The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-04-08
THE WRECK OF THE MAINE,
And the Story of a Maine wonan's
Dream.


The wreck Of the battleship Maine
still protudes above the water in the
busiest part OF the harbor Of Havana,
and il not only an eyesore but an OBJ
structi0n to navigation and grievous
reminder of one OF the most ameutable
tragedies in history. II has remained
in that way for nine years mp to the
10th Of February, and although two
contracts for its removed have been
made, neither has been carried out, and
it must remain until the government
OF the United States removes It, be-
cause the Cubans have neither the skill
nor the enterprise nor the facilities for
doing So The wreck lies in six fathoms
OF water and has gradually settled in
to the mud and filth which has accum-
ulated ont he bottom Of the boy from
the sewage of nearly four centuries No
accidents has yet heppened, but the
wreck is continual peril to navigation.
The passenger ships from New York
Orleans. Mexico and Florida anchor inn
mediately around It.
There have been many theories in
regard to~the cause Of the explosion,
and the subject has been probably dis
cussed more in Havana than anywhere
else. Every atom of light that could be
thrown upon the mystery and every
chew TO is cause has been investigated
end discussed over and over until pub
lie opinion here has now practically de-
termined that the tragedy was due not
TO torpedo or any other externol
cause. but to the explosion OF the pow
der in the forward magazine Of the ship,
caused by heat from spontaneous com.
bustion in the coal bunkers. This con-
clusion is said to have been strongly
supported by the survey of the contrac-
tors who undertook to raise the wreck
Their divers made very different reports
from those given to the court Of I'M
quiry shortly after the tragedy, and
maintain that almost all the damage is
found in the forward part, of the ship
H. the neighborhood Of the magazine
that there are unmistskable evidence
of hot fire in the coal bunkers imme.
diately next to the magazine, with
nothing but sheet Of from onefourth OF
an inch thick between the fire and the
powder
This, of course, is not conclusive. 1t
is only a theory, but the contractors
,leclaret hat they can demonstrate it,
truth if they are allowed to use dyna.
mite TO seperate the machinery and
other heavy material so as TO hoist il
to the surface Of the water and place
it on lighters. They insist, too, that
the reason why the navy department
opposes the removal Of the wreck is is
fear Of disagrecable disclosures. They
recall the fact that while the peace
commission was sitting in Paris the
! Spanish government demanded an inter
national investigation of the cause of
the explosion, which the United States
would not permit, on the preteXt that
| il was inexpedient and unnecessary "a
revive the discussion. The advocates
of the accidental theory remind you OF
several cases of spontaneous combus-
! toni the bunkers of United States
navel vessels. and refer 20 the suicide
Of the officer who had charge Of the for.
ward magazine on the Maine They de-
clare that the reasons given III the
newspapers for his suicide are not sui
hcicnt.
There Is curious story connected
with the explosion Of the Maine which
has had considerable weight with super.
stitions people, and also with hard.
headed, practical, sensible men, like So
nator Frye, Admiral Bradford anJ
others from the state OF Maine, who
know tho character and anteeedeuts OF
the wife Of druggist IN the city .oi
/ Lewiston, who saw the tragedy rehears
ed in dream the night that it occurred
4 Clio IA not a nrofcsstnual clairVoyant
she does pretend to possess superna
tursl powers, but has foretold loea
events ia that cummmity ina most ex