The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-14
Question Of Raising Maine
Is Difficult One TO Solve

buckles boast, recently repeated IN a |
long telegram to the Secretary of
Navy that he has never experienced q
failure in raising ships. He is now
trying to raise the auxiliary. cruiser
Yankee sunk on a reef in the Buffard's
Bay Massachusetts.
Naval officers insist that the Maine
cannot be raised, first because there
is probably only half ship left. the
whole forward end being destroyed.
They say she is lying deep in the muck
of Havana Harbor, which presents not
only serious engineering problem but
will cause undoubted illness and most
likely death to the salvage workers
to say nothing of the rendents of Ha.
vana il this rot accumuiations of Ha-
vana's sewage for years, Is disturbed.
as it would have to be in the sinking
of caissons or through any work on
the wreckage. 1t is pointed out that
when the Maine was blown up the for
ward gun turrett was thrown clear of
the wreck and settled so deep in the
muck that even up to this time it has
not been located.
Under the ruling of attorney general
Wickersham, the army engineers will
not have to advertise for bids, and
hence they can prosecute the work in
any way they see fit. The engineers
know what the naval officers believe
the task to be useless one, but 1t
| is said the former are going at their
task with hammer and tongs and II
successful will be able to claim SUI
periority over the naval officers. even
when at work in the sphere that be-
! longs to naval men. 1t is intimated
that the engineers will not call upon
expert contractors but will use army
boats and attempt the task without
outside assistance
| Congress is to be called upon at the
coming session to take some action to
make the United States Marine Corps
more effective and to give the officers
of this service, 334 in number, suff:-
cient work to perform to keep them
alert and busy. Lack of work is re-
i sponsible for the recent Elliott-Laun-
! cheimer scandal. The commanding
officer of the corps is General Elliott.
He will retire this fall. Colonel Laun-
cheimen, staff officer with a follow
! ing of other officers, was found guilty
of stirring up dissentioa. A court Of
inquiry of retired rear admirals of the
navy. behind closed doors, looked into
the sewing circle squabtle of the staff
officers of the corps and on their
findings Secretary of the Navy, Meyer
ordered all of the officers brough into
the scandal sent away from Washing
ton. Colonel Denny and 1t. Colonel
Prince, the former ordered to San
Francisco and the latter to Manila,
plead physical unfitness and asked to
be retired, which request has been de.
MED.
The trouble which has been brew
ing for many months, came up over
the question as to who was to, be Gen.
eral Elliott's successor. Colonel
Launcheimer declared he had been
''keepink tabs on General Elliott s
drinking" ..
+! The. marine corps which has an en-
listed strength of 1881 men received
! a severe jolt by the navy department
when President Roosevelt was in the
White House. He ordered marines Oft
all the warships. Congress put them
back, for the marine corps stands
strong with Congress and with society
Navy officers say that the marine is
+ useful, but not aboard war vessels. In
fact they assert they are detriment
for in war time they are landed to es
) tablish and hold base POINTS, LEAVING
weakened gun crews on the battle
ships.
What is believed will be a solution
of the problem will be to have ONT
} transport, manned with thousand
marines and officers, carrying neces