The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-02-10
Will Consist Of Pictures
Showing the Raising Of "
Z. n the Maine. a.a n

the 1ElaHle.
Pictures showing the raising Of the
battleship, Maine, will be shown Nom
day, Tuesday and Wednesday at the
Victoria theater They will doubtless
draw great crowds. The New York
Times recently contained the follow
ing CONCERNING these pictures: a.
The first moving pictures of the
raising Of the Maine in Havana Har-
Dor were exhibited here yesterday for
the benefit Of the Maine Memorial,
Committee, of which Gen. James.
Grant Wilson is president. Practl-
cally all the 100000 needed orithei
erection Of the Maine Monument in
Central Park Isl in the committee s,
hands, 4buts thesfcommittee thought
these pictures might be useful edu-
cationally.
"a young photographerzof this city
named Jack Reedjz Ir,. took the pic
lures by permission Of the govern
ment, which he agreed to supply with
copies for permanent records.
The exhibition took place at the
Victoria theatets The, first picture
showed the big cofferdam, which had
ito be;built around the Maine before
it could be raised. The cofferdam
consists of twenty steel icaissons each
seyenty-fve feet long, arranged
around the wreck in. the form Of al
ellipse, with foot Of space between
each, this latter space being filled in
with steel and wooden piles. The
caissons had to be driven down sew.
enty-two feet in the water and muc
Of the harbor.
Other pictures showed. successfully
the driving of these caissons, Capt
H. B. Ferguson, U. S. A., who has
charge OF the undertaking; the pump
ing out of 100000 cubic feet of water
inside the cofrerdam, the portfolios o!
| the officers cabins, which are still
open, and the vessels barnacle-cov.
cred upper deck and hall. iJ.-
The name Of the battleahip on THE
iRtern. from which the barnacles and
seayeed have been. scraped away,
! was also shown, as we'll as the place
in. the hull where the explosion Zoe
cured; the cutting away OF twisted
steel wreckage by means of hydra
acetylene torch, the flame of which
has temperature of 1000 degrees;
the men at work twenty feet below
sea level, and the aft turret guns,
which are still in place.
There were also views of Capt
sigsbie's cabin, the fittings in which
are so well preserved that, when the
wrecking gang reached them recently,
water ran from the faucets, although
the plumbing had not been used for
thirteen years.
A photograph of gold monogram
ring belonging to Lieut. Merritt OF
the Maine, which was found near
his body in the passageway Just for
ward of, the engine hatch, was also
shown. The death of Lieut.. Merritt
was described by Midshipman Boyd
to the Court of Inquiry in this way:
'About $3.50 on the night of Feb
ruary Is, 1898, Lieut. Merritt and
| were sitting in the junior officers
messroom reading, when l heard &
dull report followed by the crashing
of splinters and falling of the electric
! light fixtures overhead. / was struck
by a small, splinter and was dazed
for moment. grasped Mr.. Mer-
rift by the arm, exclaiming: "out
of this and upon the deck"
Together we CROPPED our way out
of the messroom and along the bulk
head in the after .torpedo room
where we encountered cloud Of
steam and tremendous rush OF
water which separated ns. As l was
|, lifted of my feet 1 caught a steam
heater pipe and reached for the lad
-,