DADLY HOLED

Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1927, Page 4

DADLY HOLED

S.s. NOKTHUMBERLAN 1). ENTENSIV E DAMAGED REVEALED AUCKLAND, Feb. 21. The steamer Northumberland, which struck a submerged rock near Gable ! End foreland, on January 25th.. was floated into Calliope dock to-day for repairs. It has not yet been decided I whether the latter are to be of a por- | mauent or temporary nature. In the lower part of the ship’s hull on the | port side a huge dent was exposed I where the vessel had keen struck n glancing blow. The plates have been . buckled in over an area of approximately 40ft. by 15ft. and in two or three parts have teen ripped out from their places, leaving gaping holes that are at present tilled with the remains I of sheepskin mats (itted over the hull while the vessel was at Gisborne. It is estimated that about 600 square feet: of new plates will be required to replace those torn and buckled. Some doubt exists as to whether any quantity of the plates of the Northumberland’s type exists in New Zealand. and the opinion is expressed in engineering quarters that if permanent repairs are to Ire carried out in Calliope the necessary plates will have to he brought from Australia. The question arises, however, whether it would not be more economical to patch the rents with plates already in stock in the Dominion, and leave the permanent repairs until the vessel returns to England. This matter has not yet Veen decided. A call for tenders for repairs will be made shortly. Considerable preliminary work, however. remains to Vie done before this task can begin. The lower hold behind the boles in ilie bull was sealed up at Gislmrne with cement 2ft. in thickness,

preventing the water from spreading to other parts of the ship. This impenetrable wall will lirst have to be broken down, for which explosives will probably have to lx? used, and the debris. including the sodden cargo that still remains inside, will all have to be removed. There is every prospect, therefore, of the ship being in dock for a number of weeks. The engineers who inspected the damaged hull said that the repairs would not constitute a very big job, as such jobs go. In both the Port Hacking and the Rona the work represented a bigger and more difficult problem.