The Daily Missoulian., 1909-01-25
GOVERNOR OF CUBA ADVISES
IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF
WRECKED SHIP.
NATIONAL R[PROACH'
Presence OF Shattered Skeleton Of Fa-
nous Man. Of War in a Position in
the Best Anchorage Of Havana Is
Causing Danger and TroubIe-What
tho Spaniards Think.

washington, Jan. Ex-Governor
Magoon. of the provisional govern
ment of Cuba, in his annual report to
| the secretary of war, made public to-
day, brings to his attention the wreck
of the United States battleship Maine
In Havana harhor and recommends 8
that the government take immediate
steps to accomplish its removal with
out 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 serious menace to the shipping of
the harbor as it occupies a portion of
the best anchorage. The obstruction
has increased annually during the
past 10 years by causing shoal The
moderate tides prevailing in the har-
Dor are hardly sufficient to prevent
a gradual filling up and this shoal, Sc
riously interfering with the action of
the tides and, therefore, the entire har-
Dor is rapidly filling 1t will be nec-
essary, in a short time, to begin
anchorage for the large amount of
shipping now entering the harbor, un-
less the wreck Is removed The an
chorage is also restricted by the
wreck and the shoal, for ships are
obliged to anchor at sufficient dis
tance to prevent grounding in case
they strain on their cables.
"A National Reproach."
Even more important than this OBJ
struction to navigation is the fact
that this wreck, although it contains
the bodies of 63 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 ana
other thousands of other nationalities
enter the harbor of Havana
and probably not one omits to express
regret and censure for the deplorable
spectacle. 1t has become a national
reproach and an international scandal.
The neglect to remove the wreck Is
attributed by many, especially the
large Spanish contingent in Cuba, to
the fear that it's removal will disclose
the Maine was destroyed by torpe-
do or mine instead of an interior ex-
plosion; so generally does this opinion
prevail that l believe the Cuban gov
was deferred thereby from
dealing with the wreck as an obstruc-
ton to navigation Of its costal wa
ters and destroying It,; however, 1t
should be added that the Cuban au-
thorities were also restrained by a be- |
lief that the United States would some |
time desire and attempt to remove 1t |
and preserve the wreck as a whole |
instead of breaking it up and re-
moving 1t in the more inexpensive |
manner.
Advises Action.
The correspondence on file In the
department of state and the navy de-
'artment at Washington shows that
| belief prevails in those departments
hat 1t Is necessary to secure, by a
reaty or otherwise, the consent Of the
epubl1c of Cuba to the authorities OF
he United States entering the harbor
# Havana and preceding with the
work of removal; this permission If
necessary, can be easily secured and
he Cuban government would gladly
fford every assistance in it's power to
ccomplish the desired result, not only
ecause of the injury to the harbor
but also because of the
of patriotism and sentiment.
earnestly recommend that the Unit
d States government take immediate
teps to accomplish the removal with
ut further delay"