The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-09-26
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E,1LIONS IN GOID AND JEWELS
BURIED IN I'll f RED SEA.
Divers Have Never Eeen Anle t
Reach This Vast Fortunc-At-
tackled by Immense Conser
Eels-~-Will Try Again.
SYNDICATE of English and

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Navy, for the purpose of recovering
vast treasure, estimated at the least as
amounting to $4,000, 100000.
It has been about twenty years now
since Captain Temple began to think
about this problem pf getting at these
four thousand millions in gold and
silver and precious stones. Yhankst to
the recent progress in certain branches
of science, he has been able to formu-
late q plan which has appealed to
timid capital, and the work OF At
tempting to recover the treasure will
soon begin.
For four thousand years at least the
great sea route for trade between In.
dia and Western Asia and Europe has
been through the Arabian Sea to
Alden, and thence up the Red Sea to
Suez. As every schoolboy knows, the
source OF all the gold and silver and
jewels of the ancient world was Asia.
And tho richest and most famous
mines were in India. e..
Ever since the formation OF civiliza-
ton in the countries around the east
crn end of tie Mediterranean ships
laden with the most precious COM
modities known to man have teen sail
ing over this route and laying down in
Europe their splendid cargoes.
To the ancients the Arabian Sea was
! fraught with the gravest periIs. AS
the centuries went by thousands Of
laden ships were sunk along
the trade route in the conpaIativel =
shallow waters OF that sea.
The moderns as we'll Us the aucients
have found the navigation OF the Red
Sea most perilous. 1t is long, mar
row trough, in many places less than
twenty miles wide aud nearly two
miles deep. The Rec Sea is 1900
miles long, but its bottom is thlckly
strewn with wrecks. 1t is always full
of craft of all kinds and has been for
centuries. Until the use Of steam q
considerable proportion OF the craft
that sailed there went to the bottom.
And not few of these were treasure
ships.
I The estimate that there are four
billions of treasure at tho bottom OF
tho two seas is based upon the known
catastrophies in historic times. The
actual records show that this sum has
been lost in that trade route. 1t IS
safe to say that this gigantic sum
represents only small part Of the
treasure really there.
Buried under sand and shells and
bones of ships as old as history and as
new as the latest disaster there lie
tons of gold and silver, huge bags and
boxes Of diamonds and rubies and
cmeralds. Every year of the history
of the civilized world is represented
there.
II you could walk over those
abysmal plains you would see the tall
ships of the well.greavea Greeks OF
whom Homer sang, the gallant vessels
of Pharaohs lying under pyramids
these 5000 years, the gelleys OF Cartha-
glnian merchants, OF Roman Senators
who did not despise the grains Of
trade, the schooners of the merchant
sailors of that period of which Column
bus is the chief figure, and, last of all,
the two. funnelled steamships OF our
own century.
Captain Temple will first try the
shallow waters of the Arabian Sea.
Until a few years ago deep.sea diving
was impossible. But science has dis.
covered some new modes which make
it possible for divers to go down
several hundred feet and work with
ease. As the Arabian Sea is very
shallow in some places directly under
the trade route, Captain Temple will
will send his divers down there. With
the experience be will gain in these
attempts he hopes to able to penetrate
even the depths Of the Red Sea. 1t is
there that be expects to find the most
treasure. For even within ! the few
last years many treasure ships have
been lost in those dangerous waters.
| There is not the slightest doubt but
that fabulous treasure, equal to the
total wealth of many great Nation,
lies in the depths of that very narrow
canyon. All that is needed, in Cap.
tain Temples opinion, IS patience and
assiduity. He fully expects to pour
into the strong boxes Of the syndicate
ten times as much gold as all the mines
OF Anerica have produced.
In addition to tho other difficulties
of deep-sea diving the Red Sea has Que
danger that is peculiar sto itself.
When the Challenger made deep-sea
soundings there many strange and
fantastic forms OF life never found
elsewhere were brought to the surface.
The waters of the Red Sea ere very
hot.
The intense heat that is always beat.
ing upon the surface, the heat of the
land on either side, and the peculiar
way in which the waters are inclosed,
all combine to make it the hottest
large body of water in the world.