The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-05-19
[AIS|NG OUR
BATTLESH|P
luse Which Wrecked the Maine
Will Soon be Known
'Hf WORK PROGRESSES
h. s,opeted That The Vessel Will Be
Il .oosed to View Early in Junction.
tho Work is Being Prosecuted.

nor an elapsc of thirteen years the
. nar people will soon know the
'sa If the destruction of the battle
;un 10" in the harbor of Havana,
tho night of February 18th, lS98-an
ont which worked several changes on
81" man of the world, was responsible
an era of wonderful prosperity in
limited States and greatly increased
= prestige of this country. .
n was expected that the wreck of
historic battleship would have been
rnosed TO inspection on the thirteenth
bpyersary of the destruction of that
pssel but the work was greater I'M
ertaEing than at first calculated. 1t
now predicted that the pumps which
10 70 lift the water from the immense
Lffsr dam and leave the battered hulk
Rposed to view will begin work before
he end of the present month. Once
his work is begun the pumps will have
ke space around the MAINE clear of
Eater within week; they have a ca
|Rcitv TO lift the 500, 900 cubic feet of
Eater enclosed in the Golfer dam in
IVenty hours, but it is the intention to
emoye the growth of barnacles, &C.
Emulation of slime and moss from the
Ereck, as the water is gradually lower
4 in order to obviate the disagreeable
bors sure to arise from this growth
Then exposed to the sun. A large
brce of men will be thus emplOyed,and
m of the growth they remove from the
breck will be pumped out into the open
|ay, a precautionary measure against
tckness. After the water has been
|umped out, the mud which covers the
|ottom of the harbor to the depth of
eventeen feet will also be removed and
he real work on the wreck will COM
hence.
The wreck of the maine" lies about
ne.third of the distance across the
arbOr from Havana, about a quarter
4 q mile from the west shore on which
he city of Havana is situated. 1t is
ubmerged in 35 feet of water and II
eet of mud. there being but the main
mast and mass of twisted, unrecOg-
liable, torn steel protruding above
he surface of the water, with one arm
4 a davt at another point indicating
he side of what had once been mag
ificeat vessel. The mainmast towers
bout 40 feet above the water, the ex-
rene top blown away, but the crows
est is intact. One of the large steel
ard arms attached to this mast is still
! place, the outer end now raised from
he water into which it had fallen, and
in good state of preservation. at
East that part of it which was sub
lerged thirteen years. To this mast a
umber of withered wreaths are fast
ned, souvenirs of the recent memorial
xercises held by the American colony
Havana on the occasion of the last
anniversary Of the explosion which de-
froyed the good vessel and sent so
lany Americans to tragic deaths.
hose ceremonies, the last to he held
the site of the wreck, were more I'M
ressive than any Obsel we'd on previous
The vicinity of the wreck at the
resent time presents a scene OF busy
ctvlty, for there are fourteen separ-
te pieces of floating plant, consisting
pile drivers. derricks, dredges, pump
Y barges, scows and steamers especl-
|iy equipped for the work. Near the
'reck small house is built above the
'ater on piles, and it is to this struc'
are large submerged cable leads the
'ectric power used in the operation of
lachinery and for lighting purposes,
'r day and night shifts have been at
ork for months. About one hundred
len are now employed, although as
lany as 300 have been on the job at
ne time, when the large caisssOns were
eng constructed and great quantities
! steel was constantly being handled
The work now being done occupies a
lrge portion of the harbOr, for one of
'e great suction dredges is operating
distance of $50 yard from the outer
age OF the oval Of caissOns surround
y the wreck; and this oval, consisting
! twenty caissons, each fifty feet in
lameter, is 5l4 feet in length and 247
eet IN breadth. From this dredge a
lrge tube "a inches in diameter is con-
ected In joints about 20 feet long, and
l'd across a number of pOntOOns up to
ne oval where the tube terminates at
ne particular caisson to be filed. Mud
no earth, dredged from the bottom OF
ne harbOr, is in this manner pumped
llo each caisson- separately, so that
ney stand up firm and solid, forming
!, an9roken oval completely .rlund
ne Maine" leaving an inner working
pace OF 40 feet all around the wreck.
Az the present time the finishing OF
n Is caissons is being hurried forward,
.nttle filling being added each day so
Ia. the earth within them settles pro-
cry and adds strength to the entire
which will be severely taxed
,aen the water is pumped out of the
uMe0S0 oval Than tho~o will ha q