The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-22
TO RAISE The WRECK.

the Navy Department was tHe ueclslon
of the government to allow concurrent
Investigation of the cause Of the Maine
disaster. for its own part making an
independent inquiry through the Naval
Court of Inquiry already appointed
while permitting the Spanish authori-
ties to make such Investigations as they
desire. This arrangement commended
itself to Naval men Us air to all and at
the same time as calculated to develop
the exact facts in a manner that could
not be questioned.
RELIEF FOR FAMILIES OF DEAD
There was Il good deal of talk among
| The officials of the neeu OF speedy relleI
measures for the benefit Of the families
| If the yictime of me explosion. Under
! the Treasury rules the aliOt1nentS Oh
| portions of pay to members of their
| families made by the men who persisted
n the wreck must stop at once. 1t Is
| not doubted THAT Congress Will do as 1t
| did in the case of the Samoan disaster,
| provide fer Il years pay for the families
/ of the sailors who died at their post.
| Tie difficulty. however. IS that such a
measure cannot be passed at once ana
| meantime some of the families of the
| dead sailors Will be in great distress.
| The subject has been taken up by Mr..
| Lorg and he called a meeting for Mon
day to initiate the movement. 1t happens
| that by the rare chance of an
change of pay masters recently, very III
tie of the savings of the Names sailors
went down in the vessel. About two
weeks ago Paymaster : ttleheld, OF the
Maine. was relieved by Pay Master
D,,- rTJ,, fprn,ar r11np 10 NJ 1Sh1nOtOn
and has settled the accounts of the ship
IN to he time he left. The record
shows that Pay Master Ray had on hand
in his safe only about $4,000 in cash,
probably gold. and Il check for $4,000,
which of course is safe enough, without
his endorsement, against loss.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.
Since the spontaneous combustion the
DRY has come SO prominently TO the
front as accounting for the disaster,
the officials have been looking over the
records to find a parallel case. as neal
as may be. The flag ship New York was
discovered to be on fire March .. 1896
Smoke was issuing from her main maya
zine. This was cleared of pOWde
safely and it was found that the Wood
work had been charred deeply. lht
cause was not at first p~erceptble, but =
was soon discovered that an adjoin
inc coal bunker was burning. When the
bunker was opened, the coal on top was
not hot but as the men dug down into tine
mass It was found to be red hot IN
side. There was no manifestation o1
neat on the top of the bunker nor OF
any save the one side next the maya
zine. That startled the Naval Officers
and the constructors made a considerable
air sIacp between the bunkerS and tn
ma"azine. In the designing of the new
hatleship now on tne stocks the lessor
was kept in mind and everything posi-
bic was done to insulate the coal bun
: kers from the magazines.
Secretary Long has gwen orders tina
with the expiration of this day ther'
: need be observed no longer the orde
/ to I'll ships and commands to display tn
' national colors at half mast. m
5 WILL RAISE THE MAINE.
There is no abatement of the talk 0
the ~eXpediency Of raising the Maine
Chief Constructor Hichborn is one o
the most earnest advocates of the resur
, rection of the ship, from both sentl
mental and practical considerations ii
: points out that the ship lies in a land
locked harbOr easy for the Wreckers t
orerate in and that. if she can be re
s | ltiiI dt d 1OSl VI q iliiiO 70 -
government will save four millions, tn
! first cost of such a batleship with al
n of her equipment. Great Britain. h
said. never abandoned a ship if Their
was the least chance to save her. am
Y has not ever yet abandoned the hope y
+ raising the Inflated Victoria. sunk il
collision with the Camperdown off tn
coast of Syria several years ago.
Commander Francis w. Dickens, th'
acting chief of the Bureau of Nav
+ CATION. and Secretary Longs right han,
L man in the present emergency. said:
Il The Maine must be taken to a
american port if there is enough Of he
bones holding together to warrant re
K moval. and in all likelihood that will b
II done. If the explosion was more dis
Y astrous than is now thought to be tb
case. if the hull is 50 wrecked as t
. be beyond repair. then as much of tn
material as can be secured will b
$ brought home and placed in a ney
Maine. 1t is to be remembered tina
i great advances have been made in shi
building since the Maine was designed
and Il finer ship to bear the name cOul
be built to-day. but it would take time
q and if any considerable portion of th
= ship is good. with Il modernized batter
and improvements in rebuilding the dc
stroyed portions. a magnificent vesst
c can be quickly secured"
Chief Engineer Melville has decide
views in favor Of the proposition to re
build the Maine. Even suppose TIL
costs S1.OOO.O 900" said he. "a new shi
10 the Maine would cost nearly $1,000
IS 900. The repairs could be made and tn
ship put in service again in a year 4
the farthest. To build a new ship lk
l., her would take at least three wear
le With regard to the practica bility {
raising the vessel. it is to he remarke
that larger vessels have been raise
which were at sea where they were e,
ie posed to the waves. while the Maine
K in a perfectly quiet harbor. one end res
y. ing in the mud and part of the othe
end above water. The Maine is in
shallow sDot. as protected as a mi
pond. and she is ouly a six thousan
- ton ship. The British armor clad How,
- Of over ten thousand tons. was raise
- off Ferroll. Snain. in tho open ocean. an
II. NJ. =. Sultan. of over 1900 ton
IA was raised and saved after sha SanI,