The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-14
WRECK OF THE MAINE
 SOON 10 BE RAISED
Taft Finally Approves Plans
 for Actual Work :.
EXPERTS ON THE JOB
resentatiye to View the Work and to Aid in Inspecting
 the Hull

Beverly, Mass. October 1S.-President Taft today finally approved plans fol raising the wreck of the battleship Maine from Havana harbor. which call for the completion of the work on or before the thirteenth anniversary of the de struction of the war vessel, February 15, next. The work is to be done ac- cording to plans made by army engi- neers and is to be under the direction of an engineer officer.
 President Taft this evening said that the paramount question in raising of the Maine is the determining for all time of 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 a representa- tive to Havana to be present during the work of exploring and removing the wreck.
 The disposition of the old hulk re- mains to be settled. The army engi- neers believe that it will be possible to float the after two-thirds of the vessel. The forward third, where the explosion wrought the greatest havoc and killed the greatest number of the crew while they were asleep in their quarters, Is be- lleved to be too far gone ever to be fal l. 4t.z will be removed piecemeal.
 Hulk May Be Buried Again
 If Congress approves the recommenda- ton of the engineers, the wreck will be taken out to sea and given a ceremonial burial in deep water, there to remain until the end of time.
 Gen. William H. Bixby, chief engineer of the army. spent an hour with the President this afternoon and after ex- blaming the plans for the removal of the wreck in detail secured the Presi- dents formal approval in writing. Gen eral Bixby later issued a statement, which outlines the work to be under taken. He believes that the task can be completed within three months and 1t is his opinion that Havana harbor will be clear of the wreck by February 15 next.
 II lHe WTechdge or the 1OfWaTQ part of the vessel is in a condition to permit of definite conclusions, the cause of the destruction of the ship on February IS, 1898, will have been determined probably by the middle of January next. No DOT ton of the wreck is to be disturbed until full opportunity has been given to view and study 1t.
 To this end the first work will be the construction of a rotterdam of interlock- fn,r raf1i haY hIl1l dam will be large enough to give a clearance of 50 feet on all sides of the wreck. The forward turret of the bat tleship was blown completely off the vessel and the dam will be constructed so as to include the turret just as it now lies in the harbor.
 Impressive Event
 The pumping out of water when the dam is completed will unquestionably be an impressive event
 A large number of the bodies of sailors who lost their lives in the destruction were never recovered. It is believed that nothing but skeletons will now be found. These will be taken to the Arlington Na- tioual cemetery at Washington for burial.
 After the wreck has been thoroughly examined and studied, bulkheads will be built into such portions of the wreck as it Is thought can be foated and the damaged portions will be hoisted from the bottom piecemeal. Congress then will be asked to settle the question of the disposition of the last remnants of the armor-clad vessel, whose destruction is generally believed to have precipitated the Spanish-American war.
 Congress recently appropriated s300,000 for raising and removing the wreck. The army engineers visited Havanas some time ago and began an examination, both of ba nd rioiC nlans suggested for it's removal.
 Has Sunk One Foot
 The wreck is now in 25 feet of water. It has sunk only enc foot in the twelve and a half years since 1t went down. Underneath the wreck soft mud has been found to a depth of five to eight feet. and beneath this there is hard clay into which the steel piles will be driven. The dam Is to be constructed about the wreck will be As feet in length and 275 feet in width at the widest point.
 Twenty or more plans were submitted for raising the wreck. None was quite so simple as that adopted by the army officers. When General Bixby was asked today whose plans had been finally de- termined upon, he replied:
 'It is best to call it simply the com mon sense plan"
 All the work in connection with the removal of the wreck Is to be done by hired labor and the purchase of materials is to be made in open market.
 Tn his signed indorsement approving the plans for the removal of the wreck, President Taft says in part
 q believe that this work should be done as promptly as possible and also under such conditions that information as exact as possible should be secured in respect to the cause of the explosion and that these considerations should have more weight in determining the plan of procedure than even those of economy. To retain complete control of the work in the hands of the army will strengthen