The Bismarck tribune., 1921-10-05
SEEK TREASURE
OF $3,000,000
IN SEA DEPTHS
Party Working Sixty Miles OFF
Virginia Capes to Recover
Treasure Sunk IL Years
BELIEVE SUCCESS AHEAD

sunken treasure amounting to $500 l,-
600 and which has been at the bottom,
of the ocean eleven years in the
wreck of the Ward Line steams!il?
Merida is, vigorously i,oing on at i
point 60 miles east OF the Virginia
cares where the Merida went down
after collision with ths United Fruit
Ccmpany's steamer Admiral Farragu:
VOID has come from the treasure
hun. ers that they believe they have 10
Gated the wreck of the sunken vessc!
and expect to bring t. the surface of
tue ocean the gold, silve: and precious
stones which had to l'e abandoned
when the vessel sunk.
The search for the treasure ships
wreck is being made from the steamer
Ripple, a disreputable looking craft.
Looks don't amount to much as far
as salvage vessels 60, however, and
aboard the Ripple is the best gear for
the work in hand that can be obtained
Manned by picked crew of twenty.
five men the ship carries three of the
lest known divers Of the country, all
of them able to work at depths consid-
erably in exces of the 200 feet. in
which the Merida is supposed to lie.
Rich Men Finance 1t.
!. The search for the Merida's treas
ure is being financed by group of
prominent New Workers.. The Ripple
left New York on August 30, and has
been steadily dragging the bottom at
a point approximately sixty miles east
Of Cape Charles, where the Merida is
supposed to have foundered. j,
When the Ripple commenced the
sweeping of the bottom at the position
given by Captain George w. Nord.
strom, chief officer Of the Merida when
she sank. a six-1nile row of bu0ys,
spaced mile apart, was placed So
that the same ground would not be
twice gone over. Finally the drag ling
grew taut. Captain Nordstrom who ia
aboard the Ripple, believed that the
obstruction encountered is pile OF
the Merida's lifeboats and liferafts
which were dropped over from the
steamship Hamilton after she had TAX
en- the passengers aboard. The Ham
ilton's position at that time is esti-
mated at from a quarter of mile t.
mile from the spot where the Meri.
da rests.
Those aboard the steamer feel con
fident that, once located, the wreck
can easily be stripped Vt its treasurer.
Among the three divers is Frank J.
Crilley, who holds the worlds record
for depth, BOG feet, made while he was
assisting in attempts to rescue the
crew of the submarine F-5. sunk on
Honolulu some years ago. Fred Mel
son, who went down 18G feet when en-.
gagged Upon the same task IS also
aboard. The third member OF the div
ing trio is Frank Kramer, we'll knowr
up and down the coast
Half Million in Gold.
The Meridas treasure consists OF h
large quantity OF silver, about $500 900
in gold and a quantity OF precious
stones. She was sunk in May, 1910,
when bound from Mexico, via Havana,
for New York, by the steamer Admiral
Farragut. The collision occurred
about midnight, in iog, the Merida
remaining ahoat for six hours. The
Admiral Farragut was badly damaged
but remained afioat. All passengers
of the Merida were saved by ships
which answered her SOS messages.
The vessel had 400 tons of copper
in her hold, carried as ballast. She
is believed to be resting on an even
keel on the hard sand bottom which
obtains in the vicinity.
The Ripple expedition is second to at
tempt the finding of the Merida. About
four years ago a number Of New York
capitalists fitted up a steamer and
dragged for some days for the wreck.
1t was believed at one time that she
had been located but bad weather pre-
vented further operations.