THEFTS AT WRECK.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1922, Page 5

THEFTS AT WRECK.

OFFICERS’ QUARTERS RAIDED. VIGILANCE OF THE CUSTOMS. FOUR MEN ARRESTEDBy Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland. Last Night. Customs officers engaged in collecting dutiable goods washed ashore from t:ie wrecked Wiltshire found the crews of two launches, said to be fishing-boats, alongside the wreck at midnight. The men were said to be in possession of certain property that came out of the Wiltshire, and as a result four men were arrested and the launches were detained. Auckland, June 7. A trip was made to the wreck of the Wiltshire yesterday, principally to recover the effects of the ship’s officers and crew. What remained were transferred to a tug, but since Friday the officers’ quarters had been raided by thieves and everything ot value stolen, including their best linen, underwear, and suits,including dress clothes and personal valuables. The rooms occupied by the engineers were in the stern of the vessel, now submerged. They lost everything beyond what they brought ashore when rescued. VALUABLES RECOVERED. Auckland, June 7. A party visited the wreck of the Wiltshire yesterday and recovered valuable coin and jewellery in cases stored in the strongroom situated on the bridge in the captain’s quarters, a portion of the vessel that will probably disappear in the next stormy weather. They also recovered the ships’ cat, hungry but none the worse otherwise. CONDITION OF THE WRECK. Auckland, June 7. The party that visited the Wiltshire wreck yesterday found the fore part of the hull embedded firmly on the rocks and canted to starboard at an angle of about 45 degrees. The remainder, from the bridge aft, sat upright, but sloped in a brokenbacked curve into the sea. As far as could be seen, the forepart was intact above the water-line, but as those of the holds which it was possible to examine appear to be full of water, there is no doubt, that the vessel is badly damaged below. What could be seen of the after part lay at an angle of about 10 degrees from the forepart and the break at the bridge had .been so complete that the whole after structure had been moved sideways by the sea and projected about twenty feet beyond the rigid forepart. The whole stern part of the vessel has sagged into deep water, leaving only the short mid-ship section above the surface, and the force exerted by the subsidence has i wrenched the huge structure with its tier of decks, which culminates in the navigating bridge, away from the main deck. From the main peaks the whole tier of decks slope towards the sea on a steep incline until the lower decks are awash. The incessant pounding of the sea against the after end has torn great holes in the steel plates and so thoroughly undermined the structure that all the decks are distorted. The staterooms and lounges hopeless state of confusion and the teak decking of the promenades has burst and contorted to such an extent that it undulates in all directions. The party secured two of the ship’s

Of 460 bags of mail on the Wiltshire 96 bags have been recovered and are mostly m a deplorable condition. Goods packed in sealed containers are the onlv ones for which there is much hope. Many parcels have the labels washed off.