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Ships Will Seek Sunken TreasureFinishing Touches Put Upon Trawlers That Will Try to Get Gold From Sea.By ROWLAND WOOD(Copyright. 1920, ly The Bee)NEW YORK. April 30.—Romance with a real gold lining pervaded the atmosphere of the Tebo yacht basm in Brooklyn yesterday, as a Jittle j group if visionary realists put the finishing touches to preparations aboard the trawlers Foam and Spray, Americans 1925 argosy of the golden-Early in May the dinky, but highly efficient little trawlers will push off for the faters off the Virginia coast and before the summer is ended—-at least such ts the conviction of the crews—they will have wrested between three and five million in gold and jewels from Davy Jone^' Ibocker.It’s a treasure hunt to strike envy to the hearts of socity folk who recently have been thrilling to the English game of land-lubber treasure hunting.And if it succeeds, it will mane the beginning of a new industry in America. There have been quests from these shores before sunken, treasure, but all have failed for lack of organization and scientific conduct. This time. John F. O’Ha wan, vou.og ex-lieutenant commander of the United States navy has rallied all the aids of science to his oause and he’s planning to use his share of the proceeds to finance further expeditions by the O’Hagan Salvage Syndicate, whioh he heads.The immediate objective is the treasury of the Ward liner Merida, ■which was sunk off the Virginia capes in 19)1, with a rich cargo of gold and jewels. The Merida lies 204 feet of water, something like 100 feet deeper than salvage operators eve.* have worked successfully. But Skipper O.Hagan and Frank J. OriUey and F. C. C. Nelson, deep sea divers, whom O’Hagan has associated with him. have been all over the Merida's hulk TJie Foam and Spray are equ'pped with the last word in deep sea diving apparatus—apparatus in which Crilley has descended 3 00 feet —a world’s record.The divers will work tinder air pressure so intense that it will require three hours of ‘easing off” of the pressure as they come to the sur7 face after a dive in order to escape the dread ’‘bends.The treasure hunters are backed by a syndicate of wealthy men. including A. J. Drexei Biddle, Jr., W. Heyward Drayton, Franlkin I. Mai- \ lory and others.Dangers?‘‘Yes. there is a possibility of hijackers.” Commander O’Hagan admitted. But every member of the crew is an ex-navy man and we will mount guns when we get off shore. We’ll be ready for them if they come-As for dangers of the. sea—sharks have been seriously over-press agent-ed. I have worked in schools of them without being attacked. The barracuda. of course, is dangerous. T had one encounter with one. but by using my head I got the best of him.I routed him by shooting compressed air hubbies at him through the head piece of my diving suit.'’
Newspaper Details
Danville Bee
Danville, Virginia, US
Fri, May 01, 1925
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Eric W.
USA 10 Nov 2015
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