New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-11
'UNCOVEnNG THE maine.
BattIeship Has Lain Is Years IN
Havana Harbor Mud. Z
BUILDING THE c0FFERoAM
Wreck Brought to View, After
Years of Vain Planning and
Discussion. -

The battleship Maine was sunk IN H4s
vana Harbor in thirty-seven feet Of va.
ter" says The Scientific American"
The supposed explosion Of a mine be-
meath the ship. coupled With the explosion
~ the forward magazines, OF which latter
there Is no doubt Whatever. blew out the
sides and deck Of the ship. ana practically
cut her in two at about one-th4sd o. hAr
length from the bow. The bow, connected
TO the rest Of the hull only BY what was
left Of the plating Of the double bottom.
instantly filled and bent over, sinking stem
frst to tho bottom. Later. the after two
thirds OF the ship filled and sank. this por-
ton OF the vessel being practically intact
The wreck settled into the soft mid. The
stern 10 depth Of dght OF ten feet, the
bow to q depth that has not beer ascer-
tanned. 4.
Congress appropriated $4,000 for unecv-
ering the wreck, removing the bodies OF
tho unfortunate crew that may yet be en-
tombed and making such disposal OF the
ship as may be decided upon. Several
proposals were made to the War Depart
ment for raising the wreck. The army en-
gineers. however. decided that. betause the
vessel was practically cut in two. II would
he impossible TO raise her In her present
broken condition without further distort.
ing the vessel and thereby preventing that
careful examination Of her present condt-
ton which is necessary to determine just
exactly what manner Of explosion II was.
whether from without or from within. or
both, that destroyed the ship.
Proceeding on the assumption that to
- ~ At1xy
exists to-day the hull must he examined
In stu, and with the least possible dis
turbance Of her position. the engineers de-
nsed an exceedingly interesting method Ct
uncovering the ship. Briefly stated, the
plan consists Of providing an elliptieal
watertight wall OF cofferdams entirely
around the wreck. pumping out the water
from the space thus incloeed. and rentov-
ing the mud from the unwatered bottom
20 a. to leave the hull open for careful
survey Of It's condition 49,;
''Peginning at a point opposite the bow.
q cylindrical eaisson. formed OF inteylock-
Ing steel sheet piling. was driven throuGh
| the mud until II entsYed the hard clay bot
| tom, which in general Is found about sew
enty feet below mean tide. To maintain
| the circular form. a central pile was INST
| driven. and around this. floating on the
Z surface Of the water, was erected ctrou-
lar platform nifty feet in diameter. which
acted a. a template 70 guide the pile div
ers In putting down the sheet pilfns.
Operations were carried on along each
wall Of the coffeedam until closure was
made ct the end opposite the stern OF the
ship. Wstertieht Joints were formed by
driving a segmental wall Of pdlinS between
each pair Of cofferdams, situated at dis
lance OF nine feet from their point Of con-
tact. The cofferdam wall. a thus built up.
was filled with clay drsdged nom a bar
living adjacent TO the wreck. Tho weight OF
this clay will In itself give the cofferdams
sut1icient stability to prevent their being
overturned by the pressure Of the water
when the Enclosed space around the wreck
has been pumped dry. The stability Will
| be further increased by the fact that tho
piling was driven through ten TO eighteen
feet OF mud and some thirteen feet through
the softer clay. As each length Of sheet
pilins was driven 20 refusal that is to
| say, until the steam hammer failed 70
| make any further impression. II is believed
! that the coffcrdam wall will prove to be
watertieht. and that the seepage below the
| bottom of the dam will be practically neg
! ligible.
From the foregoing it will be under
stood that the engineers are not depending
upon the strength Of the cofferdarn. con-
sidered as a vertical arch. to resist the
water pressure. In fact. the circular sheet
piling walls. filled with plastic clay. would
have no stability whatever to resist the
horizontal crushing pressures induced by
arch action.
NO dependence Is being placed upon the
arched form Of tho wall. nor vall It he
necessary. since 1t will have suficient
thickness and weight. ~ explained. to give
II inherent stability. Centrifugal pumps
will be employed to remove the water. and
It is probable that a large portion Of the
mud can be removed by the same method"