Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-10-21

bodies cannot be reached until the |
tons Of twisted metal that lie upon |
them are cut away and removed.
Here a thigh bone, there a rib, over
yonder part of hand-these are the
grewsome finds that the workmen
make every day.
Although the explosion occurred in
February-over 13 years ago, by the
way-the night was hot and many of
the crew slept out on the port side
of the berth deck Most of the bodies
recovered have been from this part
of the ship. Down in the engine
room-when that is reached-from 20
to 80 bodies probably will be found
bodies of the poor devils who worked
down below the water line and who
hadn't a condemned mans chance
to get away.
In the Captains cabin and in the
other quarters that have been uncov-
cred and mud-relieved, articles Of va,
rious sorts in most remarkable pres
ervation have been found. The most
striking thing in this line is a box
OF rubber bands in a perfect state OF
elasticity and preservation. Their i'm.
mersion in the intensely salt waters
OF Havana harbor appears to have i'm.
proved them, If anything. Bits OF
leather sword hilts, shoes, caps have
come out practically uninjured. All
metals. however. show the effect OF
the immersion.
There is, roughly rs feet OF mud to
take out yet before the Maine can be
raised" The piling that forms the
exterior of each of the caissons com
posing the cofferdam is so feet long
Between 25 and 80 feet of water was
mud remaining. But It is glue-like
mud and is 10 times harder to get rid
OF than the water was. Hydraulic
pumps have been installed, but the
work put upon them is so unusual
that they haven't been successful a.
yet.
Oxygen-acetyline apparatus has
been used to separate-"cut up"-ths
steel and iron of the ship where II
was necessary to remove those tan
gled portions hampering the further
work OF excavation. This apparatus
resembles. in way. a plumbers blow
lamp. Only the intense heat cuts
through metal as knife would
through butter five-inch square
piece OF steel was seen severed so
quickly that the operation appeared
to be almost magical The method OF
cutting away the opposing metal parts
will be continued until the wreck Ia
entirely removed.
lncrusted With Oysters.
The whole part of the ship so far
exposed is incrusted with oysters and
,barnacles-mostly oysters. Hundreds
of thousands of the bivalves have at
tached themselves to the hulk. The
incrustations appearing in the pic
ture are all oysters. When the water
was being removed from the Golfer
dam thousands of fish and eelS
splashed and struggled in the inclos
ure. There were many of the several
hundred workmen employed by Major
Ferguson who took home strings oil
fish every night W en- they quit work
/ NONs VI AOlAo NhtAt - LONAAAs b0i
Shiny mud within the inclosure
The work of constructing the cot
ferdam, and, in fact, practically all Of
the executive labor connected with
the raising" has been conducted BY
Major Hartley B. Ferguson, who II
one Of the main board. Colonel vii
liam Black and Colonel Mason Patrick
are the other two. The cofferdan
has been repeatedly tested and in sew
eral places REINFORCED, and, while II
is the first one of the sort ever con
structed, the complete success Of II
has marked a place in the history o.
engineering. But successful as the
work has been remarkable, the colo
fact probably is not more than hal
finished.