Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-26
REMOVAL OF WRECK OF MAINE
WreckaGe y Serious Menace to ship
ping IN HarbOr

WILMINGTON, Jan. Ex-Governor Ma
COON Of the provisional government OF
Cuba, in his annual report to the secretary
Of war, made public today. brings to his
attention the wreck Of the United States
battleship Maine in Havana harbor. and
recommends that the government take i'm
mediate steps to accomplish its removal
without further delay, He says:
THE wreck of the Maine continues to lie
in the mud and waters OF Havana harbor.
The sunken battleshlp is a serious menace
to the shipping Of the harbor. as it occu-
pies a portion Of the best anchorage. The
obstruction has increased annually during
the last ten years by causing a shoal. The
moderate tides prevailing in the harbor
are hardly sufficient to prevent a gradual
filling up, ana this shoal seriously inter
feres with the action Of the tides and,
therefore, the entire hsrbor is rapidly fill-
ing. II will be necessary in a short time
to begin dredging in order to provide
proper anchorage for the large amount OF
shipping now entering the harbor unless
the wreck is removed. The anchorage is
also restricted by the wreck and the shoal.
for ships are obliged to anchor at sufficient
distance to prevent grounding in case they
strain on their cables.
Even more important than this OBJ
strUction to navigation is the fact that
this wreck, although 1t contains the
bodies of s~ixty-three American seamen,
or what is left OF them. is apparently
abandoned and forgotten by the govern
ment and people of the United States.
Thousands of Americans and other thou
sands of other nationalities annually en-
ter the hArbor of Havana. and probably
not one omits to express regret and cen
| aIrA fNV tia danlarahIa annntaoJa t. ba.
become a national reproach and an in
ternational scandal. The neglect to re-
move the wreck is attributed by many,
especially the large Spanish contingent
in Cuba, to the fear that its removal
will disclose the fallacy of the popular
belief that the Maine was destroyed by
8 torpedo or mine instead of an interior
explosion; so general does this opinion
prevail that I believe the Cuban gov
eminent was deferred thereby from deal.
Ing with the wreck as an obstruction tc
navigation of it's coastal waters and de,
stroying it. However, It should be
added that the Cuban authorities were
also restrained by a belief that the
United States would sometime desire and
attempt to remove 1t and preserve thu
wreck as a whole instead of breaking Il
up and removing it in the more mex.
pensivc manner.
The correspondence on file in the De
%partnent OF State and the Navy depart
: ment at Washington shows that a belle
/ prevails In those departments that it Il
necessary to secure, by treaty or other
' wise, the consent of the Republic o
Cuba TO the authorities of the United
States entering the harbor OF Havana
and proceeding Will the work of re
moval This permission, If necessary
|, can be easily secured and the Cuban gov
|. ernment would gladly afford every as
sistance in it's power to accomplish tn
desired result, not only because of tn
injury to the harbor facilities, but ais
i because of the prompting OF patriotism
= and sentiment. ! earnestly recommen
: that the United States government TAX
immediate steps to accomplish the re
= moval without further delay"