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the pump, and was not usually had been standing by, and, inolined to climb out of the when water was still about hold to find out. There would three feet deep, they were down be a few preliminary cough- in the hold working feverishly ings and splutterings as he to get into place the huge started the engine, but this stanohions of 16-inch timber gave very little warning, and which were to shore down the within a few seconds the pump tank top and make the ship would be throwing water "full solid up to the deck. These bore," and a solid stream from vertical supports stood on horithe 12-inch pipe would be fall- zontal baulks laid along the ing at the rate of 700-800 tons tank top in order that the an hour on to whatever hap- strain should not come at a pened to be beneath it. number of isolated points, but should be equally distributed, while between the tops of them and the 'tween - deoks were similar logs laid horizontally.

The Aleida Johanna on the first occasion filled nearly up to the rails before Reay could be persuaded to hear, above the roar of his engine, the Voices of the agitated Russians shouting down No. 2 hatch.

These episodes were, how ever, nothing beside the renewed feeling of confidence which the pump gave to all on board.

A few days after it arrived it was considered that the cement bulkhead in No. 2 had hardened sufficiently to allow of our "trying" the hold.

The motor-pump, "Old Bill," as it was christened, was started away, and to every one's delight the water in the hold was seen to be falling steadily. Within twenty minutes the tank tops were dry, and the pump was throwing up a mixture of dirty water, cement, and sand from the bilges.

In order not to put too great a pressure on the tank top, we had decided only to pump on the falling tide and during slack water. Time, therefore, was short. A crowd of men

VOL, CCVIII.-NO. MCCLVII.

Stanchions of the same size were carried up from the 'tween-deck to the main deck, so that the tank top had virtually the added strength of both these decks, and before it could give way must push them both up with it.

The ship was thus practically "in one piece.

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While the carpenters were busy getting these stanchions into place, some of the divers in wading-dresses were working along the bilges locating the worst leaks, while others were busy putting in "tumbler" bolts to replace the many loose or missing rivets in the tank top which were sending up miniature fountains of water.

The tanks were, in fact, a mass of small leaks, and when Reay stopped the pump, it was only five or six minutes befere there was a foot or so of water on the floors.

However, now that we had seen the hold dry, it was much easier for the divers to work at eliminating the leaks one by

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one, and all hands were in good spirits.

Reay became a popular hero, and an admiring crowd was usually to be found round the pump whenever he gave it a trial run.

Needing an assistant to fetch and carry spanners, petrol, &c., and to swing the engine for starting, he attached to himself one Savonoff, who became his devoted slave.

They spent all day and most of the night in their dark corner of No. 2 'tween-deck alongside the pump. Coming down unexpectedly, I would find Savonoff creeping about on his stomach making explosive noises or gazing at Reay between the crossed fingers of his two hands. Reay would explain that Savonoff was telling him about his experiences in the Russian armoured cars, or how he had gone to gaol for assaulting 8 policeman in Petrograd. Neither knowing a word of the other's language, they understood each other perfectly, and would carry on long and intricate conversations on all sorts of subjects entirely by gesture-of which Savonoff was such a master that I have always regretted that I did not secure him for the "movies."

For very few other Russians had Reay any respect. Their habit of eating cold raw bacon for breakfast, and putting apricot jam into their tea, was a constant irritation to him, and certainly it was not pleasant to watch.

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Moreover, they were continually grumbling about their rations, which were on exactly the same scale as those of our own troops, and far more liberal than those issued to any other Russians, and it was noticeable that the general tone was not so contented as it had been before. was, that Bolshevik feeling was in the air, and that we had one or two agitators who were quick to take advantage of it. Soroko itself had been in the occupation of the Bolsheviks, and Belaieff's millworkers

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and, still more, the railway employees were strongly though secretly in sympathy with them.

From Soroka we had about a dozen carpenters and a certain amount of casual labour, and these were infected with the new principles, and were not slow to begin propaganda amongst the rest.

However, there was nothing seriously to worry about until the end of the first week in August. The work was going on-though not as fast as we had wished, for we had hoped to be ready to attempt to float by this time-and I had gone over to Archangel to persuade the bank there to disgorge some of my money.

It was unsatisfactory to have to go away and leave Reay the only Englishman on board the ship; but the men had to be paid, and the bank, though they readily admitted that my account was several thousand pounds in credit, blandly stated when

I wrote to them that they had not been allowed to take their servants, none of them spoke Russian, and they had no interpreter. I advised him, unnecessarily perhaps, to be careful, and saw him ashore at Onega. I debated whether I should go ashore myself, but there happened to be a tug just leaving for Popoff which would arrive before the sloop, and I decided to go aboard her.

had no money, and therefore regretted their inability to pay. They continued to do business as usual, however, and, after the D.N.T.O.'s interpreter and I had cornered the manager in his private office and refused to go or to allow him to go until he produced some hundred of thousands of roubles, we eventually got the money, though he attempted to palm off some nine different breeds of rouble, each more obsolete and spurious than the last.

The identification of Kerensky's, Nicolai's, perforated and not perforated, Tzar notes, Archangel notes, British guaranteed roubles, &o., had by this time become something of a fine art.

Having secured the money, I was anxious to get back as soon as possible.

There was a sloop-one of the "Flower" class-calling at Onega and going on from there to Popoff, whence I could get to Soroka by train.

