothers, of St. John, X. W"., were anx iously awaiting iome news of her, for she TJIC GREAT PROVIDERS." The Proof lies right h ere. "We arc not afraid to tell our price s:-to advertise them so that you have a ch :i n o o of comparing tlirm with others. We invite comparison. It shows how invincible our prices arc. Ami wc five all the time you wish to pay in. Large solid oak, 6-ft. extension ta bles., 5 legs sold everywhere at $4.50 Qnr Priee, $2.05. High-back Hardwood Chair ;jsc. Beautiful Oak Chiffonier, with 5 drawers and hat box; sold every where at S6.50 Our Price, $3.08. Very Larfe Oak Sideboard, finely carved and finished, with beveled plate glassy sold everywhere at $J6 Our Price, $0.50. Handsome Corduroy Couch, with heavy fringe; sold everywhere at $12. Our Price, .$7.7."5. Beautiful Parlor Table in oak or mahogany finish :Oe. Beautiful Oak Cobble Seat Rocker sold everywhere at $4 Our Price $1.9S. Extra Furniture Specials. 5,000 Window Shade5, all colors O'c. The Largest and Finest Solid Oak Bedroom Suite ever sold at $2500. Wc sell them tills week for $14 50. Fine 5-picce Ovcrsttified Tapestry Parlor Suite; sold everywhere at $30.00. Our price, $10.7o. A Beautiful Oak Costumcr; regu v'lar price $1.00. Only oSe. "- Large Oak Hall Rack, with French plate mirror; sold everywhere at $12.00. Our price, $7.25. Very Fine Quartered Oak China Closets with round French plate ends, $18. 00. Large Ratlan Baby Carriage, full roll, nicely upholstered in damask, $7.50. Carpels and Mattings. 250 Large Brussels Rugs, with fringe; worth S20, for $1.25. Heavy quality "Wool Ingrain Car- pet, 45 c. Heavy Fancy Matting, 10c. a yard. ' Extra quality Fancy Matting, J So. a yard. Fine quality Jap. Matting, 22e. a yard. Large sire, fine quality Tapestry Portiercst SO. 25. Extra Heavy Brussels Carpet, -05t. a yard. MAYER & PETTIT, (Ml Seventh SI. Frank I.tbbey fc Company, Kiitli ttreet urn Xeu Vvik avenue. had not been "reported since she-deft Maj nila. The first news they heard was of. her probable destruction. The Asia was a full-rigged ship and was valued at J23,0O0. Her iof-s is partly cov-$ ered by Insurance, as is that of the cargo. The most ghastly intimations of the,1 wreck were found this morning by the crew of the tug E. V. MacCauley. The tug put out early this morning for Hand kerchief Shoal to examine the wreck of, the Reading barge Excelsior, lost there, two days ago. Presently she encountered a quantity of wreckage afloat. There were yards with the sails closely fin led upon them. There were shattered planks and pieces of broken spars. Here was a' hen-coop with drowned fowls within, the doors of which seemed to have been wrenched from some vessel's companion way. About five miles to the northeast of Handkerchief Shoal lightship a larger spar was eneuntered, tossing on the blg rollers. It was apparently tho mizzen--mast of a blgshlp.Tho top and the shrouds,' were intact and lashed to the mast wcro two bodies which, when the tug steamed- closer, were seen to be those of a man'' and child. The man held the little one tightly in his arms, her hands were clasped so closely about his neck that the men on the tug were scarcely able to take them away when they cut the IrbIi ings, and tenderly lifted the poor burcih llolsom on board. Tiie body of the roan was that of a person forty years of age; short bcaid, inclined to baldness. His dress betokened him to be an officer and the seconu mate's certificate found in.. tho pocket of his coat had the name Johi Cook. The child was a girl of ten years. From the resemblance In their" features, it is assumed they weio father and daughter. Both had evidently been dead many hours. The MaeCauley ciuised in the vicinity for hours, and found many more indi cations that marine catastrophe had taken place, but nothing to Identify the lost vessel und no more bodies. Finally :-hc put about and steamed back to this place. The two bodies were taken to a local undertaker's shop to await the action of the local authoritics.Ilefore long reports of wreckage coming ashore were received. From Chatham came the in formation that the fragments of the Asia's boat seemed to give a clew to the ship' identity. Another tug boat skipper reported passing ihiough Heat ing fragments, and s,aid lliat the master of a sloop had picked up the ship's wheel in Nantucket Sound. It is "undei stood that the crew of the Asia numbered at least twenty men. RECIMLD FEIDILL 1MB Stricken With Apoplexy New York Hotel. in a ILL OXLY A SHORT WHILE Itelntivcte and FrleiuTb iu This Citj Notified of the Sad E-ent A Dls tlnuifelu'd lulllliur of the YVtusli iuston Hnr Will He Hurled