THE TARANAKI

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 24

THE TARANAKI

RAISING THE WRECK

TORY CHANNEL HISTORY

(By "Martingale.") [ I-]

Some details were given in these columns last week concerning a Bible which had been rescued from the wreck of the old Taranaki in Bowden's Bay, Tory on August 19, 1868. The raising of. the Taranaki marks a very definite stage in the marine history of this country, for the attempt was the first one which fats successfully carried out up to that time. In the following details concerning the operations many particular^ are taken from a paper read before the Wellington Philosophical Society in November, 1869. The screw-steamer Taranaki belonged to the New Zealand Steam Navigation Company. She left "Wellington at 1.30 on the afternoon of August 19, 1868 with a large number of passengers on board and a full cargo of valuable goods bound for Pieton. In entering Tory Channel she struck the Boat Harbour Bock, a pinnacle rock often awash at low water. A large hole was torn in her bow. She then swung round and steamed over the rock, carrying away her propeller. This occurred at 530 p.m. The fore and aft compartments gradually -filled, the midship compartments alone remaining tight. The passengers were landed safely, at Bowden 's Bay, but the steamer, after attempts to tow her, sank. - The Taranaki's tonnage was 229 register, her keel being 182 ft long her beam 25ft, and having a hold depth of 16ft. She' was powered with 100.h.p. engines, being"a new ship recently from the hands of Clyde builders. WELLINGTON TENDER ACCEPTED. Shortly, after the wreck the N.Z.S.N Co. called for tenders for raising her, but the directors refused to undertake the task, the hull was sold to a

few residents in Wellington early in 1869. Steps were then taken to raise her. Several schemes were proposed, that submitted by Messrs. Seagar and Thirkell, of Wellington, being accepted. The wreck was supposed to be lying in about 100 ft of water, and the weight to be lifted was estimated at about 450. tons. It was an undertaking the nature of which was no less than herculean in those days. '■' The main working bas"e was planned as follows:—There were four pontoons, two of them ,95ft long on top, 91ft long at the bottom, 14ft broad on top, 12Jft ; broad at the bottom ■ and Bft deep. The other two were 85ft'long on'top and 81ft long at the bottom, and of the same depth and breadth as the other pair; strongly \ framed, decked, planked, and caulked, and with three watertight bulkheads in each. These pontoons were built at Picton of New Zealand white pine. If sunk to-a depth of 6ft the pontoons would represent a displacement of nearly 775 tons/and if totally submerged, of some 1050 tons. .; This' allowedan ample margin for the weight of the sunken ship and also that, of the men- and,the gear. .' .•■'/: ■',-, ; ~ tIFTINa RODS. ";The. lifting apparatus consisted .of •forty-four long iron rods, with hooks at.. the' bottom to catch in the ports in the,, sides of .the ship—twenty-two uponeach side. The upper end of these rods led up to the pontoons,'arid were attached to screws^ on the top of each rod for raising the "weight. ■ ■ ■ The rods were 1 Jin in diameter" and could take a strain of 16 tons'each >(b'r, in all, 700 tons), and were divided into links twelve feet -long. It- .was subsequently shown that shorter links would have been more suitable'for operations. ■-" ■' * ■-'.'■ . The hook at the bottom •of these rods was made of thickened-iron which, took hold-of the'port'to"-SJin, and an ingenious slide or stop took hold of the lower side of the port-hole and supported the hook, after it was fixed, preventing it from slipping out when the upward strain was relaxed. The stop was,fastened by the diver as soon as the hook was in position. The lifting screws were of iron 2 3-Sin in diameter and screwed: for 2ft 3jin in length. Each screw was turned by a lever sft long. These technical details, while perhaps, of rather dry nature, are after all of no small interest when? it is considered that this operation was the first of its kind conducted in New Zealand and was therefore largely in the nature of an experiment. But, having got over that portion of the story, the remainder will probably prove of greater interest. The four pontoons were placed two on each side of the sunken vessel so that a space was left between them over the wreck, about one foot more than the breadth of the Taranaki. Twentytwo sets of cross beams, made double, rested on the pontoons, passing over the wreck and carrying two lifting rods apiece. The length of tho beams was from 48 to 53 feet according to position, being also made of white pine. In the work of raising the ship an average of 54 men was employed. The method of screwing up a lift was the first to screws up all the screws on one side for one foot, or half the length of the lift, then proceed to the other side and screw up for two feet, or the full length of the lift, and then return to the first side and screw up the remainiug half of the lift there. The whole process could be done twice in one day, about three hours being engaged in the actual lift and another

hour being occupied in "fleeting" the screws to take fresh lifts. Two divers were employed: they had the arduous task of fixing the hooks under a fair depth of water, opening the. ports, cutting away the woodwork, and others jobs such as sending up the anchors and chains. Next week details will be given concerning the actual raising of the ship.