The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1910-09-30

such as have made possible the build
Ing of extremely deep foundations IN
der water and which contributed
largely to the success of the building
of tunnels under the Hudson. No
divers are used, and the pontoon sys-
TEN 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 wa
ter, where a complete inspection of
her hull will be possible.
While the ship is suspended above
water, Nh. 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, al
leave Havana harbor under her own
steam. This is said to be the first
plan yet proposed which would pre-
sent the ship to a naval board in pre-
cisely the same condition as she sunk
on the night of February Is, 1898, To
raise her with pontoons, construction
experts say, would mean to work
upon her hull under water and to
float her with compressed air would
disturb conditions between decks.
First a wharf Of piles would be
built on either side of the submerged
wreck. Then between the wharves
and the hull u pneumatic %caissons
would be sunk-siX on each side. Prac-
teal tunnel building operations would
be employed thereafter and a hun
dred little tunnels would be driven
through the mud under the Names
keel between the opposite caissons.
Through each tunnel a 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 a 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 they be at
tached to a system Of steel screw
rods and the screw jack principle
would be 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 OF
| cables in practically the same way
as the pyramids OF Egypt are sup
| noscd to have been built by man pow.
| or. Once swung above the water line
/ the gap between the wharyes would
be bridged and the engineers would
work under and around the hull
When repaired she would be let down
into the water By q reversal OF th'
procoss by which she was raised.
The war department has awarded
contracts calling for the expenditure
of about 100000 at Fort Sill, Okla
This will provide quarters for a regi
ment. But the government does no
intend to stop there. Immediate plan.
include the enlargement of the pos
~ the brigade rank. Blue prints II
tho office of the quartermaster gen
oral which have been approved by ia
department, look ultimately to tn
establishment at Sill Of a divisio.
most and the expenditure OF at leas
900 100000. The old post, now oC
crnied by three batteries Of the FRS
FeId artillery probably viii be re
tained as a school Of musketry, which
TDder orders issued last year, Is
he transferred from the Preside G
california to Fort Sill.
Twelve Of the buildings at Forf 81
are complete. At least 40 are unGe
active construction Work Is geIun