A SEARCH FOR GOLD.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1595, 12 November 1912, Page 6

A SEARCH FOR GOLD.

|TH£ GENERAL GRANT'S TREASURE. ;' ANOTHER EXPEDITION. (By Tolccraph.—Special Corresjiondoi.t.l Auckland, November 11. ; The ship General Grant was wrecked in a cave in the Auckland islands on May 14, IStifi. The remarkable story of her loss still ranks among tie strange talcs of the. sea, hut the fact that lingers still in the 'memory'is that she carried, and still contains, a huge amount of bullion. The • treasure is believed to be worth Five' salvage expeditions have gone. to. the Auckland islands to recover"the treasure, but all have failed. Now another expedition is.afoot ready to attack the problem, not from the water but. from the aix, It is no matter of aeronautics, but an in-, genious device that has originated in the mind.of a man who follows two strangely opposed, yet .strangely ■ similar' callings. Mr. Victor Berge is by,profession a deepsea, diver.' Deep-sea-diving,as a continuous occupation is a deadly trade, and for' relief from its exactions he has,become also a member of. the tiny band of steeplejacks who riieud tall spues and smokestacks for the rest of humanity. He proposes to dive to the General Grant; lout until he reaches the water- he will bo a steeplejack, and in' this,unique method.of attacking a great salvage, problem he' has a continuous faith that admits no fear .of failure beyond the risk of ill-fortune. The strange adventure to bo' undertaken by about a. dozen men is to begin very .soon. In a few days Mr. ' Berge . mil leave ; Auckland ■ for 'Wellington to equip his 'expedition for the trip. The work at the island, given reasonably good conditions, is expeoted to take about three months. ' The-'cave •in : which the wreck lies- ib a narrow : cleft, ;. roofed soundly with rock, and very narrow for its otherwise large dimensions, and it is in the face of a perpendicular wall of rock about 400 feet high. The operations will commence ■at the top of. the cliff, where an air- compressor for working pneumatic drills will be set up. The descent of the cliff will be done by ordinary steeplejack! methods by fastening e, sectional ladder to its- face, • and having reached the. lip of the care, Mr. Borgo -will commence to build a hanging track under the roof. Fixtures known as lewises will be fastened one after . another into holes drilled in the rook,-and 'an everextending wooden platform will be'suspended below them. When : it Teaches, a position above the wreck the : building of a big hanging platform about twenty feet above the water level will bo begun.. This platform will be the actual' centre of the diving operations, and' will carry the' air pumps, telephone, and,other apparatus. One of the difficulties which'have prevented divers.from reaching the wreck in previous attempts is the surging of the water; which washes the air pipe atodlifeline, back and- forth, straining at them and making it impossible for the diver to do his work or even approach it. This Mr. Berge proposes, to overcome, in.a very scientific way. A hole will be made in the platform, and through it will be lowered a strong steel tube, three feet in diameter, made up of sections, each twelve feet long. The tube will.be' stayed 'by adjustable guys, fastened to .the sides rind roof of the cave. Not only will the guys be made so as to support the tube as it lengthens, but they willalso enable the workers to pull- its lower.ehd, in vail directions and fix it above.any desired part of.the.wreck. Through this tube the ', diver willdescend, first to the stern of the vessel, and so.into the captain's cabin, and the bullion room directly beneath'it,'and afterwards into as many other parts of-tho-ship as he can 'visit. - ••"'. ,! ; .. ■■ ■. ;•' '■•■-.