Evening star., 1922-05-12
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special Dispatch to The Star.
NEWPORT NEWS. Va. May 15.
Tho black wooden ship Blakeley.
treasure hunter. today was we'll
treasure hunter, today was well
on her way on the first leg Of
trip that recalls the blackest
tragedy Of the great war. She is
en- route to the Irish coast on a
voyage that may make of her
hackers. her officers and her crew
millionaires.
Capt. Charley Richards Is In COM
mand. Capt. Charley. master mari
ner, threw his hat into the
ring of the sea at IS a month
thirty years ago and Is today
gambling the meager savings of
a lifetime against enormous
wealth. For the Blakeley will
seek to salvage the gold and val
uables in the strong room OF the
ill-fated Lusitania.
Grinning like a happy boy, the
veteran navigator, as the lines
were being thrown ashore yester-
day afternoon. declared that he
was very hopeful of the outcome.
''Laughingly. l have told my wife
that when come home we Will ouild
a mansion in Paris and another on
5th avenue" he shouted to q group
OF his old crontes. Now that
sounds good. But I don't want a
mansion. want farm, and cows
and horses and chickens and a 1it-
ney TO- go to town to see the
Carries Full Equipment.
The Blakeley, Of 1850 gross tom
mage. is on her second voyage. Her
first stop will be Philadelphia. On
the first voyage she carried gen.
eral merchandise to England. This
time it Is to be adventure, real ad-
venture. for in her "glory holes"
she carries skilled divers; in her
cargo hold. tons of dynamite;
while on her decks are afhxed pow
erful derricks to be used In lifting
salvage from the sea. Adventure.
indeed. for on her return she may
carry gold bullion recovered from
the purser's strong room; Jewels
and gold and silver coin owned by
the men and women who essayed
the wartime voyage. seven years
ago. this month.
Look at my men," fairly begged
Capt Richards. There's Glass
and Templeton and McKay-an
good men. and all OF them. hke
me, with their lifes blood tied up
in the expedition. There's New
man. my engineer. and George
Carter, his assistant, more good
men. Sure, they're in on 1t. too.
. We have taken this ship on a bare
boat charter. and we'll bring her
home loaded with more money
than-more money than"
He shrugged his shoulders and
spread his hands in an expressive
gesture. Then. smiling. he gazed
across toward the Virginia capes
and the tossing sea lying beyond.
VIII Work $50 Feet Down.
I'VE will send our men down the
$50 feet to where the Lucy is sup
posed to be lying" he con-
tinued. there to dynamite a pas
sage through the decks to the pur-
ser's strong room. We will drop
over giant hooks to drag away the
wreckage. Then We hope the
mammoth steel octopus tentacles
Of our especially constructed ma
chine will fasten themselves about
the treasure and rise higher. high
er, higher, until they finally drop
upon the deck of our ship. They
tell us that our divers cannot sue
ceed. But we have tested our men
and our suits. One may remain
1000 feet below the sea level in
them and not be hurt. Leavitt.
who will have charge Of the div
ing operations, himself worked on
the Pewabic below the Lusitania
mark in Lake Huron and recov-
cred a part of the cargo.
II tell you we will succeed, and
by Christmas we all will be rich"
One officer-McKay, the third
mates after the adventure as
much as the gold.
Il have been gold-digging be-