CONSTANT ALERTS

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

CONSTANT ALERTS

RAIDS ON MALTA

(Rec. 2 p.m.)

RUGBY, Feb. 22

Malta had eleven alerts during the twenty-four hours up to yesterday evening, according to Press messages.

During four alerts on Friday night a small number of enemy aircraft dropped bombs, but there were no casualties or damage.

Yesterday there were seven alerts. Enemy bombers caused slight damage to civilian property.—B.O.W. v

Mr. R. Williams, 9 Daniell Street, boilermarker, suffered head injuries and concussion when he was struck by an iron bar at General Motors works, Petone, today. The Free Ambulance took him to hospital.

first arrived they estimated that if they could get in 50 diving days a year they would be satisfied. They stated that they were prepared to stay two years on the job. Actually, they were lucky with the weather, and had nearly a hundred diving days in the nine months.

The ship's side and decks were cut away with an explosive prepared especially for the job. It consisted of gelignite with a core of gun cotton. At first, difficulty was experienced in exploding the charge, but later long detonators were used with success.

The charge of explosive was lowered from the Claymore in special containers, slit down one side, and it was this side that was placed against the place that required cutting. The work required patience and was necessarily slow. The man in the bell would direct by telephone where he^ wanted the charge placed, and this placing had to be carried out from the Claymore over 400 ft above, by means of lines. The placing in the right place sometimes took hours.

When the charge was satisfactorily placed, then the bell was hauled up and the charge exploded by , electricity from the Claymore. At first only about half the charge would explode, but with the long detonators this fault was rectified.