LURE OF THE LUSITANIA TREASURE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3128, 31 July 1922, Page 7

LURE OF THE LUSITANIA TREASURE.

Since the sinking of the Lusitania there has been a great deal of discus sion of various plans to raise the ship. The lure of the' sunken ship with vast treasure aboard is still one of the most potent influences in the life of the adventurous spirits of all the Seven Seas. Hitherto none of the plans which have been spoken of so enthusiastically in the past have ever amounted to anything. Now, however, the subject of not only salvage of the ship itself, but recovery of its treasure is broached again, this time in a very businesslike, promising way. It seems as if, after all, a real and encouraging effort is to be made to bring up from the Lusitania’s resting place whatever the waters have left of her that is worth while to recover. This time it is by the simple process of diving that it is hoped to reach the ill-fated ship. To that end a powerful steamer, carrying all the modern equipment necessary to reach a hulk almost three hundred feet under water has been fitted out in the United States, and even now may be at anchor eight miles off Kinsale Point, Ireland, as nearly as can be determined directly, over the hull of the sunken Lusitania. There the intrepid diver, Benjamin F. Leavitt, of Philadelphia, will he dropped over the side at the end of a steel cable to locate the sunken liner and her reputed hoard of gold and precious stones. That hoard is estimated at £3,000,000 virtually all in specie and jewellery—-a gigantic fortune, probably unequalled by that of any of the sunken treasure ships of tradition. It is claimed that an armored diving suit, invented and patented by Leavitt some years ago and since then constantly tested and improved, has made possible this venture. In an actual salvage test in the Great Lakes Leavitt made the world’s record for depth, going down 361 feet in locating the_ Pewabic, sunk after a collision in 186.5, Copper and other material valued at £5.100 were salvaged from that wreck in 1916. From this test, and from later ones made in special high pressure tanks, Leavitt asserts that his .suit can stand the tremendous pressure of 200 pounds to the square inch, to which any object is subjected 500 feet below the surface. The Lusitania, however, lie® at a depth of only 285 feet. Leavitt’s suit is armored from head to foot. The main section is a heavy manganese bronze casting, covering trunk and bead. Leg and arm pieces are made of a specially constructed copper coil, planned to give the utmost possible protection while permitting comparatively free movement of the limbs. Leavitt’s only communication with the surface will be by means of a telephone wire, strung through, a. specially constructed l steel cable, built to lift twenty tons. The inventor believes that the cable and the suit will be strong enough to withstand any pull necessary to free the diver if ho becomes caught in the wreckage. His air supply will be carried in the form of oxygen, a cylinder being fixed i nto the back of the main casting. It is l equipped with a. reducing valve that will supply one and a quarter feet of oxygen an hour, properly mixed with _ hydrogen. That is the amount required by a normal adult while at work. The poisonous carbon dioxide from the diver’s lungs will be absorbed' by a can of caustic soda fixed in another niche in the casting. Dynamite will be used by the Leavitt expedition to create a pathway to the strong rooms, and a clam shell bucket to lift the treasure. If valuables' are

found that cannot be reached by that method they will be loaded into buckets by hand. Leavitt and his associates, however, believe that they can get the bulk of the bullion that is said to be in the hold of the great liner by means of the usual dredgers’ clam, shell and other familiar dredging equipment, once they have forced' their way to the strong rooms. Marine experts differ as to the probable success of the Leavitt’s attempt. AKny, basing their belief on his success in the salvaging of the Pewabic, which lay at a depth of 361 feet, and upon the apparent completeness of the preparations made by the expedition, look for his success. Others, pointing out the enormously greater difficulties presented by the Lusitania because of its great bulk and of the currents which sweep around it are sceptical. There are even some who doubt that the Lusitania, as a ship, now exists, arguing that she has long since disintegrated under the pressure of the water. As long ago as February, 1918, Mr H. Ensor, a widely known expert, speaking before the Engineering and Scientific Association of Ireland, made that assertion. Despite the pessimistic views of this latter group, however, Leavitt is not alone in his belief that the Lusitania may be salvaged. In fact, an even more ambitious project than his is being festered by the British Salvage and Towing Syndicate, which proposes to raise the ship. It is stated that attempts in that direction will be ventured upon shortly. It is said that much interest is be.ng excited by this attempt in Germany, where it is hoped that an examination of the hulk will disclose the fact that she was carrying munitions when torpedoed. It is the German belief that such a discovery would justify her sinking. If the Leavitt expedition is a success, boundless possibilities for salvage are opened up. For the ocean floor is covered with treasure trove, which has up until now defied the best efforts of adventurers for many centuries.