NIAGARA'S GOLD-STORY OF RECORD SALVAGE FEAT OVER TWO MILLION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1942, Page 3

NIAGARA'S GOLD-STORY OF RECORD SALVAGE FEAT

OVER TWO MILLION

Diving Triumph

Dredged From 436 Feet —Bullion For War Work

(No. 1.) (By R. J. DUNN, in collaboration with J. Johnstone, chief diver or the Claymore.) (World Copyright. Not to be copied in whole or in part.) O l(S o nnn b L r8 W^ ighin e approximately ten tons and valued at 5.Z, 39 7.000 have been retrieved from the wreck of the Niagara, lying in the open Pacific, 30 miles from Bream Head, at the entrance to the Whangarei Harbour. . L Th !t r k epre9en * s *J» e bulli °n which the Royal Mail steamer took with her to the bottom when she sank 1 hour 40 minutes after striking a mine on June 19, 1940. Veiled in the greatest secrecy throughout, operations to IQ40 W . n g u eX 7 en ?n!° V \ r a eriod from December 15. 1940. to December 7. 1941. when the last bar was brought to lifted" moorings of the salvage vessel were finally The Niagara lay at 436 ft below the surface, a depth at which successful salvage had never been undertaken. However, within a tew weeks of the disaster negotiations were started for the recovery of the gold and the unprecedented task was accepted by the United Salvage Pty. Co., of Melbourne. A start was made on December 9. 1940. when the rusty old Claymore, formerly well known on the Auckland-Whangarei coastal service and herself salvaged for the job. put out from whangarei for the scene of operations.