WONDERS OF THE DEEP 85 



in coins, gold and silver bars, ivory and precious 

 stones, and valuable jewels, have gone to the 

 bottom of the ocean by the foundering of treasure- 

 ships. Most of this treasure has been given up as 

 lost for ever to the world, but the Williamson 

 apparatus is a hint that much of it may one day 

 be recovered. 



During their exploration of the sea bottom, the 

 Williamson brothers located an old wreck, which it 

 was afterwards ascertained was that of one of the 

 vessels engaged in blockade-running during the 

 American Civil War. Mr. George Williamson ar- 

 ranged to descend for a closer examination and in- 

 spection of the submerged wooden vessel. This was 

 by no means an easy task, for while he was exploring 

 the ship, on which he had great difficulty to maintain 

 his equilibrium, he was working under the pressure 

 of two atmospheres. This means that there was a 

 pressure of about thirty pounds on every square inch 

 of his diving suit. After some trouble, he managed 

 to wrench off the ship's bell, which, after examination, 

 was found to contain a Spanish inscription, and then, 

 with his hatchet, chopped off a piece of the wreck to 

 keep as a souvenir of his exploit. 



At the present time the Williamson brothers are 

 at work on an expedition to salvage the " Mereda," 

 wrecked off the Virginian coast a few years ago, with 

 a large quantity of silver ingots and jewellery. The 

 majority of the great wrecks of history are to be 

 found in water much shallower than the extreme 

 length of the present tube, because shipwrecks nearly 



