The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-14

hope and adventure into almost every cline. That vast treasures really exist awaiting their lucky discoverers, is gen orally acknowledged. Cover ments be- lieve In them. historians give oroof of them and now and then me of them IS found to keep up the worlds great hu- man interest in the search.
 While the oceans and the islands in them undoubtedly contain the greater part of the hidden treasure of the world, there are other places which are beginning to attract those infested by germ of 'treasureitis" and among theAe are the great lakes. From time to time treasure hunting expeditions have been fitted out at various ports. but they have been generally regarded as such business-1ike ventures tha. only now
 and then one has seen much of romance or adventure in them. The majority of these expeditions were unsT icessful in their efforts, but a few If them hay reaped rich rewards
 Probably no similar area of any ocean, if suddenly robbed of It's waters would expose to human eyes more sunken ships or more valuable .cargoes l.than would the five great lakes.
 This is easily understood when one knows that during the wenty year' , between 1878 and 1898 only one less than 5000 vessels were wrecked or the inland seas and that 1903 of these were total losses. The oss of cargo during those years. which represent bu a little more than "ne fourth of tho , years of navigation on the lakes, was $6.54S, 300 and from this it is quite saf' : to reason that the total amount of pro- perty which has gone to the bottom of the lakes. counting only cargoes would make the enormous total of II least S12O0O,O0O.
 Of course the greater part of all this sunken property has been destroyed by time and water. but much of # was in- destructible and is as good oday as il was when 1t was lost It is also true that at the bottom of the lakes would be found valuables of less romantic in terest than the gold and plate of Span ish galleons and the riches of pirate chests. There is little doubt that there are large sums of money hidden in the inland seas, but most of the lost trea- sure is made un of copper. steel iron coal machinery and other practically indestructible things which 70 to make up lake cargoes.
 How a ship may lose herSelf in the great lakes and for years, perhaps for ever, defy all attempts at discovering her IS the tragic story cf the Erie. a treasure ship which was lost in Lake Erie during the season or 1S41.
 Raised Fourteen Years ater.
 This vessel. under command of Cap tain T. J. Titus. left Buffalo for Chi cago on the afternoon of Aug g. When about thirty three miles from Buffalo, off Silver Green, a slight ;plosion was heard and almost imme iiately the whole vessel was eveloped in flames On board tke Erie were scores of i'm migrants bound for the vest and spe- cte amounting to s1S0,000, out in the excitement and appalling loss of life which followed no thought was given to the treasure. The steame" De Wilt Clinton came up in time to save many lives, but in going down the Erie car red 100 souls with her. Tor years af- ter the treasure ship lay half buried in the sand seventy feet under water. Not until fourteen years later. in 1853 was d successful attempt made to raise her. Tn that year treasure seeking party left Buffalo and lowed the hull into shallow water. A fortune in foreign money was secured, mostly in 5-franc pieces.
 Other stories of treasure lecover"n rom the bottom of the laKos are quite numerous In 1902 the steamer William H. Stevens loaded with $l01.SS0 worth of copper caught fire md sank be- tween Conneaut, O.. and Tort Burweli ont. Underwriters worked on her all