Evening star., 1909-05-15
PLAN FOR the MAINE WRECK
AUTHOR OF ISLAND SCHEME
EXPLAINS 1T.
1mpracticable to Raise Hulk; He
Proposes a Wall and a Monu-
ment to the Dead.
To the Editor OF The Star:


From reading your editorial In The
Evening Star OF the 9th instant. entitled
1.-The Names Wreck" 1t is quite evident
you were under the wrong impression
concerning the circumstances attending
the presentation OF my scheme at the
recent A. 8. NJ E. meeting for a walled
island about the wreck OF the battleship
Maine in Havana harbor. 1t, was sim
ply a privileged communication and not
open for discussion or reference. The
resolutions were those that had previ-
ously presented to the Board OF Trade of
Newark. n. j., being then unanimously
adopted. They ask that Congress shall
refrain from passing any bill looking to
q disturbing or removal Of this ship or
the approprtating Of any money to be
applied for such q purpose. They pro-
pose commission Ito devise Q plan look
ing to the building Of a substantial
walled island about the vessel. OF appro-
pirate size and design to make II con-
form to the spirit this nation should
manifest toward its army and naval he
roes who gave up their lives for their
country. and which shall become a me-
mortal Of the event which marked the
alpha Of peace and the omega OF OPP
preston on the Island Of Cuba
As the accredited author OF the scheme
to form an appropriate sepulcher for the
bodies that are now buried with her. and
by artistic design to thus transform the
spot into beautiful little island, in the
center Of which shall rise a properly in
ecribed shaft, must take issue with
the proposition to raise this wreck, thus
wtping out Of existence one OF the most
important landmarks in history. Had
there been no patriotic spirit in Massa-
ington would have been plowed over and
subsequently turned into building lots.
and Bunker Hill would now be graced
with apartment houses or sky-scraping
Office buildings.
A Patriotic Shrine.
Is 1t possible our people see no parallel
in this battleship wreck in Havana har-
bor7 To me the pile of twisted iron and
steel speaks out with great emphasis and
demands appropriate recognition. and be-
lieve the people Of Cuba. after they had
come to realize the matter, would hail
with joy any practical proposition to To-
cate patriotic shrine over this battle
ship.
It is now eleven years since the Maine
was sent to the bottom by an Internal
mine located in the mud In the immediate
vicinity Of the buoy to which she was
anchored. BY whom this mine was To-
Gated Is not part of my argument. Any
attempt to discuss the matter will only
lead to as many different opinions as
there are men to discuss 1t, and the ex-
act truth will never be known unless a
death-bed confession should bring 1t to
light. What we do know is that the
occurrence was but logical conclusion
of strenuous conditions which prevailed
from early in January, 1898. until the
eventful evening Of February 15. follow
ing. Whether any significance should be
attached to the fact that the Maine was
sunk on the same day that this nation
was informed of Spain's action regarding
the scurrilous De LONE letter need not
be taken into the question. except so far
as 1t might have influence in determining
the propriety of still further examining
the wreck. which your editorial points out
as SO desirable.
I cannot, however. agree with your con-
tention. and yet my proposition for an
island affords an opportunity to get a
more practical and reliable survey of ex-
act conditions than is possible In any
other way. but 1t would cost very large
sum OF money to expose the hull within
the walled bulkhead which I have plan
ned for the island. Yet, after all this
expenditure of labor and money. what
have we proved to satisfy the world that
from what was stated in the and
ing Of the court Immediately after the
explosion? Some will always disagree
with any verdict, and this would be en-
character and I cannot believe but that
the great mass OF our thinking people. and
say say of the world. now accept the
verdict Of our court as correct beyond
any question.
Hulk Cannot Be Lifted.
1t cannot be assumed for a moment that
the Maine could be rebuilt, and the popu-
lar conclusion is it would be taken out
to sea and sunk.
The common idea that the wreck can be
raised is wrong. because the whole for
ward part of the vessel is so shattered
that it never can be lifted as whole:
therefore the hulk would have to be blown
up. This would be very expensive. and
when this has all been accomplished we
should have nothing 10 show for ohr
money except widespread horror that
we have blasted out the grave contain
ing the remains of sixty-three of our
sailors and marines and have made i'm
possible the honorable burial of the bat
tleShip which Admiral Sigsbee has often
urged.
The sailors who lost their lives in. this
great disaster are entitled to proper
burial. and to do less than this means
that this nation is willing to leave it's
dead unhonored and forgotten. To me
this is repugnant. and l know 1t is re-
pugnant to many with whom | have con-
versed from Michigan to Massachusetts,.
Let a commission be appointed to de-
wise means of retaining this old warShip
just where she lies, empowered to confer
with the Cuban government and obtain
its cooperation, which l believe we can
readily obtain when the matter is pre-
sented to it properly in its true light.
am led to this belief not only from my
knowledge of the people. for l know them
and the island and the harbor, but also
from my conversations with Cuban off,
cials and others. 1t should appeal as
strongly to their patriotism as 1t ought to
appeal to our sentiment.
The educational feature of this island
scheme / regard as of great Importance.
The Spanish-American war was a small
affair compared to the Franco-Prussian.
the Japanese-Russian and other wars,
and yet it changed the maps Of this globe
more than all these wars put together.
Does Bunker Hill monument teach moth
ing? Do our monuments at Arlington and
Gettysburg mark nothing In history?
There is as much and in some respects
more reason why the battleship Maine
should remain just where 1t Is than that
we should erect monuments and tablets
here and there for far less important rea-
sons. This feature alone demands that
the battleship Maine should not be dis
turbed. but let us complete the monu-
ment In a manner honorable to this ma
tion and which future generations shall
be proud Of
The question of obstructing navigation.
filing up the harbor with sand bars, etc,
only appeals to the prejudiced and have
no place in fact Tor sober consideration.
OROSCO C.. WOOLSON.
Newark, n. j.