Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-08
LINER SAFE YIELDS
BULLION ROOM KEY
Sudden Storm Halts Work
of Divers SaIvaging
Treasure Ship.
BY DAVID SCOTT.

5REST, France, September 8.-The
captains safe. brought up from the
gunken liner Egypt, was opened yes
terday while the salvage ship Artiglio
was lying in port during an Atlantic
storm. The safe contained a key to
the bullion room of the ship, where
sS,0oo,000 in gold and silver is hidden;
q separate bunch OF keys, unmarked,
and q diplomatic mail bag containing
British foreign Office correspondence.
There was nothing else. The ships
money and the valuables belonging to
passengers are presumably in the pur-
sers safe in another part of the wreck.
One of the objects Of opening the
safe today was to get absolute confir-
nation of the identity of the wreck in
the shape of the ships log or other
papers bearing her name. Nothing OF
the sort was found, and so documentary
evidence Of the wrecks identity is still
lacking. This Is not very important,
however, since the material evidence
is conclusive.
Crews Watch Operation.
The safe was opened publicly on the
Artiglio's cargo hatch while a crowd
OF 200 to 800 looked on from above.
The safe was hauled up from the hold
and laid on its back. Then an oxy-
acetylene blowpipe. was brought to bear
on its bolts and hinges while the crews
Of the little salvage fleet crowded
around
The blue flames of the torch popped
and cracked; rivulets. of liquid steel
ran across the rusty plating, and in
a short time the door Of the safe was
pried open with crowbars and thrown
aside.
A musty odor of rotting canvas and
wet iron rose from the dark interior.
Somebody seized the neck of the mail
bag to pull it out and the bag fell to
pieces, leaving a Shiny mass behind.
The papers, sodden and stuck together,
were carefully lifted out and put into
a wooden box. From their muddy
black, white and brown a patch OF vivid
color stood out from time to time-the
vermillion seal Of the Foreign once
clean and clear.
Contents Listed.
The box was taken down into the
Artiglio's saloon and list Of its con-
tents made. It was as follows:
A volume of consular instructions
dated April ~, 1922.
An oficial letter to the British Con-
sui at Tangier, marked in corner,
turned to Foreign Office March IL,
1922" So this letter had gone from
London to Tangier and back to Lon
don by mistake and was lost on Its
second outward voyage.
A foreign office dispatch Of May II,
1922, to M. A. Robertson, address
iilegible.
A printed book Of accounts relating
10 trade and navigation.
A series Of sealed letters from the
foreign ONCE to British representatives
abroad.
A bag Of bill Of exchange forms for
use In the consular service in Japan
Korea and Siam.
A report on the economic situation
In Belgium by. the British. department
Of overseas trade. SO
A copy Of the Journal Of the Parlia-
ments Of the empire.
"A bundle Of foreign ONCE reports.
None Of these papers was read o.
disturbed unnecessarily, although many
Of them are still clearly legible. Or
one was printed the signature of Cur.
ron of Kedleston" (the late Marques
Curzon Of Kedleston, who, in 1922
when the Egypt sank, was the British
foreign secretary. An envelope marked
"secret" was left untouched.
Dates Correspond with wreck.
The interest of these papers lay II
their dates. All were dated April o.
May, 1922, which correspond with ths
sinking Of the Egypt. The inventory
was signed by representatives Of thu
salvage company and the papers wer'
packed In a new box for consignment
to the Peninsula & Oriental Shipping
Co. in London. The safe remained
aboard and may be exhibited publicly
later.
The Artiglio was driven from he
moorings yesterday by a characters
tic caprice of the Atlantic. The fin,
weather last week changed with strik
ing suddenness. At one moment thu
men were working in hot sunshine OF
deck; at the next the sky was darkeneS
(Copyright, 1880, by New York Times)