ILLICIT SALVAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1933, Page 4

ILLICIT SALVAGE

••— - LOOTING KITCHENER'S TOMB. Strange stories of illicit salvage al the wreck of HALS. Hampshire. in which Lord Kiicheiici' lost his life during the war, have recently been circui kiting in various parts of Europe. The, i latest version appears at length in the New York "Herald-Tribune." The central figure is a “master locksmith." who is said to have left America with secret orders a few I , months ago. and who has now returned | with his hair whitened, his side ban-; daged, and a broken wrist. He was j accompanied iiy a nurse. | i This iimn's story is that a secret 'sal-' vaging company decided to loot the 1 ' sunken Hampshire. He joined the company ill Kiel, Germany, and was taken I ! to the site of the wreck, which hud j been discovered after four years of in- j tensive search sixty-five fathoms below the surface. After mud-suckers had I been used to clear the wreck, its starbeard side was blown open, and divers descended. The strongroom boxes, safes, and navigation room were discovered. and papers from the hitter established Hie vessel’s identity. Then came the task of the “muster lo< ksmith." who had to wrestle with Hie locks of i h<? safes. In an aluminium diving sail, ho went, down and brought up £15.001’ in gold in a chest. Then he

returned to tackle the safes as well, It was his idea, that the locks could be forced with a drill. With two other divers the man says I he descended, but they were flung 'against the side of the Hampshire and ; held there by a violent undertow. For 'forty minutes the three men wrestled i with the current, fighting to get out of ! ils grip. At last the salvage crew | hauled them to the surface in a state |<:f complete collapse. The “master locksmith's” wrist, according to the I story, was broken, his ribs injured, land his hair had turned white. The three men were taken to a hospital I in Koenigsburg, Germany, and one is istill there with his back in a plaster j cast. I ’Vlien back in New York the “master locksmith” declared that, rhe secret. I salvage company wished to sell its information to Hie British Government j because they believed that important .State documents were in the safes of I the Hampshire. | An official of the British Admiralty. Ito whom the story was referred, said I i that the authorities had no knowledge j of attempted salvage of the Hampshire. There was no contract with any I firm for the salvage of (he cruiser, and without a contract the work would be illicit, and could not fail to come under official observation. An authority pointed out that, although the Hampshire had not been officially located, it would, be impos-

sible lor anyone to carry out sucn : operations as mud-sucking and blowing out the side of the vessel without being noticed. Salvage work of the kind described was very costly, and could, only be undertaken by a large i firm. I As to the State documents in the ! Hampshire, the British Government, it i was pointed out, would have had i copies of their contents before the j Hampshire left port, and the recovery | of the originals could be of no possible | use.