SALVAGE OF SUNKEN SHIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13214, 27 June 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

S ALVAGE OF SUNKEN SHIPS.

A diver named John I'eaice. living at Whitestable —a- favourable resort of men of his profession—had a curious experience while recovering the contents of (lie Cadiz, •which sank ii 1875 near Ushaat. She belonged' to ii London firm trading with the Mediterranean ports, and struck on her homeward journey, going down in fourteen fathoms of water. She had in her hold a valuable cargo of wine, quicksilver, and other things. I'eaice had no sooner gob to work than telegrams from various quarters began U: arrive making urgent inquiries about a hunliag-knile, .said to 1* worth £7000. The diver was still in the eailv stages of his operations when lie found this knife picked in an ebouy case. Being wise in his generation, he did not bring it up, but lied it to a couple of pigs uf iron, and kit it in a snug corner at the j bottom of the sea. where he would be able | to find i: again. At the close of his day'.; ! work he demanded a guarantee that the 1 customary Jive per cent, commission on £7000 should be paid him if lie found the knife. He was provided with this, and on the following day lie duly " discovered" the desired article. It proved to be, a wonderful knife, modelled and chased in silver by Kapha el Zacharias De Costa, which had taken the artist eleven years to make. The hilt and scabbard were complete!* covered with carved silver animals with eyes made of diamonds and other piecious stones. Out of this wreck the diver succeeded in saving £600 worth of quicksilver, £10,000 worth of wine, and £5000 worth of silver and lead. The same man recovered specie to the value of £27,750 from the wreck of the Borne oil [ Molone,— Magazine.