Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1911-06-21
SEARCHING MAINE
FOR HUMAN BONES
BONES OF RIGHT FOOT EN-
CLOSED IN RAGGED REM
NANT OF SHOE FOUND.

| HAVANA, June With the
discovery yesterday morning of some
human fragments, the work of ex-
ploring the hull of the Maine, for
the primary purpose of recovering
and giving honorable sepulchers to
the bodies OF her crew, was DIT last
begun after many weary months
of preliminary work.
While workmen were clearing the
spar deck between the after and
engine room superstructure in the
immediate vicinity of the after port
side turret, they found bones of a
right foot enc0sed in the ragged
remnant of a shoe and nearby the
bones of a forearm, the hand miss
ing. Soon after this they came upon
the bones of another forearm. All
were blackened, possibly from fire,
and deply encrusted with a coral
growth.
No hope of Identification was Of
fered except that the shoes suggest
ed the wearer probably was either
an officer. a mess attendant or a
member of the marine guard the
Ibluejackets in tropical service habit
uallV going harnfCnt
Further explorations in that por-
tion of the ship did not reveal
anything which might assist in the
Identification The remain were
placed in Il receptacle on board
the United States collier Leonidas.
A search Of the spar deck ana
officers quarters superstruoture re-
suited in the discovery of a paper
covered novel, on which the own
er's name on the title page was IL
legibe, pair of binoculars, much
corroded, two raincoats, barrel of
bottled mineral water, and a duan-
tity of porcelain belonging to the
captains and the word-room messes.
1t was noticeable that the rubber
articles stood well the action of
the water All metallic objects
were reduced to unidentifable mass
es of black oxide.
During the morning a leak de-
Veloped in the south side of the
cofferdam but it was stopped after
exploration by divers and the dump
ing Of additional material within the
adjacent caissons.
The water level had been lowered
at niShtfall to IA feet, leaving yisi-
Die all the spar deck from the stern
to the forepart of the engine rooms
upper structure on the port side
The latter deck is badly bulged
and apparently the side of the shin
under this, including the armor belt,
was blown outwards. which prob
ably resulted from the explosion of
the after-magazine
Up to the present it has been
impossible to identify that portion
OF the keel which. according to the
report of the original board of sur
Vey, was raised many feet above its
original position and was strongly
indicative of an exterior explosion
But so great is the confusion Of the
masses of material heaved up that
identification of any portion of the
structural material is exceedingly
difficult and can probably be defn-
itely determined only when the deck
is clear of water.
The after part of the vessel, in
cludinS the officers quarters. had
fer the most part, been clt ed of
mud and wreckage.
BY morning the level will be re-
duced, and pumping will be sus-
pended. The exposed portions then
Will be freed from silt and marine
growths and further exploration of
the interior will be made possible.
According to Brig. General Blk
oy' chief of the engineer corps, many
weeks will elapse before a full ex-
pioration of the sunken Maine is
possible.