The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-07-29
DARING Plan To
RAISE The maine
Master Engineer Would Use
Pneumatic CaiSs0nS.
To Swing Vessel Above Water
and Repair Her
In Air

Washington, July 25.-JOhn E.
O'Rourke. the engineer who bridget
the Hudson at Poughkeeps.e and drOOe
the Pennsylvania railroad tunnel IN
der the Norh River today laid be
fore Aching Secretary CT War Oliver
las plan for raising the Maine from
the mud OF Havana haTbOr.
Briefly this newest plan is based
upon system Of pneumatic ca+sSons,
such as have made possible lhe build
Ing of extremely deep foundations un-
der water and which contributed lar
sely to the success of the building
of tunnels under the Hudson. No di-
vers are used and The pCrtOon S's-
tenn is put completely aside. The
method proposed is to swing the
Maine in a cradle OF powerful cables
and lift her completely out Of 1he
water, where a complete inspection
of her hull will be possible.
While ne ship is suspended above
water Mr.. O'ROurke declares she GAIA
be repaired as readily as if she were in
dry dock, and after being relaunched
from the cable cradle can leave Ha-
vana harbor under her own steam.
This is said to be the first plan yet
proposed which would present the snip
to naval board in precisely the same
condition as she sunk on the night
of Fubruary Is, 1898. To raise her
with pontcoas, construc.EOn experts say
would mean to work upon her hull un
der water and to flea. her with COM
pressed air would disturb cOnditous
between decks.
First wharf Of piles would be built
on either side Of the subner-
ged wreck. Then between the wharwes
and the hull twelve Pneumatic cais-
sons would be sunk-siX on each side
Practical tunrel building operations
would be employed there after and
a hundred little tunnels would be driv
en- through the mud under the Names
keel between the opposite caisson.s
Through each tunnel powerful steel
cable would be run and each end
would be run up the outside of The
caisson to the wharf above, 50 ohere
would be a s.eel cable under the hull
every four feet, and the aggregate of
all would be calculated to be capable
Of Raising four time the weigh. of
the wreck which is about 1000 tons.
Each cable end would thea be at
tached to a system OF steel rci'ew
rods and the screw back principle
would be employed. la mat the war
Department would be asked for D
thousand men to operate the hand
screws, and by every man turning 4
lever at a given signal !r is planned
TO pull uhe hulk up in the cradle of
cables in praoticaly the sane way as
the pyramids of Egypt are supposed
to have been built by man power.
Once swung above the wafer line, the
gap between the wnarves would be
bridged and the engineers would work
under and around the hull. when re-
paired the vessel could be let down
into the water by reversal of the
process by which she was raised.
Mr.. O'RotIrke expressed the opinion
to Mr.. Oliver that the job could be
done in three months. Borh Mr..
Oliver and Gen. BiXby examined the
plan in minute detail. Mr.. O'Rourke
was assured on condition that should
an army board pass favorably on the
project his patents in the appana-
tus would be protected
Atty. Gen. Wickersham arranged 6or
the presentation of the plans.