The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-08


two years ago. Nearly every
time the subject has been preached
some one has come forward with an
array If figures that apparently placed
the project in the realm OF the impOs-
slle. OF late the idea has been re-
ylvcd. and now comes an.engineer with
a scheme ,Nat can boast an element Of
the probable. provided the circumstance
are quite as favorable as he imagined
them to be-
raradoxically. the man that offers
the present solution has his home pretty
nearly as far away from the sea as II IL
possible to get here in the United States.
charles 4. Smith. the author Of the
p'an. lives in Denver. Briefly II In his
purpose to make use of a great many
powerful electric lifting magnets. which
when energized will cling to the steel
body Of the Titanic like SO many mon
ster lreches.
When these magnets are firmly at
,ached To the skin Of the ship lines
leading surfaceward will be secured to
especially for the purpose, and then the
Inventor counts upon the cumulative
fitting force OF all these cylindrical
tanks to raise the Titanic clear Of the
bottom 50 that the wreck and the float
ing camels can be lowed into shallower
water.
Each time the Titanic Is halted by
the rising sea bed the connecting lines
wll. he shortened. the vessel raised a
few feet. and with this clearance she
will be lowed nearer land. Thus step by
sep the foundered ship is to be raised
and moved shoreward until the next to
The last stage Of the operations finds
her in water Of such moderate depth
that the ordinary diver can be en-
ployed.
n This would involve bringing the IT,
ianic from her present supposed resting
place. two miles down below the sur
face Of the sea, and transporting her to
some point near the Nova Scotian coast.
re found at a depth Of not more than
100 feet
But great physical obstacles lie In
the path Of Mr.. Smiths project. To be-
en with, it would take an immense
amount Of hunting to locate the wreck
W!eck~ have a way OF shifting even
y after they reach the ocean bed, and this
is one Of the puzzling aspects OF sub
marine problem Of this sort.
SIMON Lake, who has had q pretty
wide experience in dealing with under,
water problems. found in the wrecking
business that it sometimes took more
tnt tu locate vessel on the bottom
Than II did 10 salve her cargo after
finding her. Accordingly he set about
de,Is.ug means to explore the waterbe,
quickly over large areas. In one case 9
.Nessc had been lost. and sweeping" FOL
her ~ the old fashioned way had con
sumed months unsuccessfully, but Mr.
Lake with his apparatus located thu
missing craft within less than TIVE
hours, He gives typical example
Of what may happen after ship dis
appears below the surface of the water
"A vessel was abandoned about dusl
between lighthouse and the shore u
Long Island Sound. The Lighthouse
keeper reported he saw her go down
while people on shore also thought the!
had seen her disappear. Two OF tn
most experienced old time wreckinI
companies in the United States trie'
in Vain to locate her. efforts beinl
abandoned finally at the instance Of he
underwriters. Then an old wreckinI
superintendent fitted out an expedition
to locate and to recover her on his owl
account. and spent nearly two years u
the attempt.
Learning Of the circumstances.
sent my experimental wreck finders I
The locality, but after twice cOverin
The territory they failed to find the yes
sci in question. They did. however. dis
cover two other wrecks neither O
whcn had been found by previou
searchers. Being satisfied that the ves
sci 50 long sought for--she had bee
sunk seven years--was not within tn
zone olready covered, I widened tn
field + examination. and the craft wa
located fifteen miles away from tn
place where all evidence seemed to In
dlca'o she had gone down. She wa
found N ninety-fOur feet Of water an
me cargo OF copper matte and ore wa
recovered"
Since then Mr.. Lake has develope
form OF submarine wreck detectt
which is based upon the use OF electro
magnets. When these come In cOnta'
with ron or steel suitable instr,
men records the fact. But don't
hlsl'd by Mr.. Lakes successes In rela
,'-y hal!ow water. There II va
veal "i difference between towing
nhdfr yer a bottom 100 feet or LEI
uo"h nd doing the same thing ov'
we scaled where the depth n q matt
W NOR" Than 10000 feet! 1t u est
mac hat the wreck Of the Titanic
"al'r fully two miles deep, and II
mol certain that the vessel did not d