SALVORS AT WORK

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

SALVORS AT WORK

METHODS DESCRIBED

LOCATING THE WRECK

The 'Niagara salvage operations have been one of the best-keptl secrets in the history of the Dominion. When the liner left Auckland en route to Vancouver she had the gold in her strongroom. Immediately after the sinking of the Niagara investigations were made in Australia with the object of securing the services of a salvage company. \ As a first step the Claymore, well known on the North Auckland coast for many years, but then lying in Auckland's "rotten row" rusting and inhabited by seagulls, was secured as the salvage company's flagship. The hulk was put in the hands of engineers and shipwrights, and under the direction of Captain J. P. Williams, manag-ing-director of the salvage company, she was converted into a serviceable salvage vessel. In the course of these investigations the chief diver of the company, Mr. John Johnstone, of Melbourne, made a world's diving record when in the observation bell he went down to 428 feet, a depth only surpassed by Beebe's bathoscope. The wreck was located on February 2, 1941, and from then on, save when wild weather made a respite necessary, the preliminary work continued until October 13, when the salvage party was rewarded by the bringing to the surface of two gold bars each of £4230 m value. THE OBSERVATION BELL. The Niagara had been found lying on her side, and in order to reach the strongroom it was necessary •. to blast a -hole in the side sufficient to allow the bell and a grab to penetrate the wreck. The observation bell—a steel cylinder \vith manganese dome weighing 22 tons and capable of withstanding a pressure of 3501b to. the square inch—was used by the diver to take him to the wreck. The bell was fitted with a series of plate-glass windows through' which the diver was able to make observations, the results of which he communicated to his companions on the Claymore by means of a telephone. The diver and the abovewater personnel were thus in complete touch with one another. When the diver had made his observations the task which confronted the salvage crew was to deposit a charge of explosives at a spot where they would destroy the ship's plating and yet not endanger the strongroom, which was the ultimate goal.. The fact that the charge had to be lowered 428 feet indicates the delicacy of the operation. VALUABLE EXPERT KNOWLEDGE. So as to avoid the possibility of accident every charge when placed in position was fired by the diver who, in order to do this, returned to the surface. The skill attained by all hands was shown by the number of blasts made in the course of a day. So proficient did the whole of the company become that in calm weather the salvage operations proceeded as smoothly as if the work was being done in a quarry. During this phase of the operations W. Johnstone, a naval diver released by the Australian Naval Board, rendered invaluable service as the result of his technical knowledge of explosives and his experiences under water in various parts of the world. The workers attained such a state of efficiency that towards the end of the job the ascent "from the wreck to the lifting of the.bell.lid alongside the Claymore tpok only eight minutes, butthe actual placing of charges' entailed most exhausting concentration for hours at a time. BLOWING PATH TO BULLION. Although large quantities of explosives were necessarily stored on the .Claymore, caches were made as a precautionary measure on one of the Chickens islands. Eight weeks after the location of the Niagara everything was in readiness to commence blowing a path to the bullion room. The first charge cleared away many rivets and created a yawning hole in the ship's side. The crew of the Claymore saw a wounded shark and the remains of a deck cabin floating on the surface, which was covered with oil gushing from the Niagara's fuel tanks. After this initial explosion the work proceeded as well as could be expected during winter months when storms were frequent. The Claymore, in spite of elaborate mooring devices, experienced difficulty in remaining over the scene of the wreck. On many occasions it was necessary to make for the shelter of Whangarei harbour and" the storms which frequently buffeted the tiny vessel called for expert seamanship, especially in view of top hamper in the shape of derricks and other heavy apparatus. MUCH EXPLOSIVE USED. The difficulties, however, were defied, and by' May 17 the hole in the ship's side had been enlarged to a length of 40ft and a width of 20ft. C deck, forming the roof of the bullion room, was sagging, and B deck was in turn resting on C deck. This made the task of the salvage party more difficult, for it was of the utmost importance that no unnecessary damage should be done , to the structure of the ship lest the bullion should be irrevocably buried. ; Two days later a total of 4501b of , explosives was used, bringing the , aggregate up to 20001b, while a similar quantity was required to cut away B ; and C decks from the adjoining beams, i At this point Lieutenant Haines, for ,40 years in the British Navy and gunnery officer in the Battle of Jutland, was consulted by Captain Williams with a view to solving problems in re- , gard to explosives at such a depth of water. Thereafter not a single failure was experienced in hundreds of ; charges fired. AN EXCITING MOMENT. Step by step the salvage party moved J towards the bullion room and it was 1 an exciting moment when the deli- 1 cttely-placed charges blew away the ' hinges oh the door without" disturbing : the contents of the room. To the ' diver's delighted eyes there was a sight ] of boxes of gold. J

Excitement on the Claymore increased when the grab brought to the surface two boxes each containing two bars of a total value of over £8000.

A moving picture record of the great event was taken, as was another when a few days later the Claymore arrived at the Whangarei wharf and discharged gold' to the value of £80,000, which was duly lodged in the strongroom of the Bank of* New Zealand.