WONDERS UNDER THE SEA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 296, 3 September 1918, Page 7

WONDERS UNDER THE SEA

VESSEL OF 2750 TONS CARRIED A MILE IN: SLINGS.

It used to be considered, says tile "Daily Express , ," that 1500 tons was the greatest weight that could be lifted from under water by wire ropes. A sunken 'Government collier that was obstructing a u'airway was lilted out of the mud recently and carried away by four lifting ships, with sixteen 0-inch wire ropes, and the dead weight carlied by those ropes was calculated at 2750 toils. Tho wreck was shifted a distance' of ono mile at the first lift, and so wag gradually tnfceii to the beach, patched up, and'sent off to a lepairing yard. She wont back into service, and made several voyages before, a torpedo ended her cawer altbgethor. Ships sunk in deep water cannot be salved. It is not, expeotsd by any salvage expert that tho LuMtasin, for example, will ever bo lifted. Divers cannot work in more than twenty •fife fathoms, successfully, -'though for special purposes they may semetome* g. O down to thirty-five jfathor-w far r brief spell of work. The buik of ih* ships saved have! beoi) sunk in k>? than twenty fathoms, or have been towed in« shore by rescue tugs, n.;>d havs gone 'aground in fairly easy positions. At the same time,', the saka-gt- men face considerable risks, not or.ly Warn bad weather, but also from eubrnnrine attack. Only one salvage ship; however,has been lost through, eneisy action. The growth of the pksl and in-, skill ot the' pcVsonncl have ■ e'f.aM»d many more ships to be salved tkU than could have been tho case in the early days of the war. Betvaai October, 1915, (Hid December, 1017. the number. of ships salved Was 260 ; ia average of about ten a month. The-figures for this year are:— .....

January 14 February 41 March , 37 ,; : . April ........;..:..;...... 36 ;May;•-.; : 19 Among tho latest devices employed are submersible electric pilmps—a- British iiivention--which caii Work under water, and pump out anything from 301) tons to 500 tons of water an. hour. It was duo to these piimps thii-t a large oil tanker wan salved recently. She Was- mined, and lift'.' ii-ifiawmsbte cargo caught fire forward. There \H-ro explosions 'of\'ammunition ou board, and esplosiw.n of. pvhc)_ fumes. _ A salvage' vessel'.was h-Wwiiag by, trying to keep tbe firft uiiflpr, wlion the wiari changed and blew_ the five astern, so that, the : vfaoib ship ssemed to be- one raging .festics. !fi?m> nothing to be done but te scut-tlo the ship, anf! that Was not 'easy* It \<\ok about forty shots, below the. y.'jtar lino to do it." She went; cWu. in fsJriy sJioel water ; aiirt: the fir« nuiiyuishoil. The shell holes were pJngffed l)y divers, the water was pump*! n'tit and the vessel ' ( 'w'as' raised, wit.ii sotae of her valuable cargo 6f oil mkSnmngcd- artd still intact. ''

.The saine pumps .saved a cargo of foodstufffe Una Avbol in another ship worth'£3)ooo,ooo. Shofhad been torpedoed, but was towed'inshore by rescue tugs. Work was only possible on her.at low water for,about two hours with-ordinary pumpe: The submersible pumps were taken down into her stokehold and engine room by divers, however, and efficient was their work that the ship was lightened sufficiently to be floated off and sont to a repairing port. She is now "carrying on." i

Among othor interesting devices is the "standard" patch for the in a hull caused by a torpedo. A latterday discovery by a British chemist enables divers, to dissipate the gases gen* erated in sunken slnpe by decomposing vegetable matter and grain, which ■formerly clnimed many lives.