DRAMATIC QUEST ENDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1942, Page 8

DRAMATIC QUEST ENDS

Recovery Of Niagara's Gold

In the article below the final scenes in the dramatic search for the Niagara's gold by the men aboard the salvage ship Claymore are described. The story is one of patient and painstaking endeavour in the face of tremendous difficulties, a story which ended in the recovery of bullion valued at £2,397,000.

(Specially Written for the "Evening Post."— Copyright.) A careful study of the Niagara's plans showed that the door of the bullion room directly faced the porthole of the chief steward's cabin. The bullion room itself was about the size of a villa bathroom. It was six feel wide, nine feet six inches long, and eight feel six inches high.

How was the diver lo distinguish one porthole from row upon row of others? The task was not so perplexing as it appeared since there was a point of focus in the shape of a gangway door. Counting from there towards the stern the port of the steward's office was only seven portholes distant. Sooner than anyone had dared to hope, the chief diver wasable to mark the spot. Now, the delicate work of demolition could begin, for naturally the gold could not be reached until a passage to it had been _ torn away by explosives. On April 5 the jdb was commenced of removing the bulwark plating on "C" deck for a distance of thirty feet forward and abaft the centre line marking the place under which the bullion-room lay inside the hull. That there was initial trouble with the explosives is not surprising since the effect of blasting gelatine at the depth where the Niagara lay had to be determined by a process of trial and error.

The placing of the "shots" demanded team work of the highesi order. In effect, the diver was the eyes and the brains, and the deck operatives were the hands, of the operation. The former could sec and guide, but not touch, and the others, by mechanical means (though over 400 feet above) could deposit the charge in any position indicated.

Eight men, in addition to the -livers —the brothers Johnstone took turns in the bell —were normally engaged on the surface under the direction of Captains Williams and Herd, the former himself invariably receiving and passing on the telephonic directions received from the wreck. WAY SMASHED TO BULLION. Gradually a way was smashed to the bullion room and the ill-used Niagara began to look like a bombed building. First the bulwark platings went by the board, and then iri succession the thick sheer strake, the shell plating, and sections of "B" and "C" decks. Cabins, bathrooms, stairways, and all the internal fittings of a modern passenger liner were shattered, grabbed up, and dumped in the mud alongside until the sea bed became heaped like a junk yard. Eventually a hole 60 feet long and 30 feet wide yawned in the side of the wreck, and on September 25 a conical passage had been cleared to the bullion room do^r

The date coincided with Chief Jiver Johnstone's birthday anniversary, and this was considered to be a favourable omen for the opening ceremony But whereas some very heavy charges had previously been used—the most powerful comprised 1121b of gelatine —the utmost care had now to be taken to ensure that the required "shot" was neither too strong nor too feeble. After some discussion the salvage officers resolved to try a twelve-pound charge, which at tlie end of nearly three hours of patient work was accurately placed over the door

Suspense was almost painful when

the plunger was pushed down. Would the explosive do its work, or would it blast those tons of elusive gold bars to an inaccessible cavern in the bottom of the wreck? This

anxious question was in everybody's

mind. By the irony of circumstances it did neither of these, things. It miss-fired! The anti-climax was complete.

Imperturbable as ever, the chief diver set about the task all over again, aud this time all went well. Not only was the door blown in, out some hefty rivets along the top angle were loosened, thus facilitating the removal of the double plates around the entrance, as well as a section of the plating above.

'At long last the gold had been located. Doggedness, galling work, and technical proficiency had won the day. With ordinary luck nothing now remained but to recover the bullion, which, though still invisible, was undoubtedly there for the gathering.

Winter had set in with a rush towards the end of March, and henceforth a succession of gales and squalls impeded operations on the wreck often for days on end. It was nothing for the wind to shift boisterously to three different points of the compass within

a few hours, with disastrous results to the moorings.THE FIRST GRAB. The Claymore put fo sea in the second week of October to make her first grab at the bullion. Spirits ran high, and an air of confidence pervaded the ship, even when it was realised that, as usual, the conditions were adverse. A freezing southwesterly blew oft the land and had to be ridden out for two days. Nevertheless, the next morning, Monday the 13th, dawned calm and clear and the ship was snug to her moorings by breakfast lime.

Chief Diver Johnstone made his first descent at 8.39 a.m., and by telephonic wizardry directed the small grab towards its objective. In effect, the process was like trying to thread a needle in the dark, for he was unable to see into the bullion room and the entrance through which the jaws had to bite allowed a latitude of only six inches each-way, in one direction, and a foot in the other. As bad luck would have it the catch/was merely a small quantity of debris, including a porthole frame; this was decidedly disappointing. But it was resolved to try again later in the day despite portents of a rising sea.

Accordingly, at 12.40 p.m. the diver was again lowered in the bell to his chosen station on the wreck where, with straining eyes, he did all that a man could do to penetrate the Cimmerian darkness. As the shadowy form of the grab passed near his windows on its upward journey he noticed with a thrill that an object resembling a bullion box had been firmly gripped by the spikes. Anxious not to raise false hopes he coolly reported that "something" had been caught and possibly it might be worth examination. But he was at Captain Williams's side as the grab was hove in and was the first to congratulate him when the anticipated box loomed visible to all eyes. Yet, as though reluctant to disgorge its treasure, the grab obstinately refused to open. Not until the jaws had been prised apart did the box fall with a euphonious thud on the foredeck.

