DOCK BURST.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16823, 23 August 1920, Page 7

DOCK BURST.

AVALANCHE OF SHIPS. LIVERPOOL, June 7. Within sight of hundreds of passengers in the Mersey , ferry boats yostcidav, the 500-ton steamship Countess, of Glasgow, was seen to burst the gates of tile Alfred Dock, Birkenhead, an,d to come head down into the river, followed by a cataract of released water, on which 1(5 smaller vessels were tossed like corks and sunk. . »i The loss will fee, about £1,000,000. At the moment it is not clear if any lives wore lost. When the event occurred it was about three hours from high tide, and the Countess was riding m the Alfred Dock waiting until the rise of water would enable the dock gates to bo opened so that she could pass out into the river. . , , The level of the water in the dock was then 12ft. higher than tide level in the river. It was the “30ft. gate, one of four spanning the openings to this important dock system, which was involved. Behind lay all manner o. craft, from liners to steam tugs, barges and flats. , . Without warning the Countess struck the gate, smashed it to matchwood, went head down over the 12ft. waterfall, righted hefself as if by a miracle, cut in halves a large barge lying outside, and plunged into mid-river, to the consternation of ferry boat passengers and the skippers of other vessels. A thrilling spectacle followed. , People saw tho onrush of 500,000 tons of water through the 30ft. gateway. “It bubbled out like champagne through tho neck of a bottle,” was one eye-wit-ness’ description. Barges and lighters were spun round and up and down in tho whirl as if they were toy boats caught in a storm. Their crews were helpless to stave oft what seemed certain destruction, and stuck grimlv to their posts. Their craft were sucked into the. caudron and cast headlong into the river. “It made me think of pictures I have seen of shooting the. rapids,” remarked one young steersman, “and tho plunge at the end was terrifying.” . Moat of tho barges broke m two. Ten were found to-day at low tide just outside tho dock entrance. Apparently one had gone crashing on tho top of another. Ironwork was twisted like wire. Many thousand tons of coal and grain comprising their cargoes were piled up around thorn. As their craft sank tho crews were thrown violently into the swirl. Nearly 30 men were rescued by tugs. Many men saved themselves by leaping from ono bargo to another before reaching tho gateway and jumping on to tho quay sides. Those who went over the cataract clung for dear life to the sides of tho vessels. A man and his two sons were rescued together. Another man helped his hrotliei to tho side until ho could bo hauled to safety. Two boys fishing from a barge outside tho gates wore washed away, hut tho police cannot trace missing. Another man in a lighter is said to have boon drowned while preparing his meal below, but neither in this case nor in that of a man who was seen to be sucked under a barge can confirmation of their fate bo obtained. They could have been rescued at any point in tho river.

The police have started dragging operations to see it there are any bodies, but up to tho present none have been recovered. Inquiries at tho Mersey Dock Board offices from the police and the owners of barges have not revealed any missing men. It is really a miracle if there is no loss of life.

David Garnett, a lighterman, said: “As the Countess came through, the narrow opening she crashed against the wall and made a hole in her stern. I thought she was going to turn turtle. It was a miracle how she came through it with tho hole in her stern. She just missed tlio oil tanker, Sam Valero, by a good bit of seamanship on the part of that ship, and later wont ashore at Tramnero, a mile farther down. Tho sudden rush of watch - from the dock placed the vessels moored inside in jeo; pardy, as they all touched bottom aria were feeling tho strain. Emergency gates, however, were closed and shackled by a diver. In tho river there was a trail of wreckage through which tho ferry steamers ploughed.