Sunken Treasure Sought

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30822, 6 August 1965, Page 14

Sunken Treasure Sought

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) LEWES (Delaware), August 5. Three men are preparing to investigate the murky depths of Delaware Bay for a trove of Spanish gold and silver. They hope to find captured booty valued at more than eight million dollars that was aboard the British man-o-war De Braak when it sank in a gale off Lewes, Delaware, in May. 1798. The searchers, Louis de Cerchio, Mario Busa, and William de Feo, all of Philadelphia, estimtae they have spent 80,000 dollars locating the sunken ship and preparing for the recovery. The State of Delaware granted their company a

three-ye.r exclusive salvage permit and on Monday the U.S. Navy approved the operation. According to records, the De Braak was carrying 8001 b of gold, silver valued at 2.5 million dollars and 70 tons of copper seized from two Spanish galleons. 140 Drowned When she sank, legend says, about 40 of the crew and more than 100 Spanish prisoners drowned. Four of the prisoners were reported to have floated ashore aboard a chest. Through the years numerous expeditions to recover the treasure have failed. But Mr de Cerchio said: “This is no search for sunken treasure. We have had men on the De Braak six times where portions of her are not buried in the silt. We know

where she lies, we do not have to hunt for her. “When William .Smith, of Philadelphia, our head diver, goes down, he knows exactly where to look, and so do the other two divers." Middle of October He added that “All things being equal we hope to bring up the De Braak by the middle of October.” There is still one mystery about the sunken vessel. According to legend and some records, the ship’s skipper. Captain James Drew, was headed for shore in a boat when the gale struck. He supposedly turned back and was aboard the ship when it capsized. But in the yard of St. Peter’s Protestant Episcopal Churc in Lewes, an ancient monument bears the inscription: “Here lie the remains of Captain James Drew."