The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-01-25
Failure TO Clear 1t Away is
Declared to Be a National
Disgrace and Shame.

wAsHINGToNs d. c.. Jan. as
Governor MagoSh OF the Provisional
Government OF cnbaf in lis annual
report TO the ,secretary of War. brings
to his attention the wreck Of the uni
ted States battIeship Maine In Ha-
yana harbor and recommends that
the government AXE Immediate steps
to accomplish It's removal. without
further delay He says:
The wreck of the Maine continues
to lie in the mud and waters OF Ha-
vana Harbor The sunken battleship
Is a serious menace TO the shipping OF
the harbor MS 1t occupies a portion Of
the best anchorage. The obstruction
has increased annually during : the
last en years by causing a shoal.
The moderate tides prevail ling in the
harbor are hardly sufficient 10 pre-
vent gradual filling up and and this
shoal seriously interferes with the
action of the tides and. therefore. the
entire harbor is rapidly filing. 1t will
be necessary. in short time, to begin
dredging In order to provide proper
anchorage for the large amount of
shipping now entering the harbor I'M
less the wreck rs removed. Tho an
chorange is also restricted by the
wreck and the shoal, for ships are
Obliged to anchor at sufficient dis
lance to prevent grounding in case
than sis,S -, &t,af..
Even more important than this
obscruction is the fact that this
wreck. although it containes the bod
les of sixty-three American seamen,
or what is left of them, is apparently
ABANDONED and forgotten by the Gov
ernment and people OF the United
States Thousands of Americans and
other thousands of other nationalities
annually enter the harbor OF Havana
and probably not one omits to ex-
press regret and censure for the de-
plorable spectacle. 1t has become a
national rcproach and an internation-
al scandal. The neglect to remove
the wreck is attributed by many,
especially the arge Spanish contigent
in Cuba. to he fear that IS removal
viii disclose the fallacy of the popular
belief that the Maine was destroyed
by torpedo or mine instead OF an
interior explosion; SO generally does
this oplrfon prevail that believe the
Cuban authorities were also restrain
thereby from dealing with the wreck
as an obstruction to navigation of It's
coastal waters and destroying 1T;
however, it should be, added that the
Cuban authorities were also retsrain-
cd by belief that the United States
would sometime desire to attempt TO
remove It, and preserve the wreck as
a whole instead Of breaking II up and
removing Vt in the more Inexpensive
manner.
The correspondence on nle in the
Department of State and the Navy
Department at Washington shows
that belief prevails in those de-
partments that It is necessary TO SC:
cure by a treaty or otherwise the con-
sent OF, the Republic of Cuba to the
authorities of the United States en-
tcring the harbor of Havana and pro-
cccding with the work % removal:
this permission. If necessary. can be
easily secured. and the Cuban gov
eminent would gladly afford assist
ancc in its power to accomplish the
desired result. not only because Of
tho injury to the harbor facilities but
also because OF the prompting of pa
trlotism and sentiment / earnestly
recommend that the United States
Government take immediate steps to
accomplish the removal without
further dclay