STILL RELYING ON AIR COMPRESSION

Chronicle (Levin), 4 February 1947, Page 8

STILL RELYING ON AIR COMPRESSION

-Pfess Associatiofi

m SAlvage work on stranded wanganella :

By TeleoratfH-

WELLINGTON, Feb- 3. A renewed effort to free tlie Wanga nerlla from B'arrett 's Eeef is not likelj ; to be' made for tWo br thtee days, and possi'bly longer, unless sfrecial rehsottk ■ arise, it was stafed officially today. Throughout the weekend, the work ofi the Huddart-Parker liner was coniined to engifteefring measiir'fes to ifflpfdva fhe . sealing of the fo'fward hoids for ait eOmpressiOn, ahd the' - proOeSs . is 06» tinuing. The aetivity to inerease the buoyancy forward indicates that the experts still rely upon aif compression as the princijal means of saving the liner by liftifLg her as much as possible' Off the obsfructions. While defeets in the air compression became apparent during Ffiday's brief test, and the strain ap plied on the lifier by the' tugs, in ad dition to the use of the Wangafteflh 'V power, did not budge the ship in the slightest, it is clear that the trial did not impair confidence in the air com pression metliods. It is stated that perfection of the for ward sealing was not expeeted, least oi all by the experts.- The test was valu .able iil revealing defeets, and sinee then.welders have been engaged upon strengthening weak points. Oue comment today was that it would have been a miracle if everythifig had been found in order on Friday, after only a few days. of engineering work on board, for air compression to be ap-' plied in the real attempt to save the liner. Under the- eifcumstan'ees, it whs thought that the sealing measures tak en- wit.hin a very limited space of tiiflff indicated satisfactory progress. Situaton XJnehanged. The present situation very much r"e sembles that before Friday 's ekperiment. It is by no means certain that the next air compression elfort will be intended as the major attempt to saVe the Wanganella.- It is possible that limited compression wTill be applied for a time with the objeet of findthg whether there are other sealing weaknesses. Should tliey not appear, and if the weather conditions are favourable' it is expeeted that the greatest compression will be used in a full effort to free the liner, as the respofisible authorities are fnlly awafe of the urgency of the task before them. Tftlk of the abando'nment of air compression is the latest of the many rumours to surround the Wanganella since she went ashore two weeks ago last night. Aceording to the rumouT, all hopes now rest in the tise of explosives on the reef and the forepart of the ship. So* fat, there is no warrant for the suggestion, and the experts propose to coi.timie with air compression. Should it fail, there is no doubt that explosives may have to be used. This does not, however, represent any change of policy, for explosives experts and the necessary materials have long beem availabje for the drastic' and perhaps linal measure.' Death of Crew Memher. It is reported that the company^ commnnieated today with Australia in ah endeavour to learn the wishes of the rfilatives of klr. Ilarold Allens'on, a memher of the crew, who died iri Wellington last night,- for the funeral arrangements. Mr. Allenson, ivho was a l)oilermaker, received a fractUred skull in an accident ih the engine-room on tlie night of January 24. It is Understood that his home was in Syclney, and that he had no relatives in New Zealand. ,A.n inquest is to be held. Fair conditions during the weekend gave piaee today to a southerly change. with a drizzle in the motning, but the conditions at the Heads were only light. The forecast is for moderate southerly winds turning to north erlies during tomorrow, with the weather beConun^ fair to tine. .