Here. Mr. Reginald Fendali, the well known lawyer of this city, having offices in the Feudall Building, on Louisiana avenue, died suddenly at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in Xew York City, about S:43 o clock last night. Tho cause of death" is said to be apoplexy. About S o'clock ilr. Fendali told the clerk that he was ill, and asked that a physician be sent to his room. Dr. Ely, the hotel pliysfeian, went to his room at S:S0 o'clock and found him -dying. Mr. Fendali was about fifty-live years old, and left for Xew York last Monday in apparent good health. He went to Xew York unaccompanIed. A reporter called at the residence of Mr. Fendali, at No. 11M Vermont avenue at a late hour last night and was told that the family knew only that Mr. .Fendali waE dead, but other than the fact that he died very suddenly the cuie was a' mystery to them. Mr. Gait, a near friend and neighbor of the family, who had gone down the street to ascertain ir possible the circumstances of Mr. Fendall's death, in speaking to a Times leporter, said that he did not-know the cause nor even the hour at which Mr. Fendali ditd. Mr. Caldcron Carlisle, of the law llrm of Carlisle & Johnson, who have offices near that of Mr. Fendali, in the Kendall building, v,as sought by a reporter. "When the reporter arrived at tho home of Mr. Carlisle he found one of the rapid transit messenger boys waiting on. the front Steps. The boy said that he had one to Mtell Mr. Calderon Carlisle that his 'phone would glo no reply" when he was called up by some one in Xew York who desired to speak with him on a matter of impor tance. The messenger had been sent to Mr.. Carlisle's house, as is customary when important calls are made hy long dis tance 'phone. Not receiving a reply by ringing the bell, the boy rapped on the door. Some one came down, and, with an oath, demanded of the boy what lie meant by rapping at his door. lie flung the door open and struck the messenger full in the face, knocking him down the steps. This was done in fullew of the reporter. Before the reporter could ask the man who struck the boy a question he had slammed his door shut and disappeared. ANXIOUS TO KXr.IST. Steps Tnktin to Organize the "First Kentucky Colored Volunteers. Louisville. Fob. 22. The colored people of Kentucky are taking great interest in the war news, hundreds ef negroes being already anxious to "enlist. Last night a meeting was held here, at which steps were taken to organize a regiment to be known as the "First Kentu.ky Colored Volunteers' Its service will be tendered to the Gov ernment in the cent of war with Spain. Officers of the proposed regiment have been chosen. Liberal Virtory I'roliuble. Toronto, Feb. 22. Nominations for tho general election in Toronto, to be held March 1, took place throughout tho pto vincc today. Thy are Tniax. who was icturncd In South Bruce, and Evar.tural, a French Canadian, and speaker of the Ia.-t legislature. "When the legislature was dissolved six weeks ago the liberal government had been In power for twenty years, the longest tccord ever made by one administration under a form of pepu-v lar government in any part of the Brlt ish empire. It is pretty generally ex pected that the liberals will again be re turned to power. Flynn-. HuMness College, 8th and K. None better, ?23 a year; day or night. - Palings, fancy heads, dressod auy style or pjtu-niiou may ish. J. '' '?:.',: " r - (. M Jf J & ' IT. S. 3IAIT. DKSTHOYRD. Fully 1,000 Letters Ground' Up In the Pneumatic Tube. New York, Feb. 22. A large quantity of llrst-class United Stales mail in transit from station "V," in the produce ex Change to the general postoffice. was ground up last night in the Tubular Dis patch Company's pneumatic tube and most of it was utterly destroyed. The ac cident happened shortly before 8 o'clock in the evening, when the most important business malls of the day were being car licd. The Postofilce Department is very reticent about it and exactly what it was that happened in the tube is not known but the result was the grinding Into pulp of the mail in transit. Station P includes "Walt street and nearly all the exchanges, and from these the most important mall in the city is carried. At least 1.000 letters are believed to have been dest toyed. THE MAHTH GRAS CAHN1VAL. Hex and Hi.s Hetinue Parade Xv Orleans Streets. New Orleans Feb. 22. The feature of the carnival today was the appearance of Kex and his brilliant retinue. This is to be followed by a grand society ball. To night C'omus will appear and will also give a ball. The formal opening of the carnival oc curred yesterday. The river