Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-12-30
RAISING TIE MARIA TERESA
Hobson's Job Was Disgusting and Sickening as Well as
 a Big Engineering E Feat.
WAS VERY SLOW WORK.
The Gases Generated by Decompos- ing Bodies of Men and Cattle
 Were Overpowering.


 iards Had Opened the Sea Cocks When They Saw They Were Doomed-COst of Floating Estimated at SIOO,0OO. The brief dispatch to the navy de- partment announcing that the wrecked armored cruiser Infanta Maria Teresa had been pulled off the reef near San tiago told nothing of the details of the operation. Nor did the information that Lieut.. Hobson was now busy with the Cristobol Colon explain how he was proceeding to perform this second engineering marvel.
 Lieut.. Hobson felt satisfied that the feat could be accomplished.
 "In my opinion" he said, the Colon is the finest ship of her class ever built, and it would be fairly a disgrace to let her lie without making any effort to save her. I think at least three of the ships can be saved and added to our navy"
 The Maria Teresa did not present very difficult proposition for the wreck CTS to handle, and the methods used were not at all those that enter into the floating of the Colon.
 When Cervera saw his flight was hope less he headed the vessel directly for the shore. She struck with tremendous force upon the Jagged reef and became securely pinioned to the shore by projecting mass of coral rock that stove through her bottom just aft of the for ward turret.
 She was held fast to the shore by that mass of rock thrust through her bottom and could not be budged.
 It was thus a simple proposition of removing the rock that projected up through the bottom, getting the vessel back on an even keel, pumping the wa ter out and then pulling her from the shore.
 Under ordinary conditions this whole than half the time that was required, but Hobson and his assistants have been working in the face of great dis couragement and work has progressed slowly.
 Besides the unfavorable weather that has prevailed since the work was start ed on the Teresa, fever has broken out among the crew. The gases generated by decomposing animal matter-the bodies of men and cattle-were so rank that they extinguished the lights low cred into the hold and interfered mate- ria1ly with the progress of the work. Even the Cubans who have been en- r. sick and were unable to put in full time. Some of the men have been com- pelled to return home.
 The work of blasting out the rock was begun as soon as the armament had been removed from the Maria an ugly hole In the ships bottom about seven feet by eight. The rock lay in the direction of the ships length and could be seen plainly on the starboard side.
 It ran up eighteen inches through the bow and held the vessel as securely as though it had been ten times that high. Thirty-five feet of the vessel lay on the reef; the rest overhung at dangerous angle.
 In order to remove the rock it was necessary to seal up the ragged opening that surrounded 1t. This was done with heavy mating, blankets and ce- ment.
 The sea-cocks that the Spaniards had opened when they saw surrender in- evitable were closed, and all the open- ings below the water line that had been made by our fire were covered with heavy canvas, so that the vessel was practically water tight.
 The pumps were then put to work and the fifteen or eighteen feet of water drawn out. It was found necessary to keep pumps working continuously, as the vessel still leaked to some extent.
 With the water out, it was next nec- essary to encase the rock and it's open- ing in watel-tight box, so that when the hole was reopened by the removal of the rock, the water could be held back. Everything was then ready for the blasting
 In order to get the rock away without damage to the vessel only very small blasts could be made. The charges were never over three-quarters of pound.
 The rock was blasted from below, outside the vessel, and great care and expertness were required. The car tridges were placed by divers in the natural crevices of the rock, and very little drilling was necessary. Bit by bit the rock was blown away, but while there was scarcely more than one hun dred cubic feet to be removed, it took one week to get it down so that the ves- sel rested on an even keel.
 When she lay free she was pulled of the reef and into deep water. She was In splendid condition and proceeded to Guantanamo under her own steam.
 The cost of floating the Maria Teresa is estimated at s100,000.