Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-04-20
Raising the Maine.

In the driving of the last few inter-
locking steel piles of the last OF the %
caissons forming the inclosing wall OF the
huge basin or cofferdam, surrounding the
wreck of the Maine, the first stage in the
great work of exposing, and ultimately
removing, the shattered remains OF the
battleship sunk in the harbor of Havana
on the night of February Is. 1893, has
just been brought to successful conclu-
sion.
The work was accomplished with a
rapidity fully up to the most sanguine ex-
pectations ofthe army engineers in charge,
and its progress was unmarked by a sim
gle mishap or hitch until the introduction
of the final pile, which failed to interlock
properly with those on either side. This
gave rise to a rumor that the stability OF
the caiSSon was endangered, but exami-
nation showed that the trouble resulted
from the pile being slightly deformed by
an accidental blow from The iron bucket
of dredge working alongside, and the
extraction and replacing OF three piles
served TO repair the damage.
The second stage OF the work, that OF
filling the caiSSons as fast as they were
completed, with mud, clay and rock
dredged from the harbor bottom, has been
going on for some time as fast as cir-
cumstanceS would permit, and now that
the ring of caissons is completed the pro-
ject is being pushed forward with the Ut
most rapidity. The steam dredge Nor
man Davis, loaned to the government by
the Huston -Trumbo Dredging Company,
and the United States Army dredge Bar
nard are dumping hundreds OF tons OF
material into the caissonS, the work going
on as it has from the beginning, night and
day. 1t is expected that the filling OF the
caissons will be completed by the end OF
April, and after that the third and most
interesting stage of the work-that OF
pumping out the great basin and leaving
exposed the hull of the battleShip in pre-
cisely the condition that she was on the
morning after her destruction, Is years
ago, will be proceeded with. First, how
ever, a heavy timber platform will be
erected on top OF the caSSonS encircllng
the basin to serve as aStage OF operations
and for use when the work OF disman-
ting the wreck is begun. 1t VIII also
serve as temporary resting place for
the dead OF the Maine as fast as the re-
mains are recovered.
While the simple pumping out OF the
basin presents no more difficulty than the
emptying of an ordinary dry dock, the pc
culiar conditions of the work make nee
essary the exercise OF extraordinary pre-
cautions, which will probably prolong
the operation for many days. While
Captain Ferguson, the United States Army
Engineer officer in immediate direction OF
the operations, has the fullest confidence
in the strength OF the caiSSonS and their
capacity to resist the inflow OF water, he
is determined to take no chances, and as
the water level in the basin sinks lower
and lower pumping will be suspended
from time to time to permit OF careful eX-
animation of each caiSSon.
As soon as the wreck is fully exposed
the work OF exploration in search OF hui
man remains will take precedence OF ev-
ery other consideration. 1t is practically
certain that when this stage OF the work
is reached a United States man-of-war
will be ordered to Havana and will lie
close to the wreck TO receive the bodies
as fast as they are recovered and trans
port them to their final resting place.
After that will come an exhaustive
scrutiny of the shattered wreck by eX-
pertS, who, in the opinion OF engineer Oh
ticers, will be able to determine beyond
all future question precisely the character
of the agency whereby the destruction OF
the Maine was effected.
Probably many months will elapSe be-
fore the final stage ofthe work-that oteX-
traction and disposition OF the wreck
will be begun. So far the plans are
merely tentative, everything depending
on what the condition ofthe wreck proves
TO be. II is known that the forward part
of the ship, about one third OF her length,
is practically detached from the rest, and
is so shattered that it will have to be ex-
tracted plecemeal. When the after pari
has been stripped as far as possible OF all
heavy weights, including the two turrets,
weighing, with their pairs of lO-inch guns
about 200 tons each, it is hoped that II
will be possible to build bulkhead across
the shattered end and float the hulk out
of the basin, to be sunk, in all probability
hundreds of fathoms deep in the straits o.
Florida.
Finally will come the extraction OF the
thousands of steel piles composing the q
caissons and the dredging OF the material
with which they were filled. This may
not be completed before the end OF the
year.
Did He Follow Suit ?