THE EGYPT'S TREASURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21247, 29 July 1932, Page 12

THE EGYPT'S TREASURE

TRIUMPH OF DIVING GOLD INGOTS RECOVERED SALVAGE WORTH £200,000 [FROM oun OWN correspondent] LONDON, June 24 Thirty ingots of gold, worth £200,000, have been recovered from tho sunken P. and O. liner Egypt by tho divers of tho Italian salvage vessel Artiglio 11. Tho story is told by tho special correspondent of tho Daily Mail. A gigantic strugglo of human energy against tho elements has ended in the greatest triumph yet achieved in deepsea diving. It is tho fruit of three years' continual effort on tho part of tho Italian divers of tho salvage ship Artiglio and her predecessor, which was blown up in 1930. The divers worked at a depth of more than 400 ft.—far below accepted diving levels—in ono of the most treacherous stretches of sea in tho world. Tho first Artiglio's search foj- the Egypt began in tho spring of 1929, and success did not come until August, 1930. Pending a general assault on tho wreck of tho Egypt, tho Artiglio undertook to blow up in Quiberon Bay tho wreck of the munitions ship Florence, which was a danger to shipping. Something went wrong, and tho whole cargo of tho Florenco exploded, sinking tho Artiglio in a gigantic whirlpool, which cost tho lives of tho head diver, Giani, and most of his diver comrades. Undismayed tyy this tragedy, divers in the Artiglio 11., a sturdy deep-sea trawler like tho first Artiglio, resumed the work early last year. Descents in Steel Cylinders Four tons of explosives were used to blast a way to the strongroom in tho heart of the ship, and tho divers went down 107 times. Finally, at the close of last October, the strongroom was reached and its roof cut open, but further work had to bo abandoned until this year. Mario Raffaelii and his companions, Lonsi, Mancini and Sodini, havo done their work in legless and armless steel cylinders, without air tubes. They breathed compressed oxygen contained in the suit, while the foul air was absorbed by special chemical apparatus. According to present arrangements, tho Serima Company, owners of the Artiglio, will receive 62* per cent of the bullion rccovored. In threo years they have spent £IOO,OOO. Tbo correspondent describes the final phase of tho three years' labour. Mario Raffaelii, having viewed tho scene of operations below, so as to bo acquainted with the exact state of tho bullion room, came up, hauled from the depths in just under a minute, and was extracted from tho dripping diving cylinder, lie then sent down one of his threo assistants. Bombs wore lowered and forced along the line of rivets holding the section of plates which had not been cut. The diver was hauled up while the electric contact was made. First of the Treasure Lowered back into position when the disturbance of tho explosion was over, the diver directed claws to the yawning plates in tho bullion room. When they had closed he gave the order to haul and that section of plating was ripped away. Mario Raffaelii then entered his diving suit again, made a further personal examination, and camo up. The news he brought was as nothing to the thrill that j followed. Amid tho greatest excitement tho final preparations were made. Raffaelii stood on deck —ready. A diver who was below telephoned directions; the automatic grab was lowered. Raffaelii controlled the winches and grab according to tho advice coming from the sea bottom, and the first of tho treasure was seized and brought to the surface. There is another £BOO,OOO of gold and silver bars and coin to be recovered, but Signor Qunglia, tho head of tho enterprise, and his gallant men are elated that their labours have been rewarded. Second Day's Good Work " On the second day the sea was less smooth," writes the special correspondent of tho Times, " there being a long swell from tho west, which mado it impossible for the grab to fall each time in the exact place where tho first gold was found. Instead, wo mado a goneral attack on the port half of the bullion room. For a time tho grab brought up only rupees and wreckage, but soon struck gold at tho new point and the yellow stream reflowed. " In a couple of hours we had more gold than wo had taken tho day before. Tho grab camo up thrice in one-quarter of au hour, each time with gold—once with 11 bars and over 50 sovereigns. Tho outer shell of the grab, designed to catch any bullion falling on the way up, does its work well. Thero are generally a few sovereigns and sometimes bars of gold in it when it reaches deck. " Tho raising of the gold continued steadily. The quantity taken by each shot varied from one or two bars to a dozen or more. Tho sovereigns have been plentiful, coming up 50 or 100 at a timo. One shot of tho grab brought up over 1000 sovereigns, together with five gold bars. The treasure is still accompanied by rupee notes—a new case of five-rupee notes has now been struck —together with odd rolls of silk, scattered cartridges, Indian ornaments and broken wood. Most of tho wood is now in pieces, including tho bullion cases." A cablegram published on Juno 23 stated that nearly a ton of gold had been recovered from tho Egypt by tho divers. Tho best single haul comprised 17 bars of gold and nearly a thousand sovereigns.