The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-12-25
EXHUMING MAINE
FROM HARBOR BED
The Work Is to Be Com
pleted by the Thirteenth
Anniversary.
CAISSONS AROUND HULK
VIII Pump Out the Mud and
Water When Wall Is
Finished.

Havana. Dec. 24-Night and day
the sounds OF the steam hammers. the
windlass and the drills can he heard at
the wreck OF the Maine. where more
than 100 men are doing the prcIimfn-
airy work necessary to raise the bat
Tered hulk. Two big piledrivers are
moOored. one alongside the wreck and
the other hundred feet away. The
first IS engaged I'm picking up. loose
pieces OF the wreck. and is also used
as a workshop for carpenters and iron
workers.
few days ago one OF the large
steel booms attached 90 the mainmast
OF the bsttleship was raised and was
round to be in good condition. even
me two heavy pullcys on the end Of it
being serviccable after being cleaned.
Ihis boom has been swung 10 a large
eyebolt higher upon on the mast.
which projects from the water. and IS
used In hosting material. the winch
on the piledrivcr furnishing the mo-
i've power. The condition OF this
boom and the pulleys leads the en-
sineers TO believe that the steel and
IRON composing the hull have not un-
dergone any great change.
The Maine at the time at the expIo-
sion was swinging with her nose to-
ward the Havana shore. and the
..A'NNa NNHr IN' "a inc almost West and
east. bow and stern. the buoy to which
she was moored was about three
eiEhths or a mile from the west shore
or the bay. The wreck lies IN about
the center Of the harbOr.
VIII De Twenty-Five Caissons.
The space inclosed by the caissons.
which are 10 be sunk around the
wreck, will be about three square
acres. The Maine was 324 feet long
and hfty-seven feet beam. and the
center OF the Csissons viii be seventy
feet from the hull There viii be
twenty-five caissons-six fifty feet I'm
diameter. on each side. and five forty
| feet in diameter. az the bow. and five
at tho stern. This viii leave fortv-hve
feet between the inside OF the line OF
| caissons and the hull. all around. Tho
| figure described by the line will be a
large oval, 4s4 feet long and 247 feet
| wide. The Caissons win be sunk
/ twelve Inches apart. ihe interval will
! be filled IN with interlockinE steel
I pillng. OF which the csissons will be
/ composed. The caissous will be filed
I with mud pumped from around the
l wreck. They viii work like q row Of
I monster barrels around the wreck
/ The caissOns viii rise five feet above
/ the surface or the water. There i-
/ thirty-five feet OF water where the
I Maine lies. and seventeen feet or mud
I or harbor deposit. Tho pilinC viii be
l driven eighteen feet into the clay bot
/ tom. It viii require about 1880 piles
I The engineers are now awaiting the
first shipment OF about 1000.
Power House ON Piles.
Near tho wreck. n structure on pill
ing is used as a power house which
/ furnishes the current for innumcra bic
lights which transform night into das
] for the wOrkmen-
] 10 Is estimated that the cafssous will
he completed and the pumping out oI
the water and mud by January 90 on
20. The engineers. 10 f. said. have beer
instructed to have everything I'm readf-
ness for memorial exercises on Ferb-
ruary I 8. the thirteenth anniversary o,
the destruction OF the Maine. by which
time Il IS expected the cause OF the
explosion viii be known.
| The American colony Of Hanavs
viii make a great event OF the me.
mortal exercises. Each year tn,
Americans here have visited tn,
wreck and decorated 10 with wreathi
and offered up prayer FOR the mer
who were swept TO death on tina
dreadful February night