Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-28
ERLLEHERT<Z A1ZZER -
W1ZLY DAZL2ALE.LNLlT


less metal.
In this respect the wreckers wore
WRONG. storms came and went and still
Tue Scottish King" remained without
lprther harm. The reef that had pro-
tected the wreckers had afforded pro.
tectlon TO the steamer and the seas that
reached her did no damage.
In the fall Of 1899, after the shin had
| been hanging on the rocks for nearly
year, wrecking company made n con.
trct with the underwriters TO foat md
tow her Into st. Johns harbor for TX nor
cent of her value. When the naners
were signed there were few who thought
the proposition good one and many
doubted that the work could be accom-.
plished. There was one man, however.
who had faith In his ability and he was
Mr.. Thomas Turnbull chief engineer OF
the wrecklng company and, by his sue
cess. he has shown to the world what
marine engineering skill and persever-
ance can do
When Mr.. Turnbul first saw the
wrecked steamer he could, at low tide.
walk from the shore to her bow In his
knee boots. AT high tide there was but
ten and one-half feet of water at her
bow. Her midship section was badly
'hogged," that is bent upward, and the
divers found two holes in the hull. one
seven feet by eight and the other
about four feet square on either side of
the keel toward the stern. At high tide
every one Of her four compartments was
filed to the deck and, altogether, the
prospects Of ever getting her off seemed
slight.
Though protected from the northeast.
erly storms heavy "easter" set In
shortly after the wrecking company ar.
rived on the scene and the ship, in spite
of being wedged between the rocks, rolled
badly and threatened every moment to
twist in two as the seas rolled over her
washing the top Of her smoke stack. The
wreckers prepared to return home but
Mr.. Turnbull said wait, and when the
storm passed the work of salvage began.
Half dozen great pumps were made fast
to the deck and supplied with steam
from the wrecking tug which lay along
side. The compartments were closed and
those which were intact were soon pump
ed dry and what remained of the cargo
was taken out. In compartment No. 4,
however, the pumps were ineffective as
it was In the bottom of this compartment
the rocks had torn the two Jagged holes
In order to make the compartment
water tight compressed air had to be
employed to keep the water out while
the men patched the hull from the In
side. To do this 1t necessitated convert
ing the compartment into caisson with
valves, etc., but the wreckers proceeded
~
made such progress that they calculated
to get the ship off by the first OF the
year.
Vain calculations, for, as though the
winds and sea were unwilling to let
their prey escape, a terrific gale sprang
up on December 20 and by the first OF the
year the ship was again full OF water
she had half a dozen more holes In her,
the wrecklng machinery was damaged and
the work of the three months was rem
dered almost useless. While the sea was
raging across the vessel the wreckers
stood off In their tug and watched the
merciless waves destroy what they had
so arduously builded.
If the sea destroyed wood and metal IL
did not affect the faith Of Mr.. Turnbuli
and his hardy companions and on New
Years day they crept In to see what was
left. The ship had held together remark
ably we'll In spite of her rough expert
ence and again the engines were adjusted
and started and the pumps set going.
Then began a campaign against the sea
which lasted day and night for SIX
months during which time every appll-
ance known to wreckers was employed
until the ship, by the use of hundreds OF
great timbers and fully half square
mile of tarpaulins, was as dry as bone
inside. The main engines of the vessel
were found to be In good condition de-
spite their long immersion and, after be-
Ing overhauled, responded to steam, turn
ing over almost as well as they ever did.
Then came the task of launching her.
Although there was a great depth of
water few hundred feet behind the YES
sells stern, here and there there were
great jagged rocks that reared their heads
almost to the surface. Divers placed
dynamite on them and, one by one, they
were blown to pieces. The huge rocks
which held the bows Of the ship were
similarly treated and by the middle OF
May the Scottish King" rested easily
ready for launching. Under the ship were
placed long skids and inch by inch she
was shored up and on Decoration Day
the inhabitants of the New Foundland
coast witnessed launching the like Oh
which they had never seen before anu
will probably never see again as the Dis
steamer slipped into her native eiemeus
without hitch.
Realizing the treachery of wind ano
seas in that vicinity the wreckers woraeu
with feyerlsh haste and the FOLLOWING
morning the steamer, under her own
power and conveyed by the wrecAlns
tug, moved away. Within week sue
was in Fermuse and on the morning .,
June g, 1900. she entered the land-lockea
harbor of st. Johns, her voyage endea.
The ship was rebuilt and when she again
put her bows into the long swell OF tne
Atlantic no one to have seen her would
have dreamed that she had ever had
butt started.