The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-07-26
NEW EQUIPMENT DUE TO RECOVER ISLANDER GOLD
Tugboat, Scow and Donkey Engine Will Be En-
 ploved Monday

To recover the treasure on the wrecked steamship Islander, heav- fer and more powerful equipment than has been used in the past will be employed in the future, declared c. H. Wiley, who, with his brother, E. H. Wiley, and E. c. Pickett, is engaged in the effort to bring the submerged wealth to the surface. A tugboat, derrick scow and don-' key engine, recently bought in Se- attle, are expected in Juneau today or tomorrow, and will be taken immediately on arrival, to the scene of the historic disaster, off the southern end of Douglas Island. The work of exploring the sunken craft for it's safe and strong boxes will be resumed Monday, with C force of Is. it Is planned, and suc- cessful termination of the task is expected in three months.
 Left Here in June
 For the purchase of suitable equipment the Messrs. Wiley and MT. Pickett left here for Seattle late in June They returned to Juneau a few days ago.
 Our new equipment, explained c. H. Wiley, lis needed to remove parts of the interior structure of the hull and large quantities o1 baggage, which block the way tc where we think the treasure re- poses. Deep sea barnacles of 2s years accumulation cover every. thing exposed in instances to 8 thickness of six inches. They are as hard and solid as cement, SC hard they can scarcely be knocked off with a hammer. The large quantity of baggage seems cementec into a solid mass by these bar nacles. Equipment must be able to remove bulky, weighty objects from great depth. in spite of ter rifle currents.
 Loss of Equipment
 One stormy night last winter we lost equipment worth SIT 1000, off tht Bremerton, which is anchored above the wreck, and off the nearby scow Tedious diving was required to re- gain submerged articles, and many never were recovered. Loss of ol breakage of parts usually occa. sions long delays in replacing then from Seattle.
 "The Islander lies in the cen. ter of a navigation channel, which proves that the ship, which sanl quickly, did not strike a shore rock . and then back into deep water, bu that she crashed into an iceberg She crushed her bow and part O. one of her sides, forward.
 "The bottom where she rests i 380 feet below the surface at higi tide Part of her upper structure is within 324 feet of the surface at low tide. Most of our worl , is at the lower part of the craft
 where pressure is 187 pounds tt , the square inch. j, We have to combat not onl! current, depth and pressure, bu
 also the muddy water from thu l Taku River. Of course the wrecl is naturally shrouded in complet' } darkness, but we can illuminate 1 : with electricity. It is quite brilliant ly lighted during diving opera tions."
 One of the hazards of the tasl
 is the close approach of steam
 ships. Federal law forbids larg
 craft from going closer than
 mile to places where divers are a work. A few days ago a larg Z steamship passed so near the equip
 ment over the Islander that tn g resultant swell not only caused con siderable damage to equipment, bu n also by tightening and slackenin n the lines extending to the dive spun him around and turned hir :. upside down repeatedly, to the per : of his life.
 Many objects have been recov d cred from the wreck. A barnacle Il covered rubber boot, bottles - Shasta water and of liquor hay : been brought to the surface. Bot r tied commodities are spoiled be f cause pressure has destroyed tn n efficiency of their corks. A crock d cry jug, marked Mountain Dew : looks bright and new now, aftt Is having been cleansed of a fe e stains.
 From baggage, an identificatio IS metal tag for a key ring has bee 1T restored to it's original appearanc r. The tag is numbered 12,345 an is engraved on it is an offer Of 2 if returned to Montreal addres e No effects of the action of watt ,f are noticeable.
 On competitor of the Island'
 task. MT. Wiley intends to presel d to the Alaska Historical Museu 'A <~....,,,,od ap paoa Eiphtl