The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-05-06

wv ell, IL you VIII DeileVS II, LIE OWIlSES OIL
the vessels claimed them; and l thought
we would have to go to law to get them
out of their custody. Finally, however,
the people from Rome came and identi-
fed the contents as the cases they had
lost year before and We're allowed to
depart with the treasure chests. The
explanation was this: The Turin, on
going down a year before, had struck
upon 8. deep sea ledge, where she had rock
ed until she split. Subsequent gales had
carried her pieces off into the Gulf of
Genoa, while the chests being caught in
a deep sea current, drifted over to the
coast Of Mice.
DIVING FOR WINE.
The highest price ever paid me was
by an American gentleman who COM
nissioned me to go down, twenty-five
miles from Gibraltar, in search of a
part of the cargo Of the sailing vessel
Cyclades.
Ten years before this gentleman had
purchased almost the entire vintage of
certain years Italian Chianti; and
was about to ship it for America when
the captain of the Cycades suggested
to him that the wine would be greatly
Improved If it could toss on the Aedi-
terranean ten years or SO. The Ameri-
can. who was always looking for a
chance to improve his wine cellar,
decided to store the cases in the Cycla6es,
with the understanding that each spring
the captain of the vessel must snip one
case of the wine to America, leaving the
rest to churn and churn in the sterno
the craft.
For several years this was faithfully
done; but on the sixth year the Cyclades
met with an accident and went down,
though the captain and his men escaped
in a. small boat.
The American desired me to recover
~, ut r loo tod
the Cyclades and raised the cases. 1t
was all done in days time, but I got
S1.Na0 for the job, and a souvenir in the
shape of little naphtha launch which
the American had bought at Gibraltar.
SO as to be able to accompany me on the
diving tour to the scene of the disaster.
as he anticipated long hunt in the sea
for the little boat
A difficult search was one OF my first
ones. 1t was after a cargo Of Roman
curos, near an island in the Atlantic.
There We're also fifteen bars Of silver in
the cargo, valued at f2,0Ol The ship
was the Barcelona, and when she went
down off 9Cadiz she rested in a ledge.
then parted amidships and rolled into
deep water.
II took me long time to get into her
treasure-room, and some lde2. of the
difficulty in gaining access may be
obtained when I tell YOU that was COM
Z pelieO piOW lile uSChs away Will 5uS
mite. The air and water pressure was
great. and, in one place, I was COM
PEELED to crawl into a space of two feet
in order to get access to the room in
which the silver was known to be COM
tanned.
A WILD RUN
I finally got the contents and sent up
thirty boxes of curios and the silver
bars. During. the time l worked four
hours oorsecutively under water. and
when hauled ND was absolutely exhausted
had never worked so long at. such a
great depth. and when I landed found
that tflere was not drop of fresh water
to be had. The diving apparatus had
been located on a small island on the
top OF which was spring.
The party-I for the pleasure Of walk
ing on land-cfimbed the hill and were
Just about to drink the water when we
saw a quantity Of white sails bearing
down Hron US. we knew at once tina t;
they were pirates: or. as ttev are called
nowadays. sen rsarat5ers. ard we resl-
lied that our treasure was exposed 70
great danger
we hurried down from the hill, but
did not arrive there until they had cap
. tured our cargo. We chased them, and