The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-14
PLAN FOR RAISING
MAINE APPROVED
Work Will Be Retained
in Hands Of Army
Engineers.
TASK COMPLETE
BY FEBRUARY Is
Taft Puts His Official 20. K" on
Suggestions of General Bixby
for Raising Wreck of Fam
Gus Battleship-spain In
vited to Have Represen-
tative Present.

Beverly, Mass. October 13.-Presi-
dent Taft to-day finally approved plans
for raising the wreck of the battle /
ship Maine from Havana Harbor,
which call for the completion OF the
work on or before the thirteenth an
niversary OF the destruction of the
war vessel. February 10. next. The
work Is to be done according to plans
made by army engineers and Is to be-
under the direction Of an engineer Of
Hcer.
President Taft said this evening that
the paramount question In the raising
of the Maine is the determining OF all
time the cause of the explosion, and
whether the source OF destruction was
from the outside or inside the vessel
For this reason. he desires that the
work shall be retained in the hands
OF the army engineers and not let
out by contract.
BY direction of the President, Spain
has been invited to send REPRESENTS
tive to Havana to be present during
the work of exposing and removing
the wreck.
The disposition of the old hulk re-
mains TO be settled. The army en-
gineers believe that 1t will be possible
to raise the after two-thfrds of the
vessel The forward third, where tho
explosion wrought the greatest havoc
and killed the greatest number of
the crew while they were asleep In
their quarters, is believed to be too far
gone ever 10 be taken out as a whole.
and the wreckage will be removed
piece meal
VIII Have Burlnl mt Sea.
dation of the engineers. the wreck
Will be taken out to sea and given a
ceremoniai burial in deep water, there
to remain until the end OF time.
General Wimam y T. BiSny sps, an shisa hour Or
with the President this afternoon. and
after explaining the plans for the re, =,
rnoval OF the wreck in ,;detaii. secured
writing. General Blxby later issued
a statement which outlines the work
TO be undertaken. He believes that the
task can be completed WITHIN tnree
mon this, and II Is his opinion that Ha-
vana harbor will be clear Of the wreck
by February Is next
If the wreckage CO the forward part
of the vessel is in a condition to per-
NIT of definite conclusions. the caus:
OF the destruction of the ship on Feb.
ruary Is, 1898. will have been deter
mined probably by the middle OF jan
vary next No port.on1, portion, OF tir the onnors wresk
&
.unity has been given to view ano
study It, -
To this end the first work will be
the construction OF a.coner dam ,Sa os
hulk The dam Will be large enough
to give a clearance of fifty feet on all
sides Of the wreck. The forward tur-
ret OF the battleship was blown com on
be constructed SO as to include . une
turret iust as it now lies in the harbor
VIII he Impressive.
The pumping out OF water when the
dam is completed will unquestionaply
be an impressive event. largs ,sso 'iI lost
their lives in the destruction were
never recovered. 1t is believed ina
nothing, but skeletons will now pe
found. These will be taken TO the
Arlington National Cemetery at WASH
ington for burial. :,
After the werck has been thoroughly
examined and studied. bulkheads WI WI
be built into such portions o. taf taf
and the damaged portions wlll pe
+ hoisted from the bottom piecemeal
Congress then will be asked TO set,
tie the question Of the tdn disposleion o.
whose destruction is generally beley
ed to have precipitated the Snanlsh
American War. .ooo
Congress recently approprlated soov
=
wreck The army engineers VISITED
Havana some time ago and began al
examination both Of the wreck ant
the various plans suggested for IL
removal.
feet e ne Of water water. ii has sunk but on,
foot In the twelve years and nal
since It went down; eam underneadh famnd - tn
depth Of five to eight feet. and p, pc
meath this there is hard clay. Int
which the steel piles will be driven
The dam to be eonstructed str, te anoqt ntti IN n
a75 feet, in width at the widest part
Common Sense Flan.
Twenty or more plans We're sub
mitted for raising the wreck. Non
by the army officers When Genera
Bixby was asked to-day whose plan
had been finally determined upon, h
replied: "It is best tomcall IT slmpl
the common sense plan"
All the work in connection with tn
removal OF the wreck is to be don
by hired labor, and the purchase 9
materials in open market, using tn
@ plant now on hand and hlrlns othe
plants Unnecessary. If
In his signed Endorsement. approvin
the plans for the removal of tn
wreck, President Taft says IN n, Y par, !. !
this work should be done as nromptl
as possible, and also under such con
ditions that information as. exact a
possible should be secured In respee
these considerations should hc.ve NOR
weight in determining the plan 6
procedure than even those OF econom.
TO retain complete control Of the. .wor
In the hands OF the army engineer
will strengthen public confidence
the result shown
G,,ins to Panama.
t.5i Beverly, Mass, October 1S.-Presl lder
Il TAFT will sail for the Isthmus Of Par
ANA on Move nber8 10 from Charleston
s. G. He will make the trip on the a.
mored cruiser North Carolina and wi
he conveyed by the sister ship. u
Montana These are the same vesse
used by Mr.. Taft on his Panama tr
s Just before his Inauguration. TT
President will be gone about tWelN