COOL NERVES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1942, Page 6

COOL NERVES

NEEDED ON THE JOB

COURAGE TESTED

(P.A.) .WHANGAREI, This Day,

Not only did the salvage operations in the recovery of the Niagara's gold call for skill and knowledge, but the divers themselves, who were often in peril,

required the coolest of nerves,

On one occasion the bell fouled a cable on the bed of the ocean; Being unable to extricate the bell, Diver J. Johnstone gave a signal to be hauled to the surface. Then came a revelation which tested the courage of the whole eighteen men aboard, for it was seen that a mine, with protruding horns, had become entangled with the bell wires. Extreme care had to be taken lest the mine should explode, and for some time tension was high. At last the fouling wire was cut. This, however, threatened to destroy the ship, for a mine released from its cable scraped the side of the ship, fortunately without exploding. Going down in a diver's suit Mr. J. Johnstone cut through the shackles of the mine, which was destroyed by rifle fire from the minesweeper whose services had been i*equisitioned in the meantime. The discovery of this mine was followed by an intensified search by minesweepers, and in eight days over 40 mines were discovered and.destroyed.

fcut for her light draught, the Claymore, it was stated, would probably have been blown to smithereens, for on her journeying to and from the scene of the wreck she passed through what was a veritable minefield.

The cause of the Niagara's sinking, it is stated, - was definitely traced to at least two mines, which disposes of any suspicion that the wreck may have been caused by an internal explosion.

It is considered probable that the Niagara, after striking one mine, made contact with another during her final plunge to the bottom. From the observation chamber it was seen that the main fracture was below No. 2 hold, the bottom plate of the ship in that area being blown away completely. In addition to this, a huge cavity extended aft from the lines of the funnels for

aiDOut 240 feet. Had this damage been sustained while the ship was still afloat everybody in the engine-room would have been killed instantly, whereas actually no casualties occurred. It was also apparent that the Niagara had broken her back, probably as a result of her tremendous impact with the sea bed, coupled with the explosion of a second mine. ■" The members of the salvage company and personnel of the Claymore consisted solely of New Zealahders and Australians. The Claymore was transformed from a useless hulk to a useful salvage ship, whijle much of her machinery in the shape of grab derricks and hauling apparatus was fashioned on the job or made in Whangarei. UNIQUE FEATURES. Though the principle of the observation bell had been adopted by the Italians in the salvage of the Egypt's gold, that used in the Niagara undertaking contained a number of unique features It was fortunate that the bell had been almost completed by the company for use in another sphere at the time of the Niagara wreck, for this enabled Captain Williams and his men to begin work without delay. No other observation chamber of this nature was available in the Southern Hemisphere. Neither of the Johnstone brothers who acted as divers had previously .operated an observation bell. Despite the dangers and difficulties they worked uninterruptedly, save when the weather was so bad that the Claymore had to leave her moorings. The system of-moorings adopted was a marked improvement "on that used by the Italians employed on the Egypt, the Italians having cut the mooring cables when rough weather approached. The Claymore, however, was able to tie up almost as easily as if she were mooring at a wharf, three hawsers astern and three hawsers over the bows holding her securely to sixton concrete blocks, which had been placed on the ocean bed. When the Claymore returned to the scene of the wreck it was never necessary to move her more than a few feet in order to place her in the right position for the submergence of the 'bell and grab. This, it is claimed, was largely responsible for the efficiency with which the salvage operations were carried out and is a tribute to the ability of the joint navigators, Captain Williams and Captain James Herd. MOST DISHEARTENING. The search for the wreck itself was, all the company admit, the most disheartening part of the whole undertaking. There was very little authentic information available by which to mark even approximately the position of the wreck, the only indication being the bearing obtained by the third officer of the Niagara nine minutes before she hit the mine. Thereafter she was at the mercy of the wind and a strong tide for an hour and forty minutes. As she had travelled nearly two miles after the third officer had taken his bearing and had gone ahead and astern at different times after the explosion, the salvagers had to depend upon deductions which eventually proved to be correct. An-echo sounder evolved by the British Admiralty was used to good purpose, as was sweeping with a form of trawl acting in water much as kites do in the air. This involved the handling of two miles of wire every two hours, which, one of the leaders remarked, "was apt to get on our nerves and cramp our tortured hands." OVERJOYED. Searchers were overjoyed when on February 2 Diver J. Johnstone definitely located the wreck. It was late in the afternoon and visibility was poor, but through the windows of the bell Mr. Johnstone espied dark objects. The first oil drum took shape, then he saw a boat davit with a ship's rail close handy. Below this on the mudline was a porthole out of which oould be seen a ventilator lying downwards. "This," said the diver, "completed the picture. We had found the Niagara." The announcement over the telephone moved the Claymore's company to wild delight. Darkness having set in, nothing more was done till next day, when the bell was again lowered, and, to the joy of everybody, it landed on the hull. Then began the long, arduous task of blasting a way into the bullion room. ~ MOST SUCCESSFUL DAY. November 11 was the salvors' most successful day. The sea.was beautifully calm. A diver was over the side at 8 a.m., and boxes came to the surface at a rate which would have pleased a fisherman after infinitely smaller fry. The boxes came up singly, in twos, and in threes, at roughly every quarter of an hour, the day's total being 46 boxes, valued at £389,160. On five occasions the jaws of the grab brought up four boxes of gold in one lift. This also happened twice on November 7 and November 19. It is noteworthy that the diver in the observation bell directed the movements of the grab by telephonic messages to the Claymore's men operating the derricks and winches.

■ In the final stages the grab's visits to the bullion room were frequent, but the returns became progressively smaller. During- the last five days only eight boxes were recovered.. The last single bar was given grudgingly, for it reached the deck of the Claymore on December 7 twisted and torn as though the grab had captured a most unwilling victim.