New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-14
TAFT APPROVES PLAN
TO RAISE THE MAINE
Army Engineers Will Build Huge
Dam Around Wreckage IN
Havana Harbor.
SPAIN TO BE REPRESENTED
IT Congress- Gives Consent the
Old Hulk Will Be Taken Out
to Sea and Buried IN
Deep Water.


fo-dav finally approved plans for raising
The wreck Of the battleship Maine from
Havana Harbor, which call for the compile
non If the work on or before the thirteenth
anniversary OF the destruction Of the war
vessel. February Is next The work is to
he done according to plans made by army
engineers. and is 10 be under the direc-
non ~ ST engineer officer.
President Taft believes that the para
mount question in the raising Of the Maine
.se The determining for all time or the cause
o. the explosion. and whether the source
II destruction was from the outside or in
SIDE q the vessel For this reason he de-
el-as that the work shall be retained in the
hands Of -he army engineers, and not let
out bv contract
By direction Of the President. Spain has
beer invited TO send representative 10
Havana 70 b. present during the work OF
exposing an6 removing the wreck.
The disposition ~ the old hulk remains
- be settled. The army engineers believe
t7at * viii b. possible to float the after
two birds q the vessel The forward
shi-6. where the explosion wrought the
greatest havoc and killed the greatest
number Of the crew while they were asleep
n their quarters. is believed 70 be too far
=
he vreoksEe viii be removed piecemeal. II
congress approves the recommendation of
the engineers IN charge. the wreck will be
rszen out 20 sea and receive a ceremonial
burial in deep waite. there 70 remain until
rhs end OF tine. Various plans have been
suggested of exhibiting the wreck and pre-
serving j.; bur none Of these finds favor
zf-h the authorities AT Washington.
General Bixby Visits President
General William Z. Bixby. chief OF en-
cheers Of the army. spent an hour with
tie President this afternoon. and after eT-
rlaiuinr the plans for The removal Of the
wreck IN detail secured the President :
formal approval in writing General Bixby
later issued q statement which in a for
nal vav outlines the work 20 be under
taken He believes that the task can be
completed within three months, and while
10 special effort IS 10 be made in that
direction. ii IS his opinion that Havana
T4arhor will be clear OF the wreck by Feb
-8arv = next
II the wreckaEe % the forward part az
the vessel Is in a condition u permit Of
definite conclusions -Ie cause OF the de-
et--c-ion Of the ship on February Il. 1925.
VII have been determined probably by the
middle Of January next. No portion Of the
wreck is 10 ~ disturbed until 9ull op-
po-r1uiry has been given TO view and
study H.
To this end the first work 10 be under
taken viii be the construction Of a Golfer
cam Of interlockng steel pilings about the
hulk and pumping the water out. The dam
V-iu be large enough 10 give a clearance Of
City feet on ali sides Of the wreck The
forward JIr7et Of the battleship was blown
completely OF the vessel. and the dam viii
oe SO constructed a. TO include the turret
Jusr as II now lies in the harbor The /
Pumping out Of the water when the dam is 4
completed viii unquesUonably be an i'm
p0essive affair
The dan To be constructed about the
wreck VII be 40 feet n length and 20 feet
IN width a. The widest point. Twenty or
MON plans were submitted 70 the army
engineers and 10 the President for raising
t1e wreck. None was SO simple as that
adopted by the army officers. When Gen
2ral Bix1v was asked to-day whose plan
had been finally determined upon he re-
piled II Is hes- To call il simply the
-anuou sense plan
TIE army engineers VIII endeavor 10 give .
every one who has a right 10 be present 4
ample accommodation for sharing in the 4
-rs- view Of the exposed wreckage
Bodies To Be Taken TO Arlington.
4 -1rEe number D1 the bodies of sailors /
VINO lost their lives n the disaster were
never recovered. Il IS believed that nothing
"-t skeletons sill now De- found. These
viii 5e removed Al once and taken TO the /
Arlington National Cemetery Al Washing
c0r for burial
After tn wreck las been thoroughly ex-
a-,-u=c and studied. buIkheads viii be built
into such portions OF the wreck as II is
thought can be doated. and the damaged
PORTIONS VIII be h0isJed from the bottom
lieeemeaL Congress then VIII be asked
-r settle the question of the disposition OF
tte last remnants Of the arrlor clad whose
'esrrEcJion s. generally believed 10 have
brought on the Spanish-American Var
A uas Al board q inouir-. which was con-
.-n=d n Havana and made such an ex-
animation q the wreck as was possible by
The experiments OF divers and the taking
oi testimony Of survivors and eyeWitnesses
OF the tragedy. reported that the explosion
anne from the outside. probably from a
mine. This verdict was based chiefly on the
TACT that portions Of the keel plates were
found blown from the bottom OF the U-rect, 1
through the upper deck Il was argued
tEa1 t1is could only have been caused bv
an explosion from beneath the vessel The
EXPLOSION q magazine. II was declared
"'ulc rave orlven the keel plates outward /
''isresS recently appropriated S300. goo for
TaisinE and removing the wreck The
army engineer were given preliminary di- /
recrlon 81 the work
The wreck Is now IL TWENTY-FIVE feet ~ 1
Narer- It has sunk only one foot in the /
rHE. pa wears and = FaTe ss--. 4.