SALVAGE OF ROMAN SHIPS

Evening Star, Issue 19616, 23 July 1927, Page 22

SALVAGE OF ROMAN SHIPS

VESSELS BUILT 6Y CALIGULA BELIEVED TO CONTAIN PRICELESS TREASURES. Sncli widespread interest and excitement has been caused by Signor Mussolini’s announcement of tho early resumption of excavations at Herculaneum that his plan, made known at the same time for the salvaging of the so-called ships of the Emperor Tiberius, -which for almost twenty centuries have lain at the bottom of Lake Nemi, has passed practically unnoticed. Yet tiie recovery of the ships of Lake Nemi, though it will not, of course, prove as valuable as the Herculaneum excavations in showing Roman life as it was lived in the first century of the Christian era, contains many features ■which make it appeal most strongly to the imagination. According to popular tradition, the ships were built by the Emperor Tiberius, but historians have definitely established that tradition, as so often happens, is wrong and that they were constructed by the Emperor Caligula between the years 37 and 41 of the Christian era. They were of enormous size, probably resembling barges more than ships in their appearance, and into them Caligula piled precious marbles, metals, and woods, gold, silver, and alabaster statues, _ fountains and gardens, so that they were considered one of the seven wonders of tho world and tho expression of everything that was most wonderful and luxurious in Rome. NOVEL SALVAGE METHOD.

Tho method to ho used to salvage Caligula’s ships is most interesting. Close to Lake Nomi there is another lake known as the Lake of Albano. This is at a considerably lower level. The plan is to dig a tnrlno! through tho intervening mountain in such a way as to convey the water of Lake Ne'mi into the Lake of Albano. The ships lie at a depth of about twentytwo metres below the present surface of Lake Nomi. and it will therefore be necessary to lower the surface of the water by that amount, pouring 'about 1.000,000 cubic feet of water from one lake into tho other. This operation, however, would raise tho level of the Lake of Albano by about four and ahalf metres, because its surface is five times as great as tho surface of Lake But numerous houses are built all around the Lake of Albano and this renders it impossible to raise the level beyond ninety centimeters. Luckily, there is an ancient tunnel, built by tho Romans, leading out of the Lake of Albano and used by them to convey surplus water to the sea. and maintain tho surface of the lake at a constantJevel. By the ns© of this tunnel it will he possible first to lower the level of the Lake of Albano about eighty centimeters. By first lowering the level by eighty centimeters and then raising it by 3 ninety, it will be possible immediately to lower by eight and a-half metres the level of Lake Nemi, whose surface is one-fifth of that of the Lake of Albano. The remaining water of Lake Nemi will be poured into the Lake of Albano just as fast as the ancient Roman tunnel can convey it to the sea. It is calculated' that this operation will take at least four months.