DIVER TO SEARCH FOR CREW

Chronicle (Levin), 23 August 1946, Page 8

DIVER TO SEARCH FOR CREW

ENGINE NOW VISIBLE ABOVE WATERLINE Preparations are being made by tlie Railwavs Department for a diver from the Wellington Harbour a Board, Mr. Fitzgerald, to make a descent into the Manawatu River on Saturday morning to search the cab of the sunken ''RA eugine for the bodies of the missing d river, B. M. Craighead, and the lire man, R. E. Hoskin. The diver arrived in Palmerston North yesterday, and in the afternoou he made an inspection of the locality where the locomotive dronped int.o the gorge.

The river continued to subside rapid ly yesterday and late in the afternoou, the snout of the engine became visible above the water line. It was apparent that the locomotive came to a rest on the fireman's side about 30 feet from the bank at an angle of about 45 degrees. The mail waggon, which was Uiird from the engine, was left higli and dry bjr the receding flood waters, and the work of salvaging Ihe contents proceeded unhampered. By 5 p.m. tlie last live eanvas mail bags were removed from the van. The Chief Postmaster at Palmerston North (Mr. M. R. Aldridge) said two of the bags had been opcued and it was found that a considerable quantity oi the mail was quite intact. Tlie Jeiters were tied in bundles and only tlie ouiside ongs in eacli case had sullered troni the unmersion in the river. All tlie mail will be thoroughly dried, re-sorten and despatched to its destination as

quiekly as possible. The waggon second from the engine was also partly uncovered by tlie receding river. It is an open waggon of the type used for the carriage of eoal or ni'etal. The oxposed portiok .vas thoroughly silted up. Following his exiunination of tlie area, Mr. Fitzgerald expressed tli" opinion that diving operations eould be suecessfuUy car-rie.d out. He fetui;n.ed to Wellipgtop; by raiRar last night and. wfil .iretpnv w-i|h lijs ; gqufpmeh t todfiy. It expe.ctediFfhat'- ttie- engine wilL -be deeply -covered in silt. and arrange unehts have been rnn.de to have pumpiug facilities available to sluice it awa... before the diver descends. The mail waggon will be salvaged on Sunday morning by the use of a 40-ton and a smaller crane. It is now obvious that the large crane jibs will not reach out suffi-cientlv far to hoist up the heavy locomotive, and ' departmenta! engineers are eonsidering the pos sibility of driving piles and erecting a jetty out from the railway embankment from which the cranes coulu operate more easily. Although this will be the biggest lift of the heavy "KA" class engine iu the department 's experience, engineeiv are conlident that it can be successfulFaccomplished by two 40-ton crane. which were specially imported from Britain when "KA" engines were pu. into use on New Zealand railroads. Tlu previous biggest lift yas when a "KA" locomotive was derailed at Paraparaumu several years ago, al-. though ^the height on the occasion was only a matter of 10 or 12 feet. A ithi. recent years an "AB" class engine was lifted from the Waugaehu River in tlie Wanganui distriet, the height in that instance being about 30 feet. The distance iu the preseut case is about 6i feet.