Medford mail tribune., February 28, 1960, Image 48

Was the 8th
Lt. Harry E. Rieseberg, an internation
ally recognized authority on treasure ships,
is former chief of the bureau of navigation,
veteran salvor, and world-record holder for
depth in an operative mechanical-diving ro
bot. He is also president of the Treasure
Hunters Association. Inc. .
Beneath the sea was a storied lost treasure; but something
claimed seven divers and was awaiting the next!
Be-.:.
During A terrific storm some years ago, an
unidentified sailing schooner carrying
treasure struck the rocks on the southeastern
tip of Malpelo Island, north of Colombia, and
had her bottom torn away. Seven attempts
by salvage organizations were made to re
trieve the mysterious treasure hoard, sup
posedly resting in the shattered hulk.
In each attempt, the diver had failed to
return to the surface. His air line had
snapped; there was no sign of what might
have caused the tragedy.
When I heard the story, it sounded like a
challenge. The reason for the numerous fail
t ures, I thought, was that the divers had met
with some unusual condition for which they
were unprepared, or that they had drowned
when attacked by large tiger sharks which
abound in these South American waters.
Having fought tiger sharks and' huge octopi,
and on one occasion a giant squid, I decided
to be the eighth man down.
We chartered an auxiliary sloop and sailed
from the little seaport town of Buenaventura,
Colombia, to the tip of the island where the
ill-fated schooner had reportedly gone down.
We dropped anchor about 200 yards offshore
over a spot where the wreck allegedly rested.
In a short time, we were ready for actual
diving, operations.
As I stood on the short ladder waiting for
my helmet to be screwed to my shoulder
plate, I thought of those seven divers who
had never returned. But it was no time to
dwell on their undiscovered fates. Making
sure my long, double-edged shark knife was
securely attached to me, I stepped from the
ladder into the water.
A short distance down,. I signaled to stop
lowering, as the air pressure needed-adjust-i.-ing;
I also wanted to know if the responses
of the crew above were correct and rapid.
Then I continued my descent until the hulk
of a vessel appeared directly beneath me. I
knew this was the ship I was seeking, for it
had very little encrustation on it. -I
manipulated my lines carefully among
. the sharp rock outcrops, as a hard rub on
one of the jagged edges might have torn my
ILLUSTRATION BY TONY KOKON1S
18
Family Weekly, February 28, 1960
WTO M :
TL- H N:.2;
air hose. The black hole beneath me was not '
inviting, but there were no signs of sharks
or any large fish among the strings of under
water plants that hung, like leafy pendulums,
about the wreck. A few more moments and
I had landed on the slimy deck of the shat
tered schooner-wreck. A large craft, it rested
on an almost even keel in a rocky ravine, her
bottom buried deep in the sand. 7
In the pale light that penetrated from the
surface, the hulk looked sinister. It lay there,
white and ghostly, with a high black wall of
rock around it like a gigantic coffin.
The afterhatch was open, its cover partly
off. Just forward appeared the com
panionway.' Making certain that neither of
my lines was fouled, I loosened my shark
knife and climbed cautiously down the sand
covered steps to the heavy door of the
chamber below. There I received the jolt of
my life!"
Beside the half-opened door of the" cabin
and immersed in several inches of sand, lay
a copper, diving helmet I dug it out of the
sand and debris and, in the light of my torch,
looked inside. I was gazing down upon a
skull the white jaws wide apart in a set
and uncanny grin! -
I began to dig in the sand about the diving
dress.and finally unearthed the remains of
the suit A skeleton was encased in the
shredded remnants. Here was one of the
seven divers who had not returned!
I cleared the sand away from the door of
the cabin and entered. It was approximately
15 feet wide and partly filled with crates of
various sizes and shapes. One had the top
pried off. I flashed my torch into the opening.
Silver bars! They were darkened by the salt
water, but after I rubbed the butt of my torch
against them, the white metal shone through.
Yes, treasure was here all rightf How-
Its tentacles came closer. I
drew my knife. I would
give the giant creature a fight!
.--: