THIRD EDITION. SEARCH FOR MILLIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16210, 7 December 1926, Page 9

THIRD EDITION. SEARCH FOR MILLIONS

i II?D GERMAN INVENTION »-.w,wUih OF LINER'S TREASURE LONDON, Oct. 20. Weird creatures resembling .(I. G. Wells' metallic Martians are groping on the bed of the mouth of the English (Jhannol. They aro searching for treasure of the I'. and 0. liner Kgypt, which sank oil" Usliant in May, 1022. carrying £1,100,000 in gold and silver, after collision with a French cargo boat. The Epypt went down in 360 ft. of ■,vatcr. too deep for the ordinary diver with ill- rubber suit. About 200 it. is bis depth limit. The present attempt is being made with the aid of a recent German invention, first heard of in this country in ih«' endeavor to locate the British submarine Ml, rammed and sunk off Star: Point some months ago. Til is new diving dress is made of jointed steel, and weighs halt' a ton. 'it has been tested at a depth of ,">()oft. The diver's hands do not project from the apparatus, bur tongs at the ends of the- "anus" are operated mechanically from inside the "deep' sea armor." An experienced man can pick up and operate tools with the Tone's while walking about the sea bed'. The diver curries his own air supply, and it is sufficient for four or Jive hour*. 'He is lowered to the bottom of tin' sea by a, steel cable on a crane from the salvage ship. This cable contains electric wires, and conslant communication is maintained between diver ami ship by telephone. specially constructed electric lights are also lowered to illuminate the eerie darkness of the ocean bed. A line nearly a'mile long was dragged along the sea floor by two tugs To locate the Egypt. This cable was equipped with heavy weights which caught against, the liner. The first attempt was unsuccessful, because one lug was stronger than the other and drew the weaker tug backwards. Equal powered tugs were then employed. When the cable caught the wreck 1 the tugs crossed courses, drawing the cable in a tight loop round the sunken liner. Buoys, connected to the weight, marked on the surlaee the exact location, shape and size ot 11)0 wreck. The dimensions correspond to those of the Egypt-.