The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-26
No Divers Needed by Plan Suu-
gested by Famous Tun-
mel Engineer.
ONLY NEED HAND POWER
JOHN r. o'RouRkE, WHO BORED
UNDER THE HUDSON, SAYS
THAT suNkEN SHIP COULD
STEAM TO HOME PORT.


the Hudson at Poughkeepsie and
drove the Pennsylvania railroads tun.
mel under the North river. has laid
before Acting Secretary OF War Oliver
his plan for raising the Maine from
the mud OF Havana harbor. 1t was de-
cided to refer the O'Rourke plan to
an army board of engineers which will
consider some other propositions for
the same purpose which have been
made to the war department.
Briefly. this newest plan is based
upon a system of pneumatic caissons.
such as have made possible the build
ing OF extremely deep foundations un-
der water and which contributed large
ly to the success Of the building OF
tunnels under the Hudson.
No divers are used and the pontoon
system is put completely aside. The
method proposed is to- swing the
Maine In a cradle of powerful cables
and lift her completely out of the wat.
er where complete inspection of her
hull will be possible.
Could Propei Self Home.
"uAS IAS l6 suspended dUOFS
water. Mr.. O'Rourke declares. she
can be repaired as readily as If she
were in dry dock and after being re-
launched from the cable cradle can
leave Havana harbor under her own
steam.
This is said to be the first plan pro-
posed which would present the ship to
a naval board in precisely the same
condition as she sank on the night OF
Feb. Is, 1898.
To raise her with pontoons, con-
struction experts say, would mean to
work upon her hull under water, and
to float her with compressed air
would disturb conditions between
decks.
First, wharf Of piles would be
built on either side of the submerged
wreck. Then between the wharves
and the hull twelve pneumatic Gals.
sons would be sunk-six on each side
Practical tunnel building operations
would be employed thereafter and a
hundred little tunnels would be driv.
en- under the Names keel between the
opposite caissons.
thousand Men With Jackscrews.
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. So there
would be steel cable under the hull
every four feet and the aggregate OF
all would be calculated to be capable
of raising four times the weight OF
the wreck, which is about 1000 tons
Each cable end would then be at
tached to a system of steel screw rods
and the screw jack principle would b.
employed. In that the war department,
would be asked for a thousand men
to operate, the hand screws and by
every man turning a lever at a given
signal it is planned to pull the hulk
up in the cradle in practically the
same way as the pyramids of Egypt
are supposed to have been built by
man power.
Once swung above the water lin;
the gap between the wharves woult
be bridged and the engineers woult
work under and around the hull
When repaired she could be let dowr
into the water by reversal of the
process by which she was raised.
O'Rourke's Plan Protected.
Mr.. O'Rourke expressed the opinion
to Mr.. oliver that the Job could BE-
done in three months. Mr.. Oliver anl
General Bixby examined the plan ii
minute detail and spent about two
hours over 1t.
Mr.. O'Rourke was assured as one
condition that should an army board
pass favorably on the project his pat
ents in the apparatus would be pro
tected. Attorney General Wickershan
arranged for the presentation Of ths
plans.