WEALTH UNDER SEA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 289, 1 August 1932, Page 7

WEALTH UNDER SEA

DIVERS SALYE OLD CARGOES FROM STJNKEN WRECRS.I Sunken wealth which has long lain ; beneath the waters of Table Bay will J soon, it is expected, be reclaimed, for j work has been bdgun by a salvage syndicat*. j The syndicate already has a lisii of about 15 foundered ships whose cprgoes and positions are approximately known, and, when the weather has been cairn, divers walking on the floor of the bay have seen blackened timbers, ironwork, and chains. There are dozens of wrecks scattered along the shores of the bay. When the north-west gales scour the sand from thern and expose their ribs, the divers hope that the sea may give up its secrets and its treasur.es. Meanwhils, salving operations are being earried out on the wreck of ; the Norwegian sailing ship Ryvengen. The first "grab" load of coal has been taken out of her. There are between 1000 and 1500 tons of coal in the wreck. Most of this coal will probably be recovered, although some difficulty in antieipated j when working near the bottom of the j ship. | Giant fronds of seaweed cover the ' upper decks and the 'tween decks, but ! the lower holds are free from these entanglements. Forest of Seaweed The engineer in charge of the operations has made a patent scythe with J which the diver cuts the immensc j stalks which form a networlc every- ! whare and hinder the work. In the j lower hold a number of iron heamj have heen hlasted away to enable the ! grab bucket to have free play | The diver has a dangerous task in i moving among the forest of seaweed ' and the mass of twisted ironwork and rigging in these »old wrecks, for, [ should the air-pipe hecome entangled j or cut, he would be in the gravest I danger of losing his life, even though | the most skilful attendants above i were looking after ■ the signalling lines. There is also danger from octopods ■ in Table Bay. One day, men saw a wriggling form in the clear water above the wreck of the America. Then a slithering mass of green ond iight yellow emerged from a -black hole in the side of the wreck and disappeared into the depths. The monster measured seven feet across the tentacles. The Ryvengen is on the top oi another wreck which is thought to contain copper, and this will be investigated in dne course. About a qu-»-ter of a milc away there is anothev ship which is said to contain copper in small hoxes, and at least four wrecks are known to contain a quanb'ty of Chinesc porcelain.