was covered with a brilliant ly decorated flotilla when the royal yacht appeared with the King of Mirth. The three warships In port, Austrian, French and American, were attractively dressed. The revenue cutters participat ed. The procession "included the mili tary, the king's retinue, lords of the realm and citizens. At night Proteus appeared and then the ball opened. M.UI5DERKD niS WIFH. Crus-tied Her Skull With n Hammer While She Slept. Dallas, Tex.. Feb. 22. Mrs. James Moore's mutilated body, tied in a sack, was found floating in Trinity River, near here, on the night of February 12. The day following Moore was arrested on suspicion of having murdered her. Tills evening, while being subjected to a severe examination, by the grand jury, Moore broke down and confessed that he had been jealous or his wife for a long time and that three weeks before her body was found, he murdered her at their home. While bhe slept, he says, lie crushed her skull int .several places with a hammer and stabbed her many times. Then he put the body in a sack and threw it Into the river. NATIONAL CONVENTION MEETS. Four Thousand Creamery. Men aud Butter-makers In Attendance. Topeka, ICan.. Feb. 22. The national convention of the butter makers and creamery men opened here today. Ex hibits of dairy products and dairy ma chinery are lavish and much interest is manifested. Four thousand delegates are here from all parts of the country. Secretary Xisseley says tho past year has seen tho creamery business increased 20 per cent in the United States, and that this increase is largely In th'e -Western agricultural Stales. Archbishop Cleary Dying. Toronto, Feb. 22. Archbishop bleary, of tlic Kingston diocese, is bin?. He came to Canada fiom Ireland foine jears ago." and- lias made himtC'H conspicuous in ecclesiastical circles by the pari lie took in politics in Canada and his op position to the got eminent';! .ictiqn in doing away with state-aided Itoman Catholic schools in Manitoba province. c TUe Government Orders Guns. New Haven, I'eb.'22. The American Ordnance Company, of Bridgeport, Conn., lias leccived by telegraph from its vice president at Washington aif order for forty rapid-firing sif-pomider Hotch Kis guna. The order is for quick delHery. and the forginss for thorn have already been called for. The guns will all be dclhcrcd in three months. Conlt Coalt Coali 13.23 per 2,210, delivered, Gayton stove, 2Z5 and nut. Powhatan Coal Co.. 13C3 C st. nw.; 'phone G20; or dealers-generally. -Tails,- elenr, dressed all around, 3 tents apiece. The best No. 1. "SURELY YOU DON'T SUSPECT ME!" FREDERICKSBURG FIELD National Park Association Or ganized Yesterday. TUB WORK OF PATRIOTS Resolution Adopted and Committees Appointed to Perfect the Organiza tion A hill Will Be Introduced ill ConsresK Hy Mr. raiiimings llumiuet With Averienn Toast. Fredeiicksburg, Va..Fob. 22. Pursuant to a charter recently jrranted by the legis lajure of Virginia to tho Fredericksburg and Adjacent National Battlefields Park Association, a largo number of distin guished Federal. and ex-Confederate sol diers assembled here today and formed a permanent organization. , Tho meeting was prei-Wed over by Judge James B. Sener.fof Washington, to whom is due largely the credit of the or ganization. After praywr by Dr. T. S. Dunawny, und a brief sketch of the in ception of the scheme by Judge Sener, St. George It. Fitzhugh. .of this city, in an eloquent and patrlotiiiisneech. nominated Gen. Horatio 13. King; of New York, sec retary of the Army of the Potomac, as permanent chairman, which was second ed by Gen. James Longslreet. of Geor gia, and Hon, J. S. Potter, of Virginia. Gen. King, on being conducted to the stand, accepted the posiiion in a speech full of patriotic sentiments, which was frequently interrupted by applause. Col. James D. Brady, of. Virginia, nom inated, in a graceful ?ppech. Col. Walter II. Taylor, of Norfolk;, as vice chairman, who was unanlmouabj elected. Col. Tay- v -4- i lor, owing to a marriage in his home to day, was not present, fyut a letter approv ing and affirming his aiawas read. .Mr. James P. Corbin and Hon. II. F. CrismondVbolh of thhs city, were elected secretary arid frjasurer, respectively. A committee of fifteen, with Gen. James A. Beaver, of PennsIviuijiij.. as chairman, was appointed to prepjiretahd present res olutions. The committee retired, and after a short absence. retuVnedand presented the resolutions. The resolutions .heartily approve or ganization; urge that immediate steps to bring the matter before Congress .be taken; suggests the naming of a commit tee of iiftcen. to wltom, subject to