Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 655, 31 March 1870, Page 2

The s.s. Gothenburg arrived at Hokitika from Melbourne yesterday, and will be tendered here this morning at nino o'clock. She will take passengers for Nelst n, other coast ports, and Melbourne. The g.s. Murray arrived at Westport yesterday from Nelson, and may be e^pect^d here to-day. The s.s. Wallibi arrived at the wh^rf on Tuesday evening, at half-past ten o'clock, from HokitiKa. She left the latter port at 7-30, and arrived here on the same tide, Yesterday forenoon she left for Westport, Nelson, and Wangamii, at whioh latter port a oargo is ready awaiting her arrival. Captain Daniel reports the Grey bar and channel in very good condition, the latter having a minimum depth of 14 feet. The Geelong Advertiser gives the following particulars respecting the operations at the wreck at the Viet >ria Tower i — " The cargo immediately under the main or upper deck has been nearly all recovered, but to get into the hold, where the balk of it still remains, the upper deck hi s, to be removed. One large mass has been lifted off and canted overboard, but another and larger ono has also to be got rid of, and wheu this is done there will be no impediment to getting out all that remains on b« ard. The owners have now everything in working order— plenty of bands, and two divers with their assistants, three vessels and two splendid lifeboat*. The working expenses of such a speculation are very heavy, amounting to over LlO9 a week, and some weeks nothing is recovered ; still there is little doubt that it will turn out a fair bargain for the speculators in the en.l. There must be quite half the cargo rsmainine on board, and *ome of it ia very valuable. For instance, there is at least L 12,000 worth of drapery, 800 to 000 tons of iron and ste.il. a large lot of saddlery (ab.)ut 28 cases), 890 or 900 cases of beer, 100 packages of tol>acao, with hardw-hare, engines, and tbe whole of . the ship's stores, .ropes, &o, As the ship is not likely to break vp more for years it can all be recovered. The summer is considered to be the worst tiire for this work, as the weather is so variable, and the S. or S.W. ■winds set in strong after noon, raising up a heavy sea which prevents the divers from getting good foothold, and makes it unsafe for the lighter to remain alongside. The wind flies round in an instant, and in a very phort time the surf rolls and roars on che beach, making it unsafe to land in the boat. In fact two of the men have had narrow escapes, and life belts would be very serviceable, and not at all out of place, One cf the two lighters callei the Sarah Ann, was driven ashore aboub six weeks since, anl two carpenters have since been engagfd in repairing her. Fortunately the place whore she came on shore was almost all sand, so that she will be ready for sea again iv a few days, and but little difficulty is expected in getting her afloat. The ownera ami crew arc now comfortably housed, and some of the men have built ucat hr.ts for their wives, so that tho camp has quite an imposing aspect at a distance, and will be comfortable e.ven in the winte.r. The. Victoria Tower has been worked at for about four months already, and it is very unlikely that .nil the carco be recovered for many mouths to coma ; still, the lirge amount on bctml and its intrinsic value, even at a deteriorated price, is quite sufneient to make the, speculation a gool one."