THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



LAST TRIBUTE TO THE "MAINE" 



On Saturday, March 16th. tlie old battleship "Elaine," resurrected after fourteen 

 years' burial in Havana harbor, plunged, with her colors flying, to her final rest six 

 hundred fathoms deep in the waters of the Gulf of ^lexico, four miles off the coast 

 of Cuba, marking the end of the great work begun more than a year and a half ago. 



After imposing ceremonies in the city of Havana, the coffin containing the dead of the 

 "Maine" was taken aboard the armored cruiser "North Carolina," where it was 

 deposited on the quarterdeck, completely covered by a great mound of floral tributes, 

 under a guard of honor composed of marines. Minute guns were fired by the "North 

 Carolina" and the scout cruiser "Birmingham"' and the batteries of Cabafia's fortress 

 until the ships cleared the harbor. 



The deck of the old battleship was covered deep with flowers and palms and a great 

 American ensign floated from the jurymast, where the mainmast formerly stood. On 

 the deck stood Captain John O'Brien, famous as "Dynamite Johnny," acting as the 

 "Maine's" last pilot. As the wreck passed the American squadron, the crews manned 

 the rails, the marines presented arms, the scarlet coated bandsmen on the quarterdeck 

 played the national anthem, while minute guns boomed a requiem. 



At a little after five o'clock, when the three-mile limit had been passed, a wrecking 

 crew opened numerous valves in the bottom of the hulk, which were operated from the 

 deck, and in twenty minutes the waves had closed over the historic vessel forever in 

 the presence of Cuban and United States warships and many thousands of sympathetic 

 and patriotic citiz&ns of both republics. 



For ten minutes after the valves were opened no change was visible in the trim of 

 the great, rusty, battered hulk, which pitched heavily as the huge rollers struck her. 

 Then she was seen to be sinking at the bulkhead end. Soon the waves began to wash 

 over her deck. As she remained pitching and wallowing, each moment settling deeper 

 and deeper, the stern was seen to rise. In a few seconds the hulk was almost vertical, 

 showing first the propellers and then the full keel. The next moment there was a flash 

 of blue and white, as the great ensign flying from the mast struck the waves and 

 disappeared. Simultaneously the decks were blown up by the air pressure, and with 

 incredible velocity the "Alaine" plunged down, leaving no trace save flowers tossing on 

 the surface of the sea. 



The silence was broken by whistle blasts from the whole fleet, which was the only 

 salute. Ten minutes later the Cuban flagship "Hatuey" fired a farewell national 

 salute to the squadron. 



The Nezv York Tribune of March 6th 

 editorially reviewing Cuba's progress under 

 the rule of its own people finds much that 

 is gratifying so far as the business interests 

 of the island are concerned. It says : 

 "There has been a steady growth in ma- 

 terial affairs, relatively comparable, we 

 should say, w-ith that of almost any other 

 country. Perhaps it will be most to the 

 purpose to take the whole period since the 

 Spanish war for observation. In 1899 

 the total foreign trade of the island was 

 $125,003,000, and the balance was $25,605,000 

 against Cuba. In 1910 the total was 

 $259,230,000, or more than twice as much 

 as in the preceding year, and the balance 

 was $43,312,000 in favor of Cuba. In 1902 

 Cuba had in her ocean trade 3,848 ships, 

 of 7,846,671 tons, and in 1910 she had 4,647. 

 of 11,944.272 tons. Greater progress than 

 this the island should not have expected." 



"This very progress in business aff'airs 

 which is so marked and gratifying." it says 

 further, "should serve to promote improve- 

 ment in governmental affairs. The people 

 of Cuba ought to recognize the close rela- 

 tionship between good government and ma- 



terial prosperity, and to understand that 

 the latter is to be maintained only by main- 

 taining the former." 



Clarence D. Pollock, who has been acting 

 chief of the bureau of highways in Man- 

 hattan since the resignation ^ of General 

 Bingham from the commissionership some 

 months ago, resigned his post March 10th, 

 says the New York Press, to accept a po- 

 sition as chief engineer in charge of pav- 

 ing on the new paving and sew-er contracts 

 in Havana. He is a graduate of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 



On March 9th application was made to 

 the New York Stock Exchange to list 

 l,.j00,000 improvement and equipment mort- 

 gage four per cent bonds of the Cuba Rail- 

 road, due 1960. 



Cuba is one of the chief countries to 

 which eggs are exported from the United 

 States. The quantity exported to the island 

 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, was 

 4^2 million dozen and valued at a little less 

 than one million dollars. 



