The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-14
az JONATHAN WINFIELD.


Washington. Aug. 13.-Can the bat
tleship Maine. blown up in Havana
Harbor. February Is. 1898. with the
loss of two officers. two hundred and
thirty sailors and twenty-eight ma
rines. be raised?
This is the question that Congress
has put up" to the War Department,
100000 having been appropriated to
either raise or destroy the historic
wreck and bury the dead. should the
remains Of any of the unfortunate
sailormen be found.
Many officers are frank in their
declaration that the Maine can not be
raised. They have maintained since
the Spanish-American war that the
wrecked battleship, mass of twisted
steel, her forward turreI blown away
and with the forward keel rising above
the stern cannot possibly be success
fully raised.
Engineers of the army, however, are
optimistic and numerous conferences
have been held by War Department Of
ficials with contractors from various
parts of the country. In addition the
question has been still further compli-
Gated by the legal aspect, which made
it necessary for the War Department
to obtain from the department of JUS
tice an opinion recently rendered that
the 100000 appropriated by Congress
can be used in any way the Wa- De-
partn,ent engineers see fit.
That department has appointed :,
board consisting of Colonel William
Black, chief of the harbor improve
ment work at New York City, 1t. Col
Mason M. Patrick an army engineer
on duty at Norfork, Virginia and Capt
Harley B. Ferguson, engineer officer
at Montgomery, Ala, who will make a
survey of the wreck and determine
how the Maine shall be raised, if in
their opinion such a thing is possible
A most interesting situation is thus
established and it will be curious ii
watch the work of the army engineers
who will be backed by the experience
OF many civil contractors, as against
the opinion of naval officers that the
wreck cannot be raised.
At conferences held by the army
engineers with civil contractors, who
are seeking the honor and money in
| volved in the attempt to raise the
Maine many surious plans have been
presented.
John F. O'Rourke. President Of the
O'Rourke Construction Company OF
New York. who has solved some of the
greatest engineering problems in the
development of New York City, had
long conference with former Presi
dent Roosevelt at Oyster Bay recently
Colonel Roosevelt having always
shown a deep interest in the wreca
of the Maine Mr.. O'Rourke took his
plan to Oyster Bay before presenting
it to the War Department. His idea
is not only to raise the Maine, but tc
bring the remains of the ship back tc
the United States under her owr
steam. He proposed to build around
| the i'll fated vessle a floating whar,
and to lift her to this by means Of
caissons. He is on record at the Wal
| Department as being anxious to obtain
the contract, If one is to be let, moi
only for the sake of the money tina,
would be in it for his firm, but for the
honor he might gain in the eyes of his
countrymen. Tunnels under the wreck
through which cables are to be passet
also enter into O'Rourke plan.
John F. Arbuckle, who when he il
not roasting coffee or establishin.
floating hospitals for the poor childre,
Of New York City, devotes his TIM
to the raising of wrecks, is also afte
the honor Of the job. He raised thu
naval collier Nero, stranded ON tn,
rocks at Brenton Reef, Newport, r
l., and a Sound steamer that wen
ashore off the Massachusetts, coast a
well as other crafts. It is Mr.. Al