the control of the association, shall have charge of the management and that the governorS-and legislatures- of each 'State which had solujcrs m these great bat tles, be urged to ioke st'!3 whereby ap propriate memorials Tor their dead should be erected. The resolutions 5w;ere unanimously ad opted, with patriotic uddres-ses by Gen. James A. Beaver, of Pennsylvania: Col. James Turner, of Nfv York; Gen. James A. Longstreet, of Georgia; Judge James B. Lewis, and Gen. II y Boynton, of Washington. - At the conclusion of the. addresses tho visitors and a number ofiprominent citi zens of this city and adjoining counties repaired to the Exchange Hotel. and par took of a baiuujeL- Judgc Sener acted as toastmaster, and .'.Oie following toasts were responded to:, ' e-- "Geotge Washington," Col. James Tan ner, of New York. ! "Abraham Lincoln," ex-State Senator William A. Little, of thiseity. "Our Gallant Dead,"f Gen. Edgar Al lan, of Virginia. ' "The President of the United. States," Col. II. D. Norton, of Connecticut. ' "Army of the Potomac," Col. W. W. Brown, of Pennsylvania. "Army of Northen? Virginia," Gen. H. V. Boynton, of Washington. "Congress," Hon, John Lamb, of Vir ginia. "Gen. Sedgwick," G"cn. G, D. Bates, of Connecticut. At the adjournment of , the banquet, the j meeting was qgain called to order, and uner remarKB uy uorporai j anner. eten. Bates, and Gen.Kingv and the unanimous adoption of resolutions pf thanks to the citizens and local committees, Gen. King Henntiful '50o'J NecKwcar espec ially the Aseots, Aucrbuch'Sf (S3 Pa. avc. The Weather "f ' - Fair; westerly winds. ' J named the executive committee, which Is made up as follows: Judjre James B. Sener. W. A. Little, jr.. M. B. Rowe, II. F. Crismond, Gen. James A. Beaver, Major T. E. Morris, Col. E. D. Cole, Capt. T. McCracken, Capt. S. J. Qulnn. J. S. Potter. St. George R. Fitz hugh, and Col. James D. Brady. The executive committee then held a meeting and designated Hon. Amos J. Cnmmlngs, of New Tork, to present the bill in the House tomorrow, and Senator W. J. Scwell, of New Jersey, in the Sen ate.' Tho meeting was exceedingly interest ing, and the outlook is very encouraging. All the visitors were greatly pleaded with the project. The incorporators present were: Gen. Horatio t. King. New York; Congressmen W. A. Jones, Jqhn F. Rixey, and John Lamb, of Virginia: Gen. James A. Beaver, Pennsylvania; Gen. James -Longstreet, Georgia; Gen. H. V. Boynton, Was-hington; G. D. Sldman, Washington; Major II. L. Biscoe, Washington; Gen. Cecil Clay, AVest Virginia; Col. Cornelius Cadle, Cincinnati, Ohio: Gen. E. A. Car man, New Jersey: Col. James Tanner, New York; Col. H. D. Norton, Massachu setts; Capt. B. C. Cook, Col. James D. Brady, and Gen. Edgar Allen. Richmond; Col. G. D. Bates, and George A. Ilammon, Connecticut: W. E. Bradley. H. G. Ches Iey, Chancellor Bally, E. D. Cole. J. P. II. CrHmond. St. George R. Fitzhugh, II. R. Gouldman. John T. Knight, AV. A. Lit tle, jr., James S. Knox, T. McCracken, Major T. E. Morris. J. S. Potter, S. J. Qulnn, A. P Rowe. G. W. Shepherd, M. B. Rowe. Virginia; Col. W. W. Brown, Pennsylvania; Col. John B. Paschel, Mis souri. A number of letters from prominent gentlemen throughout the entire country regretting their inability to be present, but heartily indorsing the scheme, were read. Tho meeting, adjourned, subject to the call of the chairman. NEGLECT OF DUTf CHARGED. Ininenehnient Proceedings Against Grand Chancellor Warren. Savannah, Feb. 22. There Is a big sen sation In the affairs, of the Knights of Pythias In the State of Georgia. Proba bly for the ilrsb time since the formation of the order in this State impeachment proceedings have ben begun against tho i highest oflleer in the domain. Grand Chancellor Warren, of Hawkinsville. must face charges "preferred against "him by certain officers of "the grand lodge of the order of which he is the head. The main charge is understood to be neglect of duty. Jt Is charged that he has not attended to the affairs of his office as lie should. It Is understood that pay ments of bills have been delayed on ac count of alleged negligence of the grand chancellor: that a great deal of official business has been indefinitely delayed be cause of his lack of attention. LA.KGE STEAMER AGROUND. Tlie Eluht Hundred Passengers oil Board Were Panie-Sttrieken. Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 22. Letters re--ceived today give details of the ground ing of the steamer Queen, the largest boat in the Alaskan fleet, in WrnnKCl Narrows, ion her last trip north, ten days ago. The rope connecting the steering gear and rudder broke, and she drifted ashore while repairs were being made. As the tide receded the steamer listed and gradually turnedorher side, so that her decks were almostr perpendicular. Passengers write that the water came within two inches of her lire box, and had she settled three inches further she would have tipped over. Eight hundred passengers were panic-stricken. Two boats were finally lowered and men went ashore to Watch the tide. Shouts of re joicing went up when they reported the tide at a standstill, with three inches to spare, before'the boat went clear over, making the removal of the passengers unnecessary. At high tide the steamer pulled out into the channel and was again svife. Mir. Cleveland Slightly 111. Princeton. X. J., Feb. 22. Fx-Prosident Cleveland is suffering from a slight at tack of illness, which kept him away from the dinner of the New-Jersey Soc iety of the Cincinnati here today. He was expected to be one of the speakers at the dinner. Engagement in Plum Del Rio. Havana, Teb. 22. It was officially reported this morning that the "Spanish battalion of Valencia, commanded by Col. Devos while lecoiuioiteriiig in the lieinity of Pinar iM Uio, encountered a large rebel forte under l'aj-aso. In the fight which followed, the repoit "ays, the insurgent lost ten men killed, while the Spanisii had one otilcer, one surgeon and three soldiers wounded. Paling, spear head, .1.2S for 100. These arc blight, toutid; not di&ed- DEEMED 11 IMPOSSIBILITY Experts Assert That (he jlamo's Magazines Are Intact. SOME SCIENTIFIC STATE3IEXTS The "Detonator-, Without Which Shells are V.Nele.ss, "Kent ufc tile Masthead Results of-an Explos ion of 50,000 PountN r "tin Yes-' hel's Powder Would Have Utterly Destroyed Every V.thje "C the Maine. Havana dispatches received yesterday told of the tinding of the pieces of a copper cylinder near the battleship Maine, and many persons at once inferred that one of the vessel's forward ten -inch magazines had exploded, regardless of all the evidence to the contrary -wbich has been published repeatedly in many newspapers. Tills Idea i disproved, according- to ex perts, by the fact that in one of ids sup pressed dispatches to the Navy Depart ment, and in two interviews describing the explosion, Cnpt. SIg'-bee stated posi tively that at the time of the disaster lie had on the deck of the Maine a number of rounds of ammunition for the six-inch rifles, ready for instant action, in eac of an attack upon tho Ship. The-e shells, he said, exploded, and shot high into the air, while the ship was burning. Naval officers here assert that the cylin der found in the harbor aro the cas ings of the six-inch ammunition, and they still are positive that neither of the forward magazines exploded. The Times Havana dispatcher published this morning in another column show that too much importance was attached to the finding of this cylinder. Capt. O'Xeil says that it is his opinion, as a professional expert In these mattess. that It would be Impossible for one of the forward magazines to have p!oded without the other doing so alo. It is now known .that every pound of run cotton on board the Maine was kept down in the hold in the after portion of the ship, and was always kept wet, and even the department has admitted.- that the big after magazine is still Intact. It is also known that the department believes that all of the magazines are 'inlmrmed. Constructor Hichboru has ld lepcat cdly that the forward coal bunkers were empty, and that even had there l.een a few hundred pounds of coal left in them, it was anthracite. A high authority on explosives was seen last evening, and when shown the Havana dispatch which said that one of the 10 inch magazines had been exploded, ne said: "That is absurd and impossible. In the first place, had one of the magazines ex ploded, the great shells in them would have destroyed much of Havana an J the Maine 'would have been blown into bil lions of pieces. "For each 10-inch shell there were from IM pounds of powder upward, accc.idlng to its style and ipiality. In all. each of the two forward magazines contained 25,000 pounds of smokeless powdn. It would have been impossible for tho pt.w der to explode from any internal care lessness for everything was kept in ab solutely stationary steel receptacles espe cially prepared for them, and the detona tors were kept at the masthead. This is known to the Navy Department .i!o- "Had either one of the forward maga zines exploded the other would have done so, too, and the turrets would have beer, lifted bodily and carried several hu-j.livd yards by the terrific force of the concus sion. ' The