NIAGARA’S GOLD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 February 1942, Page 3

NIAGARA’S GOLD

BARS WORTH £2,397,000 SALVAGED BROUGHT UP FROM RECORD DEPTH. REMARKABLE DIVING FEATS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WHANGAREI, February 22. Probably the greatest story associated with the salvage oli treasure from the sea was released today with the official announcement that an expedition has succeeded in retrieving 10 tons of gold bars valued at £2,397,000 from the wreck of the Pacific liner Niagara, which sank near the lien and Chickens Group, off the entrance to Whangarei Harbour, after striking a mine on -June 19, 1940. The Niagara was located in 438 feet of water and the depth at which the operations were carried out is a world record. The previous record was in respect to the recovery of the Egypt's gold, when Italian divers of the Sorima Company were occupied for over' four years at a depth of 396 feet to recover just over £1,000,000 worth of bullion. The Niagara salvage operations, which occupied 12 months, rank as an epic of the sea. They have been one of the best-kept secrets in the history of the Dominion. When the Niagara left Auckland en route to Vancouver, she had the gold in her strongroom. Immediately after the sinking investigations were made in Australia with the object of securing the services of a salvage company, and within a few weeks of the disaster the Commonwealth Bank had completed a contract with United Salvage Proprietary, Limited, of Melbourne, which on December 2, 1940, began its unprecedented task. As a first step the Claymore, wellknown on the North Auckland coast for many years, but then lying in Auckland's “rotten row” rusting and inhabited by seagulls, was secured as the company’s flagship. The hulk was put in the hands of engineers and. shipwrights. and under the direction of Captain J. P. Williams, managing director of the salvage company, she was converted into a serviceable salvage vessel DESCENT OF 528 FEET. The location of the sunken vessel being problematical, a long and laborious search carried out in a scientific manner was necessary. In the course of these investigations, the chief diver of the company, John Johnson, Melbourne, made a world diving record when in an observation bell he went down to 528 feet, a depth only surpassed by Beeby’s bathysphere. The wreck was located on February 2, 1941, and from then, save when wild weather made a respite necessary, preliminary work continued till October 13. when the salvors were rewarded by bringing to the surface two gold bars each £4230 in value. Before the gold was seen in sunlight, almost unbelievable action had taken place in the depths of the ocean. The Niagara had been found lying on her side, and in order to reach the strongroom, it was necessary to blast a hole in the side sufficient to allow the bell and a grab to penetrate the wreck. The observation bell —a steel cylinder with a manganese dome weighing' 2S- tons and capable of withstanding, a water pressure of 3501 b. to the square; inch —was used by the diver to take him to the wreck. The bell was fitted with a series of plate glass windows, through which the diver was able to make observations, the results of which he communicated to his companions on the Claymore by means o a telephone. The diver and the abovewater personnel were thus in complete touch with one another. PLACING EXPLOSIVES. When the diver had made his observations the task which confronted the salvage crew was to deposit a charge of explosives at the spot where they would destroy the ship’s plating and yet not endanger the strong-room which was the ultimate goal. The fact that the charge had to be lowered 438 feet indicates the delicacy of the operation. , . In order to avoid the possibility oi accident, every charge when placed in position was fired by the diver who in order to do this returned to the surface. The skill attained by all hands was shown by the number of blasts made in the course of a day. So proficient did the whole of the company become that in calm weather salvage operations proceeded as smoothly as if the work were being done in a quarry. During this phase of the operations W. Johnstone, a naval diver released by the Australian Naval Board, rendered invaluable service as a result of his technical knowledge of explosives and his experiences under water in various parts of the world. The workers attained such a state oi efficiency that toward the end of the job an ascent from the wreck to the lifting of the bell lid alongside the Claymore took only eight minutes, but the actual placing's of the charges entailed most exhausting concentration for hours at a time. Although large quantities of explo-

sives were necessarily stored on the Claymore, caches were made as a precautionary measure one one of the Chickens Islands.

Eight weeks after the location of the Niagara, everything was in readiness to commence blowing a path to the bullion room. The first charge cleared away many rivets and made a yawning hole in the ship’s side. The crew of the Claymore saw a wounded shark and the remains of a deck cabin floating on the surface, which was covered with oil gushing from the Niagara’s fuel tanks. After this initial explosion, work proceeded as well as could be expected during the winter months, when storms were frequent and the Claymore, despite elaborate mooring devices. experienced difficulty in remaining over the scene of the wreck. On many occasions it was necessary to make for the shelter of Whangarei Harbour. and altogether the storms which buffeted the tiny vessel called for expert seamanship. specially in view of her top hamper in the shape of derricks and other heavy apparatus. DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. Difficulties, however, were defied, and by May 17 the hole in the ship’s side had been enlarged to a length of 40ft. and a width of 20ft. C deck, forming the roof of the bullion room, was (sagging, and B deck was in turn resting on C deck. This made the task of salvors more difficult, for it was of the utmost importance that no unnecessary damage should be done to the structure of the ship, lest the bullion should be irrevocably buried. Two days later a total of 4501 b. of explosives was used, bringing the aggregate up to 2000 lb., while a similar quantity was required to cut away B and C decks from '.he adjoining beams. At this point Lieutenant Hames, for 40 years in the British Navy, and a gunnery officer in the Battle of Jutland, was consulted by Captain Williams with a view to solving problems in regard to explosives at such a depth of water. Thereafter not a single failure was experienced in hundreds of charges fired. BOTTOM SIGHTED. Step by step the salvors moved toward the bullion room, and it was an exciting moment when delicately placed charges blew away the hinges of the door without disturbing the contents of the room. To the diver’s delighted eyes there came the sight of boxes of gold. The excitement on the increased when the grab brought to the surface two boxes each containing two bars, the total value of which exceeded £BOOO. A moving picture record of the great event was taken, as was another when a few days later the Claymore arrived at the Whangarei wharf and discharged gold to the value of £BO,OOO, which was duly lodged in the strongroom of the Bank of New Zealand. A Sydney message states that in the course of salvage operations the divers counted not fewer than 150 mines spread around the wreck. The divers also succeeded in recovering intact some German mines. A British Official Wireless message says that news of the salvage was conveyed to the Commonwealth Government by Mr Curtin, who said that the British Government had asked New Zealand to investigate the salvage of the Niagara. Captain Williams designed his own equipment. The salvage was carried out by Captain Williams with the assistance of the Royal Australian Navy.