A MATTER OF MILLIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3217, 15 June 1909, Page 7

A MATTER OF MILLIONS.

Of recent years we have frequently had news of an expedition being organised to wrest from the sea a portion of the immense treasure that has been sent to the bottom by storm or in battles. Such treasure, in spite of the numerous and up-to-date efforts to locate it, has, in the main, had an unkind knack of lying low and refusing to reveal itself. Home files to hand report yet another undertaking of this nature. Vigo Bay is to be the scence of operations, and a company has been formed, under the title of the Sea Salvage Company, Ltd., which has obtained from the Spanish Government a concesison to work in the Bay—where, it is supposed there are a number of sunken Spanish galleons loaded with treasure- -untii 1915. A fleet of galleons (the story runs) guarded by men-of-war arrived at Vigo in 1702, bearing the accumulated treasure of three years—some £28,000,000 —only to be attacked by the combined English and Dutch fleets under Sir George Rooks. The Spaniards, to save the treasure falling into the hands of the victoiious \ allies, sank the vessels. About £3,000,000 has been extracted, at one time or another, from the wrecks, leaving a prize of an estimated value of £24,000,000 in gold and silver, to say nothing of jewels, rich and rare costly woods from the American forests, and the wonderful carved wood of the fine old ships themselves to reward the successful adventurers. It is interesting in this connection to learn a few particulars anent the ingenious contrivances, the work of, an Itaiian on which rest the chief hope of the party to locate the treasure. One of ' these is the hydrus.ope, or telescope ; for use under The wonderful mechanism of this-uistrument permits of object from above within a distance of about 2,000 square yards. Its effectiveness may be guaged from the fact that from the bottom of the appliance the directors of the venture have viewed the galleons lying where they sank over 200 yetrs ago. With the hydroscope is a submarine boat of such cunning invention, according to the design and prospectus, that it is a free agent, and can swim under the water, or travel the seafloor like a motor car. It is driven electrically by propellors, and is furnished with mechanical arms for attaching tackle to objects under water. Li addition to these, there are other appliances for raising the sunken booty, and altogether there seems nothing wanting to ensure the omplete success of the undertaking. If that end is attained, there should be no talk of tightness in the money market—at least, in England, where most of the shares are held—some time, at any rate.