Santo Seas Yield Buried

Treasure

By John Holley

BEFORE the Americans left the island of Santo, New Hebrides, where they had been encamped 85,000 strong, they dumped into the sea at the eastern end of the Segond Canal, many thousands of dollars worth of machinery, vehicles, and equipment. It seemed a wanton waste. Why should not the English and French settlers have had access to it?

However, now, through the initiative and direction of Monsieur A. Naturel, a quantity of useful material has been re claimed from the sea bed where it has been lying for more than four years.

A young diver named Keith Solway, who gained his experience with the Ad miralty Salvage section of the British Navy, has been key-man throughout the operations. At depths varying from 10 to 100 feet, diver Solway has explored the vast subterranean dump.

After a week on the job the following material has been hauled to the surface and piled on a barge: Two bulldozers, six huge Caterpillar lighting plants, several trailers, a giant excavating scoop and various other earth-moving imple ments.

Tyres on some of the vehicles were found still inflated and in an apparently perfect state of preservation. The pre caution was taken of sluicing everything with fresh water to stop excessive rusting.

Diving is always a hazardous undertak ing, but in the waters around Santo, there are added dangers of sharks and gropers.

Two gropers, each about five feet long, were encountered lurking about the dump, but fortunately neither the diver’s equipment nor his operations were inter fered with.

Work is to be resumed when the value of the reclaimed material has been as sessed.

Dr. W. E. H. Stanner, an anthropologist who did research work in the South West Pacific in 1946-47, has been appointed to the Department of Anthropology, National University, Canberra.