While in Archangel I had heard stories of mutinies of Russian troops and the murder of British officers up the Dwina, but I had not paid much attention to them. On board the sloop, however, was a subaltern in the Rifle Brigade whom I had last seen on the morning of 21st March 1918, opposite St Quentin, when he was taken prisoner. He told me that he was one of five officers detailed to join at Oaega the 5th North Russian Rifles-reputed to be on the brink of mutiny. They

It proved a lucky decision. In the first place, we had only left Onega an hour when the 5th Russian Rifles mutinied, murdered all the officers in the town, including, presumably, my friend in the Rifle Brigade, and handed over the place to the Bolsheviks' troops. Onega was the next post to Soroka.

Secondly, the navigating officer of the tug was Lieut. E. J. Grey, D.S.C., a New Zealander, and the best type of sailorman, who had been second in command of the famous Qboat Stockforce in the historio action in which her commander, Captain Auten, won his V.C.

He was very interested in the Ulidia; we quickly became friendly. I saw at once how valuable he would be to me, and immediately on our arrival at Popoff we both telegraphed to the Ministry of Shipping and asked that he might be demobilised at once.

No difficulties were made, as he was supernumerary, and within three or four days he was in our employment and had joined us aboard the Ulidia. He was a very welcome addition,

We kept a discreet silenee about the affair at Onega, but the sudden increase of troops passing through Soroko, and the fact of aeroplanes flying over in an easterly direction, made the men suspect that something was in the wind.

Such news travels quickly, and it was soon known on board. The effect was disquieting. The men were already "fed up." They had been working six weeks at Soroka, which had no amusements to offer them, and they now had large sums of money in their pockets which they were anxious to spend at Archangel. Moreover, they were frankly frightened about the possibilities of a Bolshevik advance on Soroka.

In this they differed from the local labour, who were openly exultant about it, and began to grow very idle and truculent.

The first step was a deputation from the Archangel workmen to say that they wished to leave, and insisted on the Aleida Johanna taking them home to Archangel at once. We pointed out that it was only a question of a week or so before the Ulidia would be floated, and when this had no effect, told them that no one would navigate the Johanna for them and that she would not leave.

With the arrival of &

deputation from the local labour armed with axesthings began to look more serious. They stood in the saloon with their caps on and

their hands in their pockets, laughed in an openly contemptuous manner, talked for a considerable time about some purely imaginary grievance, and went on strike.

The sight of them sitting about doing nothing had naturally not at all a good effect on the Archangel party, who were working under protest. Captain G. was wildly indignant, but powerless.

Reay, Grey, and I held a hurried council of war.

An urgent telegram was sent to the ordnance at Popoff, and by the next train arrived two cases. We had the launch in to meet the train, and the two cases were hoisted aboard and oarried into the saloon. Here they were hurriedly unpacked

and the first intimation our friends had of their contents was when (having walked unobtrusively up on to the bridge) we "loosed off" a drum from the Lewis gun over the side, and then, idly fingering a Mills bomb, proceeded to call a meeting. At this we explained that the salvage operations were in their most critical phase, and that we had no intention of having them interfered with. That any one who did not work would get neither food nor pay, and that if he wanted to resign his job and go ashore he would have to swim.

The rattle of the Lewis gun had had an instantaneous effect we were now "topdog" again and work was resumed.

About this time we had

our first taste of bad weather -a two days' blow from the N.E., the worst quarter. The ship moved about as if she were at sea, and we spent two harassed and sleepless nights as we listened to her grinding and straining on the rooks. Whether as a result of this blow, or of the poor quality of the cement, subsequent pumping tests showed that the ship was far from tight, and that a good deal of water eame through from under our bulkheads.

The 12-inch pump could dry out No. 2 in half an hour or so, but it had to be kept running if the hold were to remain dry. The two big steam pumps could pump out the engine-room and stokehold, but the donkey-boiler could not give them sufficient steam, and the Aleida Johanna had to remain alongside and give the steam through a flexible steam pipe.

By shifting the suotions of one of the big steam pumps temporarily to No. 3, No. 3 and No. 4 could be pumped out and could be kept dry with the 4-inch Worthington.

This left no reserve pumping power, nothing for No. 1, and no tug available to get hold of the ship when she floated, and take her across to the other side of the bay where we had decided temporarily to repair her.

To add to our troubles, all local opinion was unanimous that we could expect little more fine weather, and that after the middle of August

strong winds would be increasingly common, and would develop into gales with the commencement of September.

It was now that I regretted bitterly all our pumps in England. But, like the Dutchman's anchor, they had been left behind and regret was useless. It seemed hopeless to look for any more pumps locally.

By a fortunate accident, however, the greater part of Soroka had recently been burnt down, and, a week or two after the fire, there arrived a handsome motor fire-pump for the captain of the port. It had two 4-inch suotions, but was intended to draw water from nearly its own level and throw it to a height.

However, it was a pump, and after prolonged negotiations, assisted by one or two bottles of whisky, it was brought on board in triumph and placed down No. 1 hold on a special staging, Soroka being left to look after itself.

But it was now 28th August -we had spent about £10,000, the ship was not yet afloat, England was more than two thousand miles away, and the evacuation of North Russia seemed every day more certain.

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