THE CUBA REVIEW 



RAISING THE "MAINE" 



The first human remains from the wreck 

 of the old battleship '"Maine" were brought 

 to the surface January 3d by a dredge. 

 They consisted of two ribs and some small 

 bones, apparently bones of the hand, and 

 they were carefully placed in a special re- 

 ceptacle to await the recovery of other 

 parts. 



The dredge also brought up some three- 

 inch shells, a large quantity of coal and a 

 portion of the coal bunkers, lying apart 

 from the ship. Naval officers say that the 

 finding of a part of the coal bunkers out- 

 side the wreck proved nothing. There is 

 no evidence to show whether the force that 

 drove the plating outside the wreck was the 

 original explosion which started the dam- 

 age to the vessel or the secondary one when 

 the magazine blew up. 



The turret top was found lying about 

 50 feet from the wreck, and it is presumed 

 that it was washed to that distance by 

 the undercurrent and shifting bottom. It 

 weighed 11 tons and measured 4^2 feet in 

 circumference and 3 feet in height, show- 

 ing that it had been broken in the collapse 

 of the vessel during the explosion. 



The engineers expect to expose the wreck 

 to view not later than April 1st. Living 

 accommodations are being furnished on 

 board the dredge "Barnard" for members 

 of the commission and the workmen. This 



dredge is provided with hydraulic and cen- 

 trifugal pumps, the largest owned by the 

 United States government. 



The force has been increased and has 

 three shifts of men, 150 in all. 



On January 9th, the Washington (D. C.) 

 Post printed the following: 



"The United States battleship 'Maine,' 

 destroyed in Havana Harbor in February, 

 1898, with a loss of many lives, was blown 

 up by an internal explosion, and when 

 the ship is raised it will be shown that 

 the Spaniards in Cuba had absolutely noth- 

 ing to do with the destruction of the vessel. 

 This is the opinion of the officials of the 

 War Department, based upon information 

 conveyed to them by army officers engaged 

 in the work of raising the shattered hull. 



"Persons who have arrived in Washing- 

 ton recently, and have an intimate knowl- 

 edge of the work of raising the battleship, 

 it is learned, agree that the destruction of 

 the 'Maine' was due to the exploding of 

 one of the air-tight compartments used for 

 the storage of ammunition. This theory 

 is borne out, it is claimed, by the evidences 

 already developed. It has been found that 

 in the mud and silt surrounding the hull 

 of the 'Maine' there is a great quantity 

 of coal. Human bones have also been 

 picked up outside the hull. This, it is 

 believed, establishes that no outside force 

 could have been used to blow up the vessel." 



Brigandage in Cuba 



Inocente Solis, the brigand, who is still 

 at large and who has terrorized Santa Clara 

 Province, is pla3'ing a game which is old 

 in Cuba and highly developed with fixed 

 rules known to every Cuban, says the New 

 York Times. 



When a bandit sends a planter a letter 

 demanding a certain sum, under penalty of 

 burning that planter's cane, the planter 

 knows that the bandit means it, and either 

 pays the money or invokes the protection 

 of the authorities. He usually pays the 

 money because the protection of the author- 

 ities doesn't protect very much, cane fields 

 being so very vulnerable to attack. It is 

 to be understood that in the sugar-growing 

 regions the cane fields cover tens of thou- 

 sands of acres — a dense jungle impossible 

 adequately to control, and as inflammable 

 as tinder. When the grinding season ap- 

 proaches the planter finds himself at the 

 mercy of the bandit, who can with im- 

 punity set a fire which will quickly destroy 

 the fruits of the year's labor. Burning 

 cane fields has been raised to a fine art 

 in Cuba. 



When seeking to extort tribute from 



wealthy merchants or others not having 

 cane fields the bandit either ambushes the 

 merchant himself or some near relative and 

 holds him for ransom, the amount of which 

 is proportioned to the wealth of the vic- 

 tim, one thousand centens, about $5,000-, be- 

 ing the figure frequently extorted. 



Aviation Exhibition Assured 



Cuba is assured of an aviation exhibition. 

 From February 4th to February 12th, fa- 

 mous man-birds will be in the island, and 

 Havana will have an excellent opportunity 

 to see some of the latest and best things 

 that have been done towards the conquest 

 of the air. At Camp Columbia, near Ha- 

 vana, the aviators will have groimd well 

 adapted to their requirements and ample 

 space for the accommodation of crowds. 

 Arrangements, made in New York, to bring 

 the aviators to Cuba, have received the cor- 

 dial approval of President Gomez and 

 Mayor Cardenas of Havana. 



The bill appropriating $25,000 for avia- 

 tion prizes for the coming aviation meetmg 

 was passed by the house December 20th. 



