Mr. White to Mr.
Sherman.
American Embassy,
London, February 23,
1898.
No. 272.]
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 258, of the
19th instant, I have the honor to acquaint you that, in accordance with
the instructions contained in Mr. Day’s telegrams of the 18th and 20th
instant, I have written letters of thanks for their expressions of
sympathy, in connection with the loss of the Maine, to the Duke of York (of which I inclose a copy); to Mr.
James O’Kelly, chairman of the Irish meeting held last week at St.
James’s Hall; to Messrs. N. M. de Rothschild & Sons; to Señor Garcia
Meron, and to the Navy League.
I also inclose copies of letters which I have received from the Duke of
Abercorn, president of the British South Africa Company (better known as
the “Chartered Company”), which I have acknowledged, and from a Mr.
McIlquham.
The latter refers to an invention of the writer’s (of whom I have never
heard) for raising sunken ships, which, in the absence from England,
under instructions from the Navy Department, of our naval attaché, I
deem it best to transmit to you, in case you should see fit to forward
it to the Secretary of the Navy.
I may add that, in addition to the letters which I have forwarded to you,
I have received a very large number of expressions of condolence from
naval and military officers, and others not holding official positions
under Government at the present moment, as well as from private
individuals of all classes, relative to the loss of the Maine, which has undoubtedly aroused a profound
feeling of sympathy in this country.
Some inquiries have also been made here as to the names of those who
perished in the disaster, to which I have been unable to reply. I should
be glad, if any list be made out of those lost in the Maine, that a copy thereof be sent to this embassy for the
information of inquiring relatives and friends. The father of the
master-at-arms, White by name, has made several inquiries as to his
son.
I also inclose a letter signed “Velox,” suggesting a possible cause for
the explosion which destroyed the Maine.
I have, etc.,
Villa Marguerite,
Valescure,
St. Raphael, Var, France, February 19, 1898.
My Dear White: As an outsider, and in the
absence of your ambassador, permit me to write one line to you to
express my horror at the fearful accident that has happened to the
Maine. It is bad enough for men-of-war to
founder with all their
[Page 1064]
crews, but to be blown up into the air is too horrible. I do not for
a moment think that it was malicious—merely an accident; but the
horror remains the same.
I am sure you will receive the sympathy of the whole British nation,
and I can not refrain from writing to say what I feel.
Yours, very sincerely,
Aberystwyth, February 19, 1898.
To His Excellency The United
States Ambassador,
The Embassy,
London.
Sir: I have read in the papers of the
unfortunate disaster to the U. S. cruiser Maine, and sincerely sympathize with your people.
My object in writing your excellency is to lay before your Government
an invention by Mr. Syer (formerly an engineer in the British Navy)
for raising sunken and floating off stranded ships by means of his
patent submersible controllable vessels.
I inclose copy of experts’ opinion, and need only point out to your
excellency the name of Sir E. J. Reed, K. C. B., F. R. S., N. I. N.
A. (late chief constructor of the navy), as a guaranty of the
importance and practicability of the invention, which will without
doubt be the future mode of lifting sunken and floating off stranded
ships.
In the case of the Maine a pair of these
vessels, on a small scale, could easily be constructed at very
little expense, to raise the whole of her guns, engines, and other
heavy material.
We can by our vessels raise the Maine more
cheaply, expeditiously, and successfully than by any other known
system in use at the present time, and a pair of small ones would
bring to surface her guns, etc., if divers could detach and
afterwards attach them.
I will be pleased to hear from your excellency, and would arrange to
meet any representative of your Navy or minister of marine in
London, fully explain the invention, and show the models in
operation.
I have, etc.,
James McIlquham,
Bridge End House, Aberystwyth,
Wales.
