SALVAGE WORK
Inspections Made Of Most Ships Yesterday
LINERS AGROUND
Both the Asama Maru and the Conte Verde are still aground in Sai Wan Bay, and yesterday marine surveyors visited these vessels to estimate the damage done and the possibilities of refloating them.
The Asama Maru is in a difficult situation, and it was feared yester- day that although the surrounding sea bed is sandy, she will be found eventually to be resting on one or two projecting rocks. She is known to have nine holes in her tanks, but as there is a double hull to the vessel this does not affect her buoyancy. With three feet of water at low tide and considerably more- over ten feet-at high tide, it is hoped that the ship will be able to be given buoyancy before being towed away from her present dangerous position. Meantime she is lying quietly and no further damage is being done.
The Conte Verde was also visited by surveyors, and nothing was done yesterday towards actually towing the ship. It is not anticipated that the task of dragging her to deep water will prove of enormous diffi- culty although she, too, may be resting on several rocks protruding from the sandy bottom. Though well away from the shore she is quite near the last visible rock of a reef which runs out towards her from the land.
Inspections Made
Most of the other vessels which were washed ashore during the typhoon were not shifted yesterday, but were examined by the Company superintendents or marine surveyors | in preparation for attempts to float them this week.
re-
The Bonneville was an exception, and an attempt was scheduled for early this morning to pull her off with tugs. She is not damaged so far as can be seen. If the first attempt to pull her off fails others will follow. The Ward, also repre- sented here by Thoresen and Com- pany, was not seriously damaged. She did not go ashore but suffered superficial damage from the wind.
The Hong Peng, of the Ho Thong Company, was also due to be pulled off at high tide last night. She was resting lightly on the shore near the Taikoo Sugar Refinery and very little damaged.
The Gertrude Maersk, aground for some hours near Green Island, ar- rived at Kowloon Docks safely on Thursday night and is now in dock. She is rather severely damaged.
The Hsingping and Luhsing, for whom Gibb, Livingston are the local agents, are both high and dry and nothing has yet been done apart from an
examination. The local agents have wired the owners in Shanghai for final instructions, and until these arrive nothing further can be done. The ships are not being further damaged but are rest- ing firmly on shore.
The Tymeric, for whom the Bank Line are local agents, is still aground | at North Point, and her agents do not know when she will be refloated, what damage she has suffered or whether she will prove difficult to salvage or not. A representative of the agents said yesterday that he had no idea how long she would be ashore, and that she had been put into the hands of a dock company.
Other Vessels
The various Butterfield and Swire vessels, including the Hunan, Kalgan, Kwangchow and Shuntien, were visited yesterday by the Com- pany's Marine Superintendent, who will make a report on the condition of the ships, not all of which *are aground. Until his report is sub- mitted the company is unable to say what steps will be taken to refloat the ships ashore, or how damaged the other vessels are.
The Talamba is still ashore at Lyeemoon, and the agents here, Messrs. Mackinnon, Mackenzie and Company, state that a final examina- tion will be made to-day after which a decision regarding her salvage will be reached.
The Government ug Kausing is to be salvaged, but the work is expect- ed to take a number of days, follow- ing an inspection carried out yester- day.
The
numerous other smaller vessels blown ashore on Thursday morning were still stranded yester- day, and arrangements are being They
made for them to be salvaged. are mostly smaller Chinese ships blown hard and fast ashore on both sides of the harbour, and include the An Lee, the Dashing, the Eng Lee, I the Feng Lee, the Mao Lee, which was sunk, the Sheng Lee, and the Tehsing.
With regard to the sinking of the Portuguese 180-ton motorboat Perola during the typhoon, Mr. H. M. Monteiro states that Francisco Xavier Guerreiro, Chief Engineer who is still missing, was not the owner of the vessel. It was owned by Navegasao and Comercio, Ltd., of Macao, and was insured in London for £4,000.
On enquiry yesterday it was learned that the Dutch liner, Van Heutsz, which went ashore at Green Island in the typhoon, has two big gaping holes in her side, and her condition is described as "pretty hopeless."
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