The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1897-04-15
RECOVERING suNkEN TREASURE
Remarkable Achievement by Two
Australian Divers

e"fh aDie achievement by Tw,
Australian Divers.
The perils of a submarine diver ars
freshly brought to mind by the recent
remarkable achievement of two Aus
trallans named Arthur Briggs and
Michael May. In 1869, two English
divers recovered treasure from yes
sci which had been sunk in twenty
three fnthoms-13S feet-of water AT
that depth the pressure Is enormous.
and 1t has been thought that no one
would nave the courage to go lower, or
gong be able to survive. Briggs and
May established new record" how
ever, their work being done at n depth
OF twenty-seven and half fathoms, or
1GJ feet.
Inc brave Australians sought the
treasure of steamer which. about a
year ago, struck on a submerged reef,
the night after she left Sydney. In her
specie-tank were ten boxes of gold
Equipped in dlvlng-suits specially
MADE to bear an extraordinary strain,
the two men took turns in descending
helr nIst act was to carry a gude-line
from their steamer, moored directly
overhead, to the wheel-house of the
wreck. Another line was made fast 10
the chart-room, from which the specie
tank opened.
10 descend to the wreck, hand over
hand, down the guide-llne, took from
SIX to ten minutes. If the slightest
sea was running, the line swayed
so violently with the motion of the
steamer that it was almost impossible
to maintain ones hold.
diver was exhausted by the time
the wreck was reached. Even then he /
ma 10 hght the ocean currents, which
were there very strong. At times he
would have to hold on to something
with both hands, to keep from being
swept away.
a Dig shark had taken up his home
Oh the steamers deck. He was neither
vicious nor timid. JJnfort,,natelv
Inougn' he was curious, and Briggs
says that he often had to kick the great
ish to make him move out of the wavl
IL was May when the divers located
ne wreck. Not until August, so I'M
rlendly was the weather, did thew an
'roach the object of their search. They
new open the door of the chart-room ,
With dynamlte-much to the consterno- ,
ION OF the shark-and thus gained ac- :
ess to the specie-tank. :
But this was dark, and the boxes y,
the gold could not be found
riggs procured an electric light in
Ioseu IN a strong, water-tight globe +,
lie was so unwise as to turn on th, /,
lrrent before he started. By the fine :,
mad reached the wreck, he was sur n
FUNDED with myriads of fish, attract :
l by 1t, and could not see more than :
foot IN any directionl After that the
sht was not turned on until the diver =
I'd entered the chart-room. The fish '.
ouid not pass the doorway, and the ;,
yer escaped their company. :.
On memorable day, late in August .
riggs succeeded in lifting four of the :,
xes OF gold from the specle-tank TO :. -
c chart-room floor. 1t was on that =,
caslon that the ''record" dive was y,
lde. Briggs remained at the bottom :"
fifteen minutes and nineteen 500
DIS. ID
As soon as Briggs came to the sur o. q,
sc May went down, and succeeded in -. ~
ttlng the largest box, which contain :"
o'Voo soverelgns, so that it could -,
drawn up. On the following day. '''
iggs sent up four more Of the boxes
gold.
II all seven boxes were recovered Re
itainlng nearly $4,000 sovereigns.
out $4,000.