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

than half finished. While re-
M ports have been sent out from
time to time fixing the date for
the final raising of the derelict, not
one of such reports has been author
lied. not one of them is or can be
reliable. 1t was stated nearly year
ago that the ship would be raised by
February l. 1911. Today the greater
part of the ship is buried in sticky,
black mud and there is every posi-
bility that six months will lapse, If not
much longer time, before the hull
is fully exposed and raised, If 1t is
ever found possible to float any part
of it. And no one is to blame for the
delay. The Job has proved itself just
about ten times greater and more for
midable than 1t originally gave prom
ise of being.
Ship a Mass OF Twisted Steel.
No one who has not seen the wreck
and been on 1t and through 1t can IN
derstand its almost impossibly tangled
condition. The stern Of the ship, is
comparatively intact. But not more
than third OF what was the original
vessel is recognizable as such Amid
ship the tangle begins. tunnels, con-
ming towers, decks, cabins, engines,
machinery, are all a tangled pathetic
mass that even the most expert Of
naval engineers and constructors have
been unable to classify properly The
whole bow was blown off and turned
around and pointed back toward the
stern. The old controversy OF what
caused the explosion is still on, but
experts declare the uncovering of the
Maine will never solve the mystery.
The titanic force of the explosion
or explosions, for there were two OF
them without question-impresses the
observer as having been appalling.
Think OF force that would break a
steel battleship in twain and dance
the half OF 1t about like cork.
The old controversy as to whether
the Maine was blown up from with
out or within will not be settled by
the uncovering OF the wreck-not
II million experts render their "in-
disputable" opinions. The consensus
of opinion is now. es It ever was. that
an outside mine explosion preceded
and precipitated the interior explosion
that of the ships magazine. All
testimony goes to establish the fact
that there were two distinct explo-
sions. But the Spanish folk will new
Ell admit that there were two. Those
who, even incline to listen to the sug-
gestion that there might have been
two contend that If two occurred that
within the ship must have been the
first Some. but not many. Americans
hold to the opinion that the wreck
was caused solely by ar explosion OF
the vessels magazine
Lends Color to Theory.
But the fact that the destruction OF
the vessel celebrated on Gale Cuba
in Havana, before it occurred. and
that that celebration was participated
in by Spanish royalists. has a decided
tendency to lend color to the theory
that the wreck was planned
Lurid stories of all sorts to new
discoveries" which are calculated tc
Cltdl up luC arc Ou Gun
slant, daily tap in Havana. Within &
week a circumstantial yarn to the eff
feet that a wire cable leading from
the bow of the Maine to Cabanas haC
been discovered went the rounds. AL
such stories are myths. But the i'm
pressiveness, the wierdness, the
creepiness. the oppressive uncannineI
l.
mythical. It gets on ones nerves.
Lightweight men persisted when the
Maine went down. About % skele
lions or parts Of skeletons -
have been recovered. AS thil
is written three skulls CLEAN theil
CHASTITY welcome from the slime tina
covers the tangled wreckage. Th.