The Detroit times., 1910-12-02
WORK OF RAISING
: MAINE CONTINUES
1t Will Be Completed by Feb. Is, the
Thirteenth Anniversary of
Her Destruction.

HAVANA, Nov. 30.-Night and day
the sounds of the steam hammers. the
windlass and the drills can be heard at
the wreck of the Maine, where more
than one hundred men are doing the
preliminary work necessary 10 the
raising OF the battered nulk. Two big
piledrivers are moOred. one alongside
the wreck and the other hundred
feet away. The first is engaged In
picking up loose pieces OF the wreck,
and IL also used as a workshop for
carpenters and iron workers.
A few days ago one OF the large
steel booms attached TO the main
mast of the battleship was raised and
was found TO be in good condition,
even the two heavy pulleys on the end
OF 1t being serviceable after being
cleaned. This boom has been swung
TO a large eyebolt higher up on the
mast. which projects from the water,
and Is used in hosting material, the
winch on the pile-driver furnishing the
motive power. The condition Of this
boom and the pulleys leads the engi-
neers to believe that the steel and
iron composing the hull have not un-
dergone any great change.
The Maine at the time OF the explo-
sion was swinging with her nose to-
ward the Havana shore, and the wreck
lies In a line almost west and east
bow and stern, the buoy to which she
was moored was about three-eighths
Of a mile from the west shore of the
bay. The wreck lies in about the cen.
| ter of the harbor.
The space inclosed by the caissons
which are to be sunk around the
| wreck, will be about three square
acres. The Maine was 324 feet long
and 81 feet beam, and the center OF
| the caissons will be 20 feet from the
hull. There will be twenty-five Gals
sons-six, fifty feet In diameter, on
each side, and five, forty feet In diam
eter, at the bow and Ave at the stern
| This will leave forty-five feet between
| the inside of the line OF caissons and
the hull, all around. The figure de-
scribed by the line will be a large
oval. 494 feet long and 247 feet wide
The caissons will be sunk twelve inch
es apart, the interval will be filed ir
with interlocking steel piling, OF which
the caissons will be composed. The
caissons will be filed with mud pump
ed from around the wreck. They will
work like a row OF monster barrels
around the wreck.
The caissons will rise Ave feet
above the surface OF the water. There
is thirty-f1ve feet OF water where the
Maine lies, and seventeen feet of mud
or harbor deposit. The piling will be
driven eighteen feet into the clay bot
tom. II will require about $500 piles.
The engineers are now awaiting the
first shipment of about 1000.
Near the wreck, structure on pill
ing is used as a power house which
furnishes the current for innumerable
lights which transform night into day
for the workmen.
1t Is estimated that the caissons will
be completed and the pumping out OF
the water and mud by Jan. 20 or 25
The engineers, II Is said, have been In
structed to have everything In readi-
ness for memorial exercises on Feb.
Is, the thirteenth anniversary of the
destruction Of the Maine, by which
time II is expected the cause of the
explosion will be known. The Amer
lean colony of Havana will make a
great event OF the memorial exercises.
Each year the Americans here have
visited the wreck and decorated IL with
wreaths and offered up prayer for the
men who were swept TO death on that
dreadful February night.