MARINE DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20743, 10 December 1930, Page 13

MARINE DISASTER.

TRAGIC EXPLOSION.

SALVAGE SHIP DESTROYED. BLOWN OUT OF SEA. COLOSSAL UPHEAVAL. VIVID DESCRIPTIONS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received December 9, 8.55 p.m.) Times Cable. LONDON. Dec. 8. A message from Paris says an explosion to-day destroyed tho famous Italian salvage ship Artiglio, which until recently had been employed in tho recovery of the treasure from tho sunken liner Egypt. Sixteen men on tho Artiglio and two divers below were killed and seven were injured and sent to hospital. Fishermen picked up the survivors of tho explosion, which occurred when the crew wero clearing tho wreckage of the - steamer Florence 11, sunk in 1918. in the channel off Quiberon, near Lorient, France. Tho Artiglio sank immediately. The divers who were working below at tho timo were cut. off and drowned. Their bodies wero recovered subsequently. Tho disaster was caused by tho ignition of several hundreds of tons of munitions in tho Florence IT, on which the divers were working. Tho Artiglio was 100 yds. away, but the explosion was so violent that she was blown to pieces. Ship Gone After Explosion. The Lorient correspondent of the Times In describing the explosion gives an eyewitness' - terse account: "An enormous column of smoke and water rose up 900 ft. When it cleared away tho Artiglio had gone." Signor Giuseppe Gagli, wireless operator ion the Artiglio, interviewed in hospital, said the ship seemed suddenly to leap into the air. He was tossed over several times while ho was in the air and could see the ship's fragments falling into a toiling cauldron. Signor Gagli explained that dynamite bombs were placed in tho after hold of the Florence H in tho expectation that they would merely blow the hull of the wreck asunder. Instead apparently the entire cargo of several hundred tons of munitions blew up. Sunken Wreck's Munition Cargo. The 16 men who perished with the 'Artiglio included tho world's best-known divers'. After the suspension of work on the Egypt in the autumn the Artiglio remained in French waters in readiness for the reBumption of the task oT dynamiting a ,wav to the Egypt's strong room, which is filled with £1,000,000 worth of gold and silver, at the earliest possible date in 1931. In the meanwhile, with her consort Eostro, she was being used in miscellaneous salvaging in sheltered waters. One job was to clear the wreck of the Florence H, which was sunk with a cargo of munitions from America. She was lying in 50ft. of water with her masts ingThe divers decided to demolish the • 'Florence II as safely as possible with explosives. They completed all their preparations yesterday, when they placed charges about the wreck. Violence ol Detonation. The Artiglio to-day retired 100 yds., Hvhich was as far as the electric wires connected with the charges would permit her to be moved. Tho shots were then tired, but the effects had been miscalculated, and the whole of the munitions in the Florence H blew up. What followed is uncertain. The detonation was so violent that it cither •caused the ignition of the explosives in the Artiglio or the colossal upheaval of .water instantly engulfed her. The Rostro, which was anchored in the vicinity, was rushed up and her crew rescued the seven survivors, four of whom .Were seriously injured. Captain Bertholotto and three divers, Bignors, Gianni, Francesshi and Bargellini, were among those on the deck of tho Artiglio arid they were probably killed by tho explosion. The engine room staff and others (telow had no chance to escape. Famous Divers Lose Lives. Signors'Gianni and Francesshi had each had 20 years' experience in rubber-suit diving before using special deep-sea apparatus. Signor Bargellini had had 24 years' experience. All weighed 15st. and had enormous muscular development.. These three divers had spent the greater part of /the last two years in roaming the sea-bed locating the Egypt. All leave .widows and children. Tlie Artiglio was insured for £35,000. Ehe was fitted with a valuable plant. Tho American steamer Florence II was Bunk' on April 17, 1918, as the result of an internal explosion. Of her crew of (5 Jncri .34 were rescued. Tho liner Egypt was sunk off the island of tjshant, 27 miles west by north of •Brest, in May, 1922. The metal on board consisted of £339.000 in gold arid £210,000 in silver, representing a total value at the, time of the wreck of £1,054,000. Since then the price of silver lias depreciated heavily, but the value of tho gold remains. i