Show DEFECTS OF THE MAINE secretary herbert says they may be remedied Beme died washington oct 28 the secretary 0 f tho the navy being asked today about the statement published relative to the defects in the A maine faine particularly about the be draught forward and aft said the A maine taine was besig designed ned to be on oil even keel at lier her normal drat draught gilt of twenty one feet six inches with tons ions of coal on board she has now been loaded with over GOO COO tons of coal and her draught forward Is two feet live inches greater than aft many ships when fully loaded are down this way when the ship hs his been at sea a few days this will be corrected in a great part at least by using the coal which Is generally taken from the forward part of 0 the vessel by the use of the after trimming tank provided for this purpose and by 9 some ome shifting ot of stores to the after storerooms store rooms not now used it may perhaps be also necessary to add some permanent ballast As to the listing of the maine to starboard this Is not a matter of importance the atlanta and boston have both proved to be serviceable ships but in each of these the trials showed a list nearly double that of tile the maine 1 and this Is also corrected by loading |