finding of that board of iMpiir;- ( Continued on Third Page.; Posts, squared for picket feueej cither cedar or ihcstuut. Americans mm H Gen. Lee 4d vises Them to Qnit ! Havana Today. ARE IN IMMINENT PERIL They Will Sail This Morning Hy the Olivette, nnd JLt Is Relieved Es cape a Mu.sixcre The Press Censor I Afraid to I.et the Whole Truth Re Known, Bat tho Situa tion Ih Very Grave Havunn Ripe for an Anti-American Demonstra tion. Havana, Feb. 22. Consul General Lee has issued a semi-official warning, advis ing all Americans to quit Havana at onee. The effect has been to create almost a panic among citizens of the United States resident here. AH such citizens will. It is said, loftvc by the Olivette tomorrow. . , A wonderful change has been wrought In tho situation within the last twoive hours. "Press censorship is so strict that the exact conditions cannot be told. This much may be said, however: The Maine magazines are intact and the Spanish population of Havana is boiling with rage. It may burst out In an at tack on Americans at any moment. These facts are set forth deliberativ and with no disposition to cause needles alarm. The situation Is "indeed grave graver than It has been at any time sfaee the Maine disaster. It Is not going too far to say that Gen. Lee. Capt. Sigotoee and members of the court of lniplrf ftre far from safe. An American fighting vessel shouuf fce here to protect them. Confirmed via New Turk. New York. Feb. 20. In a dispatch front Havana, the World's correspondent- fewt night wires that the situation there vas more grave than at any time since the Maine disaster. "Consul General Lee," he adds, ,tpy Informally advised Americans ne aac sarily detained here to leave for hw Jit or.ee. Many families will sail bjf- rite Olivette tomorrow." In response to inquiries as to wheMjr the main forward magazine of the MaHie blew tip, the Sun received Inst night the following from its correspondent, m Ha vana: "In reply to your Inquiry about tfce main forward magazine of the Maine. It can only be said that the magazine prob ably did not explode. The press censer will not permit details to be cabled." PRO&RBSS OF THE INQUIRY- A Significant Discovery Causes 3ruch Speculation. Havana, Feb. 22. An Important dlt-cor-cry was made today in the Maine. The divers brought up a powder case for tho ten-Inch Ktm. which they took from tbf part of the battleship destroyed by tho explosion, and In which the main gun powder magazine is situated. The gun powder dlhcovered was In a bug. and the bag was contained in a copper catf. The case was entirely closed, but had an ex terior mark as If some hard object had struck it on tho outside, but within the gtnipowder Is absolute Intact In Its bag. As the case was In the forward maga zine, this discovery is conclusive proof that whether or not the magazine ex ploded, and It is the general, belief that It did not explode, an Important part of it, at least, -where the discovered case was, remains intact. Neither the divers nor any one having ofiieial connection with the investiga'tfon is willing to say whether or not the mag azine exploded. Any positive declaration about the matter at this time would bo premature. Tet the copper case with lis powuor bag intact is a ract that speaks for itself. The case was taken from the Maine tor the Fern and put in the gunpowder mag azine of the revenue cutter- Your cor respondent saw It. The exterior j.aurk is merely a bruise. The divers failed today to place an elec tric light apparatus inside the Maine, connecting it by a wire with the dynamo of the Mangrove. The cause o this fail ure is that tho wire obtainable In Ha vana is worthless for the desired purpose. The work of the divers Is progressing, very slowly on account of tho paucity here of materials required by them. The wrecking tug Neptune fs eagerly expected here today from Key "West. Sho will bring nil the necessary apparatus to raise the bijj guns, and especially to clear out the way of the divers many lnrg? objects and iron pieces which are hampering them in their work. It Is expected that the electric light will be in operation to morrow and that it will greatly aid in the investigation. Among the objects brought up today is the fine silverware of the battleship, which was- presented by the State -of Maine, and also a loving cup. a gift.-of several citizens of the same State, resid ing In Now Orleans, and presented during the last visit of the Maine to that iru (Continued on sixth page.) Handsomest iSS Sprinu Hat Auerbath's ever shown 1 C23 Pa. ave. And everything else tnnde or wood cjii be found st Lilbry & Co.'e, Cth and N. Y. ar.