Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-01-03
MadeDavu
Jones He|pPdy
For 7 he War

600 IN gold bars from the wreck Canadian-Aus
tralan Niagara, 43S feet down in the stormy
dg-swCpt waters of the New Zealand Coast can now
bc told
salvage operations which took months tight
dipped military keep prowlng AXIS submarines
from putting an end to the daring and proftaole eXpe
dton With the safe arrival of the bullion in the United
States British authorities now have lifted their hush
hush order.
Members of the salvage ship Caymore faced all the
carrying out the worlds deepest salvage opera
ton not with the hope of getting rich quick but of turning
the gold Britains chest-a case OF making
Davy Jones help pay for the
The hard fight wrest the treasure from the sea
began shortly after the Niagara her from Auck-
land to Vancouver, struck mine on June 10 1910 and
the bottom with its precious cargo of gold bars
locked steel plates of the liners strong ROOM
The location of the wreck uncertain. However,
Captain p. Williams of Sydney. Australia and Master
believed they could locate the liner and
the Bank of England put up $4,000 for expenses IN
gamble that the men were right
After Captain Williams received this advance sum he
outfted Caymore with different winches, both the
powerful and the delcately controlled kind, and also
cutching steel hands and jaws, called grabs"
The feature of the equipment the diving
bell constructed of steel and bronze, weighing three
tons The bell was equipped with heavy windows and
batteries OF flood lights
When this conraption had been lowered wreck,
johnson inside he expected to be able to
what was done and telephone his orders to the
operating the lines and machinery more than 400
feet above, pitching rolling ship.
When all this perfected of capable and
daring men was hired less wages than the JOY
beating the danger involved and putting the gold where
would buy bullets
The next thing was the wreck the Niagara
There was only wreck but abundance of mines.
Therefore 1t not surprising that they found couple
of those death-Cans first.
on New Years Day the drag caught something that
stubborny Was it the Niagara? Johnson said
would find out and down he went 470 feet in his
diving investigate and found it the holding
mine which only few feet below the
bottom Of the Caymore.
Try as they would was impossible to get the drag
free without the mine rising ana hitting the ship For
he
their rising and falling keel lay certain destruction.
RESPONSE tAe+ffatlo appri, came the
sweeper HUMPHREYS which towcd the mine away and eN-
ploded it.
few weeks drag caught another substantial
object and their hopes rose high So did another mine
right under their The sweeper had TO back
and relieve them of that one
For months. the grapped in for the vessel
just they the point giving up, their
lines finally struck the Niagara
But tho bell roostng way up the highest part
the ships superstucure the boat deck while the gold
lay within the strong room. deep down In the hull
path for the bell TO descend all the way down TO
TIE bullion room had to be blasted job requiring almost
impossible ingenuity and patience but that what the
men had come for and happily they went at it.
Geuguite. the explosive used was packed in boiler
tubes and at johnson orders raised lowered inchcd back
ward forward loft and right by AS feet above be-
reached the right spot Then bell
hauled up before tho charge fired The dauticst
ht Of all blowing loose the door Of the where
the gold lay
Finally that too was accomplished and Johnson could
the entrance bat not able TO look inside For
sent with Us jaws, open only 20 have
them closed nothing. At last he telephonod.
Maui away. think I've got something"
When the grab broke the surface held q Shiny,
wooden box which contained two 30pound gold iusos
After that the gold aboard rapidly but with all
..uler care, six percent lost the way up The
bars deposited the captains until they
cred tho entire floor
Captain Williams said TO group Of his men, Teasing
their eyes The wealth.
- II have read that Emprc-sss have C3tpctci Their
boudoirs with cloth Of gold but none had carpet
= AS thick mine