Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-11
w ILL oPSl
the PurserS
Safe and
Examine
Baggage
and Mail

of the wealth which has lain
at the bottom OF the Irish Sea since
that ill-fated afternoon in May
1915, when torpedoes from a Ger
man submarine sank the giant Gu
nard liner Lusitania are most en-.
couraging.
For some weahs past expert
divers have been prospecting the
position Of the sunken Steamship r.
and their report Is so favorable that ~
it is planned TO undertake at once
the recovery OF the valuable cargo,
the passengers baggage, the bodies
Of scores OF victims who went down -
with the ship and all the rich treas.
ure that is locked in the pursers
strong rooms Very soon now the
news may be expected that men are
actually hunting through the silent A;
staterooms, opening the purser's
safes and examining the huge
heaps Of water-soaked baggage and TT
mail. f
For the present at least no at.
tempt will be made TO raise the
vessel itself. AS 10 whether this is
agreed. Some maintain that the Lusitani;
can never be brought to the surface OWNS
to the great depth OF water in which she
is resting. If, however, the efforts to sal
wage the steamers contents are as success
ful as Is now anticipated, 1t is probabl,
that an attempt to raise the boat itself viii
be made before the close Of the presen
year.
Although the Lusitania carried only
comparatively small cargo OF freight.
carried so many valuables in the shape O
personal property Of its passengers that it
shattered hulk undoubtedly contains one O
the richest heaps OF treasure to be foun,
in the oceans depths.
AS everybody remembers the Lusitani;
had an unusually large passenger list o,
the voyage that ended in it's destruction
Included in the list were Alfred Gwynn
Vanderbilt and more than forty other me,
and women whose fortunes were rated /,
the millions OF dollars.
Owing to the exigencies of the war. man
OF these, as well as many of the other mas
sengers carried with them large quar-
titles OF valuables which they woul
otherwise have entrusted to tho mails O
express.
Nine. Antoine Depage, for example, wifi
Of the medical director OF the Belgian Re
Cross, and one Of the victims OF the di:
aster, was making the trip TO Europe t
carry to her native land 100000 in col
which she and her husband had helpe
raise in this country for relief work. Thi
little fortune, with other valuables whic
filled the pursers strong rooms to Owe
flowing, went TO the bottom when IN
German torpedoes tore gaping holes in th
liners sides.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, another viz
tim. is said to have entrusted TO the MI
ser's care when the voyage began. mono,
1ewelry and securities worth in the =,
cinity OF $4,000. Charles Frohman In
theatrical manager; Ebert Hubbard. III
famous writer, and Charles Frederic
Fowles, the millionaire New York a,
dealer. are some OF the numerous other
VINO mad entrusted 10 the ships stron
rooms quantities OF property too yaluabl
to be kept in their staterooms mr. carrie
about on their persons
From all this II can be seen that -
purscr's strong rooms alone furnish rio
prize for the divers who are soon 70 hrav
the gruesome interior OF the sunken line
IL has been said that their contents ar
worth $l,0OO,0O0, and TO those who Lno
the distinguished character of the shin
passenger list this seems Ike q cn
Bervative estimate. w
But this is not all There are tbo ,r.,
and travelling bags of the passengers.