The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-15
CAN BATTLESH|P
MAINE Be RAISED
Is Question Congress Asks War
Department
OPINION OF ENGINEERS
O'Rourlxe and Arbuckle Are Both Very
Anxious to Tackle the Job-Some
Believe the Craft Cannot Be
Lifted From Grave
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD

Washington, August 14.-Can the battle
ship Maine, blown up in Havana harbor
February 10, 1898, with the loss of two
officers, 23O sailors and IS marines, 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 sailors be found
Many officers are frank in their declara-
ton that the Maine cannot be. raised.
They have maintained since the Spanish
American war that the wrecked battle
ship. a mass of twisted steel, her forward
turret blown away and with the forward
keel rising above the stern, cannot pos
sibly be successfully raised.
Engineers of the army, however, are
more optimistic and numerous conferences
have been held by war department Of
flcials with contractors from various parts
of the country. In addition the question
has been still further complicated by the
legal aspect which made it necessary for
the war department to obtain from the
department of justice an opinion recently
rendered that the 100000 appropriated by
Congress can be used in any way the war
department engineers see fit.
That department has appointed a board
consisting of Col. William M. Black, chief
of the harbor improvement work at New
York city; Lieut.. Col. Mason M. Patrick,
an army engineer officer at Montgomery,
who will make survey of the wreck and
-l.a 11, cod
if in their opinion such a thing Is pos
sible.
most interesting situation Is thus es-
tablished. and 1t will be curious to 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 en-
gineers with civil contractors. who are
seeking the honor and money involved in
the attempt to raise the Maine, many
curious plans have been presented.
John F. ORourke, president of the
O'Rourke Construction company y. New
York, who has solved some of tH treat
est engineering problems in th9 Nelop-
ment of New York city, had p ng con-
ference with former Presidef Roosevelt
at Oyster Bay recently q eel Roose-,
welt having always shown eep interest
In the wreck of the Maip ar. ORourke
took his plan to Oysterf 81 before pre-
senting it to the war department His
idea is not only to raise the Maine. but
to bring the remains of the ship back to
the United States under her own steam
We propose to build around the Inflated
vessel a floating wharf and to lift her to
this by means Of caissens. He Is on rec
ord at the war department as being anx-
ious to obtain the contract, II one is to be
let, not only for the sake of the money
that 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 cabes are to be passed
also enter into the O'Rourke plan.
John f. Arbuckle. who, when he is not
roasting coffee or establishing floating
hospitals for the poor children Of New
York city, devotes his time to the raising
OF wrecks is also after the honor OF the
Job. He raised the naval collier Nero,
stranded on the rocks at Brenton Reef,
Newport, r. l., and~a Sound steamer that
went ashore off the Massachusetts coast
as well as other craft 1t is Mr.. Ar