The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-07-19
Divers Get to Treasure Ship
After Years of Vain Effort
Rich Copper Cargo Now Being
Recovered From the Pewabic,
Sunk In Lake Huron In 1865.
Many Skeletons In Hold
01e0y 01AOHSsV0O IN A1oA0
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After lying for more than half cen
tury on the rocks and clay that form
the bottom of Lake Huron off Thunder
Bay island, south and east of Alpena,
the treasure stored in the hold Of the
steamer Pewabic, sunk Aug. 8, 1865,
in waters far beyond the depth at
which the diver hitherto has been able
to work, is now being brought to the
surface safely and without trouble,
says the Detroit Free Press.
With the raising Of "clam" load
Of relics from the long sunken steamer,
record in deep sea salvage, the fruition
Of the three years efforts of a small
party of Toledoans and Detroiters to
prove deep sea salvage possible and
the end Of a story that was already
treading on the border land of inland
seas legend.
Lives Given In Search.
For the Pewabic is a treasure ship |
in truth. Men have given their lives |
to reach her treasure in vain. For
tunes have been wasted in the efforts
to reach the prize cargo 100 feet under
the surface Of the water. Now her
treasure cOpper-is coming up.
Some Of it passed Detroit recently on
the way to Toledo, together with a
mass Of other relics from the long lost
vessel.
In the hold Of the Pewabic lie nearly
300 tons Of copper, worth 100000 or
more at the present market. Besides
the copper, there are several hundred
tons Of pig iron. What else Of value
lies beneath Thunder bay waters is
conjectural. There was a story that
there was $4,000 or $4,000 of specie
in the boats express safe, but this is
denied by Captain George P. Mckay
Of Cleveland, now treasurer of the
Lake Carriers association, who was
master Of the vessel when she sank.
There is also story of belt owned
by a woman passenger, which was
said to contain large diamond and
large sum Of money.
divers E1nQ SKeleCOuS.
It is a fact that one Of the passen-
gers, who was saved, offered a reward
of $1,000 for the recovery of his trunk.
His name has been long since forgot
ten.
In the hold Of the vessel divers found
a number Of skeletons.
The successful attack upon the most
powerful of all barriers to deep sea
work water pressure has been
brought about by the "armored diving
suit constructed on novel lines by B.
F. Leavitt Of Toledo. Leavitt made
his "suit'' more than Divers suit
It is in reality almost a submarine"
Constructed of phosphor bronze, it car
ries it's own air supply, condensed,
sufficient for a four hour stay under
water. What this means in divers
work may be best understood by ex-
planning that at seventy-fve feet, the
limit for practical work by the pres
ent day diver, a human being can
stand the pressure for about fifteen
minutes.
Up on Thunder bay the men going
three times the hitherto practical depth
and remain four hours. At seventy
five feet the diver heretofore could
move about very little. In the new
armored incasement the diver can
scarcely move at seventy-fve feet
The pressure is insufficient to counter
balance the great weight Of his suit.
At $50 feet he begins to move freely
Projecting from the Leavitt suit and
working in water tight sockets are two
steel fingers, manipulated by the hand
which is free in the big sleeve, com
posed Of flexible copper bands covered
with heavy rubber.
Leavitt 0utdoes Hawaii Divers.
When the FL, United States subma
rine, sank off Hawaii harbor severa
years ago in 236 feet Of water worlds
records were made in diving to attac1
chains and hoist her.
Three divers reached her. One wa
brought up dead. Another came bacl
with his lungs burst, and the third wa
brought to the surface a maniac.
Leavitt in a demonstration on Gran,
Traverse bay descended $50 feet, o
1876 feet deeper than did the F4 div
ers, and came to the surface feeling a
we'll as when he descended. He r.
NAMED at that depth forty-fve mil
utes.
The future is too clouded with u1
certainty to warrant predictions, BIT
the work on the Pewabic seems to il
dictate that untold wealth will be raise
from the bottom of ocean and milan
sea. The great lakes alone will yiel
fortunes
Along the jaws Of sawtooth reef, o
Keeweenaw peninsula, Lake Superio
lie scores Of cargoes Of iron and CO..
per. Year after year boat after DO.
with Minnesota's wealth of iron an
Michigan's wealth of copper has SUI
in Lake Superior.
Many Of them lie less than 100 fe
down. Lake Huron has scores