To the very last Captain Williams remained incredulous. He and Captain Herd had struggled for so.long and against so many heart-breaking reverses that it was now hard-to believe the evidence of his senses. As speedily as hands could work, two gleaming bars, each worth over £4000, were wrested free and passed from man to man. They were of astonishing weight, but to the leaders, at least, they were as light as air. HIGH FESTIVAL. The stinking mud which had blackened and slimed the wood casing had lei the ingots untouched. They shone with the lustre of newly-minted coinage, a pleasing sight in the eyes of those who had laboured and endured for this reward. And so, amid cheers and mutual felicitations., they were ceremoniously carried to the saloon, where all hands proceeded to hold high festival, as well they might. Grouped under a portrait of the King, the entire ship's company sang with fervent voices the National Anthem, and, in good refreshing liquor, proceeded to toast the two captains, the divers, ancl one another. Before passing on to an uproa ous chorusing of sea chanties and salty old ballads, they listened to the proverbial "speech" from Captain Williams, who appropriately reminded them that they had made salvage history and shown what British pluck and resourcefulness could accomplish in the most difficult circumstances.

"Never," advised their leader, "be ashamed of being British. It is a fine thing to be in these days. And remember that you arc contributing very usefully to the war effort, for the gold we •re about lo recover will buy many things the Empire needs. As for mc, all I can say is, 'thank you.' "

All through October and November and into.December the salvage operations were conducted on a hit-and-run basis, for the conditions as to light and weather were so consistently bad as to reduce actual working time to an average of less than one day in five. Rain, gales, and the obstructive behaviour of the moorings combined to test the nerves ancl sap the patience. Nor could the work be incautiously hurried, for the grab had but to foul the walls of the bullion room or some other relevant feature of the wreck to be lost, probably for ever.

Picture, the diver, day after day, in his cylindrical cell som 428 feet below the surface, where, at best, his vision was ' restricted to a" radius ■of a • few

feet. If some submarine disturbances did not stir up the mud, he could usually depend on the grab to do so, and then visibility would be reduced to nil. With these odds against him, it was his job to ensure that the grab neither fouled his own suspending wire or the telephone cable, nor closed on one of the many loose ends of the wreck which so avidly stretched out to catch and to hold. Purely by verbal instructions it was his' duty to direct the jaws to the one small aper- | ture through which they could pinch on something profitable. These instructions were quietly passed to Captain Williams, who sat for interminable hours on the bridge deck of the Claymore with the telephone receiver and mouthpiece glued to his head. The captain, in turn, as quietly gave the necessary orders to the winchmen and others on the foredeck, where Captain Herd superintended operations. It might happen that the bell or the grab would have to be shifted a few feet this way or that, or that either, or both, would have to be pulled up and lowered repeatedly. This was relatively easy. But when a sudden squall blew the ship substantially off her stance, as often happened, bell and grab would then have to be pulled well clear of. the wreck while the mooring lines were tightened or cased, according to the exigencies of the moment. A STEEL "AFRON." There were occasions, too, when the grab, choked with worthless rubbish, j would hold a box of gold so insecurely : that it dropped out. To guard against this contingency, Captain Williams had fitted a capacious steel "apron" of his own design which automatically fell into place under the jaws arter they emerged from the bullion room. Quite a number were saved in this way. November 5 brought some pleasant surprises. Up came the much-abused bullion room door as well as a steel plate measuring eight feet by four, and a large beam. With these formidable obstructions out of the way the scooping of the strongroom was made much easier—so much that by sunset on the following clay the tally had risen to 189 ingots weighing 2| tons and representing a figure of £810,000. On Armistice Day, November 11, we were elated by a record grab of 46 boxes—92 gold bars, valued at £389.160. It Mvas one of those garish days when sun, wind, and sea combined to blind us to the gloom of the climate and soften memories of its furies. At 11 o'clock in the morning work ceased for two minutes while we observed the "silence," all of us being on deck except Diver W. Johnstone, who was in the bell over 70 fathoms below. There, in the soundless deep, he bared his head in solitude as absolute as it was unique. WITHOUT RESPiTE.

Taking advantage of every fine break, Captain Williams and Captain Herd pressed on without respite until, after a fortnight of intermittent work, it became clear that only a final "cleaning up" was necessary. Steady grabbing on November 19, 20, and 21 under incredibly calm conditions reduced the residue of the treasure in the wreck to 34 boxes, a bagatelle worth a beggarly £284,640. Trifling though this remnant might appear to us who had remained undazzled by heaps of bullion, the recovery of such of it as could be retrieved proved difficult. Not only had boxes and odd ingots been pushed into corners or under mud and debris, but the job of picking them up called for an adjustment of the gear. In effect, the grab was asked to function as a pair of human hands, and was but a poor substitute.

But everything, even a salvage project, must come to an end, and when the grab was hauled inboard for the last time it was obvious that the small quantity of bullion to be abandoned was fated to elude the search of man. It was an insignificant premium to set against the sum of an achievement which, in brilliance, method, and simple courage brought honour to every man engaged.