SHIP BLOWN UP.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20107, 10 December 1930, Page 11

SHIP BLOWN UP.

fIiUAN SALVAGE VESSELMEN KILLED. wrecked gTEAMER EXPLODED. „„ e33 association By electiuc SB® 'SW-COPYRIGBT.) p&ti December 9th, 7 p.m.) LONDON, December 8. respondent of "The Times" describing the explosion wrecked Florence, gives an ac--3I an eye-witness:-'<An enormIjin of smoke and water rose up jit When Uncleared away the who perished with her in■hJ tie world's beat-known divers. TirtigHo, after suspending work f Eeyp t in the autumn, remained 'Leh'waters in readiness for the 3 tion of the task of dynamiting a 1 t tie Egypt's strong-room, which "filed with £1,000,000 worth of uij work was to start at the possible date in 1931. Meanher consort Bostro, .she 'Stock miscellaneous salvaging in £«d waters. One job was to clear tied of the Florence, whicli was "vin 1918 with a cargo of munitions . America. The ship was lying in ftol of water, with the masts r ro " jtJiig. Effects of the Explosion. Hi di?e» decided to demolish her sisfely W possible with explosives. jL hidcomplete*all preparations yesJjy rien they placed charges about feireck. The Artiglio retired one isiied yards, which was as far as the jjjjjij jrfres which were connected rathe tbarges would permit. The shots jjuJrsd, (rat the effects had been misaljjlsted, and the whole of the Florgj'a munitions blew up. flit Mowed is uncertain. The fctsiitiM was so violent that it either assedthe ignition of explosives aboard 3 Artiglio, or the colossal upheaval inter instantly engulfed her. The iafeOjWMeii was anchored in the vieinb nulied ?p and rescued seven surfton, four of whom were seriously inni Captain Bertholotto and three iferj, Giapi, Fianceschi, and Bargeliji, those on deck, and m pipbsblj killed by the explosion. a«9ugU!e.-rooiß staff and others below ad bo chaaee to escape. Gianni asd fmtesehi tad each 20 years' experia«in nbbei unit diving before using fitspeeifU deep sest apparatus. BargelM had had years' experience. Each i the three divers weighed 15 stone; sid eaeh had enormous muscular detjlopmeat They had spent the greater jatt of the last twQ years roaming In the sea-hed loeatisg the Egypt. All tare widows and children. The Artiglio ita|ipured for £35,000. She w&a fitted with 'vaJuablc plant. A Barvivflrt Story. Gimoppi Gagli, tie wireless operator is tear! tie Artiglio, when interviewed » b&pittlt |sifjvtjkvt the ship seemed iealj fo fasj> iato the air. He was «f o?er times while in the |Wd eoniij pee fragments of the iMiag into a boiling ' cauldron. $ eiplained that dynamite bombs Bplated in the after hold of the tew ia expectation that they would Mr Wow tl|o hull of the wreck ■ato; iajlfad, apparently the whole ®pof Weral hundreds of tons of ®™s blew up.—"The Times" Mis.' PARIS, December 8. Us fuwjus Italian salvage ship Wtfe, used to recover the treasure fcraftaaipten Egypt, was blown up, ®tag killed and seven sent to hosi™- picked up the surma , k explosion occurred when eiearin the channel off GuiSJjfc The vessel sank immediately. W wen working at the time were [853 lad drpwned, their bodies later explosion was due to the igni?®««wral hundreds of tons of ex®>fte freighter Florence, on W ere working. The Arfift? S*rds from the freighter, ? ttp'oaion was so violent that *•> blown to nieces. Artiglio was a vessel of 284 od wag built in Glasgow in 1906. 5 ill! long, 23ft in breadth, depth. She was owned by salvage company, which was secure the bullion on »!' 0. liner Egypt, which was 55-1® *®7 20th, 1922, through a col- # French freighter.]