The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-08
TO BLOW UP THE ALVENA.
Captain chittenden's Bid of Thirty-s

Captain Chittenden's Bid of Thirty-Six
 Thousand Dollars Accepted by the
 Government-The Derelict Lies in
 the Main Ship Channel-Went to the
 Bottom in Collision With the British
 Queen.
 New York, July 7-Having been abandoned by her owners and con- demned as a. dangerous obstruction to navigation, the wreck of the Atlas line steamship Alvena, which was sunk off Sandy Hook on January 19 last, after having been in collision with the steam ship British Queen, is to be destroyed by dynamite.
 The contract for the removal of the vessel and cargo, bids for which were closed a few days ago, has just been awarded by Lieutenant Colonel Will liam Ludlow of the Corps of Engineers, United States Army. to Captain Chit. tenden of the Chapman Wrecking com pany, whose bid was for $36.000
 Captain Chittenden also received the contract to remove the wreck ,of the Atlas liner Ailsa, which was sunk of Fort Lafayette, and he Is now engaged
  ous derelict. His bid for the Ailsa was only $11,075. Owing to the position Of the Alvena the task of removing her in wolves greater labor and more risk to the workmen and machinery used.
 The wreck lies 1,500 feet southeast or Buoy B in the main ship channel. It rests upon a sandy bar. Captain Chit tenden will begin operations on 1t soon. He has ninety days in which to com plete the work. For every days delay beyond that period he must pay the government a fine of $25.
 Any portion of the wreck or cargo which, in the judgment of the United States engineer overseeing the work, shall possess sufficient value is to be landed at Sandy Hook subject to dis posal by the government authorities there. All other portions are to be talk en to sea and deposited in not less than ninety feet of water.
 Captain Chittenden will follow the same methods in removing the Alvena as he has in his work of destroying the l Ailsa The vessel will first be cleared of all Instructions, then lined off and cut to pieces, foot by foot, with sticks of dynamite, exploded by means of elec- tricity. As each piece is severed from | the main body of the ship it will be hoisted by chains to a barge, Divers will do the greater part of the work. It is estimated that 4,500 pounds of dynamite and 2.500 pounds of powder, the powder to be used to blow up the | boilers, decks and all wooden compart- ments, will be required to complete the job.
 The collision which resulted in the sinking of the Alvena occurred on Jan- uary 19 last The Alvena, with only two cabin passengers and a crew of thirty-five men, was passing out in the main ship channel bound for Haytian ports. She had reached point off San dy Hook lightship and was making for her seaward course when the British Queen steamed into the channel. Although the course of the vessels was plainly visible to the two captains | they bore hard on toward each other, and collision followed, the British 1 Queen striking the Alvena on the star board quarter. opening an immense | hole in her The Alvena's captain pill ed on all steam, reaching the bar just l in time to save the vessel from going down in deeper water.
 i The Alvena was of 1,475 gross ton mage She was 274.2 feet long, 329 feet beam and 242 feet deep. She was built 1 in Glasgow in 1870.