Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1914 — Plan to Recover Tibers's Treasures [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Plan to Recover Tibers's Treasures

FtOM the River Tiber that Rome once worshiped to a bustling office in _ Church street, New York city, is a far cry,hutrhe void between the two has been spanned. __z: Beneath those sluggish watera, which received the prayer of a “Gitizen of Rome” and were braved by Goth and Gaul and Vandal, lie, according to archeologists, treasurers such as the museums of the world do not boast; treasures of bronze and of marble and gold, or melted into wonder works of art; and, perhaps, that fabled Candelabrum of the Jews, Of pnra gold, nf weight nnn talent and a half, and three feet high. The cry is to recover those treasures. It was sent to James C. Stewart, a New York contractor, years ago, and though nothing has been accomplished since then he has not lost interest in the project, but is willing and eager to give what assistance he can, either technical or financial, to recover the loßt treasures of an ancient day. First Proposed Ten Years Ago. It was nearly ten years ago that Mr. Stewart first heard of the project from Professor CirQ, the Italian archeologist. At that time Mr. Stewart was in England astonishing the engineering world by his feats and arousing the admiration of King Edward and the admiralty. ■■ , He was one of the first American pioneers to show England the effl-

clency of American methods. His fame spread; ’way off in Italy esthetic dreamers and practical promoters heard of him. And they wrote him of what lay beneath the Tiber and asked whether he could undertake the work, declaring that the Italian government was ready to grant concessions. Mr. Stewart was busy and the affair languished. The treasures still remain where they were. But as the years have passed Mr. Stewart’s interest —practical, artistic and sentimental has increased, until he is ready to associate himself with any one ready to encourage the work or to aid any one who wants to undertake it. Mr. Stewart looks like a typical keen and alert American business man. He is, but the lure of that treasure hunting is upon him and he admits it with a smile. “It’s entirely practicable, though,” said he. “It would be the easiest sort of Job. There would be no question of diverting the course of the Tiber, but merely one of dredging it, and that could be readily and quickly accomplished. We own the most powerful dredging machines in the world, and the Tiber’s bed of soft silt would offer us very little difficulty. We would just scoop the bed of the river up and practically go placer mining for the treasures that. I am ready to believe are there. “I’ve never contemplated doing the Job. because it’s never really been a concern of mine. All I kpow is that several archeologists and promoters wrote me it years ago, but the matter dropped there. “I know,-too, that the plan has been frequently proposed, but for some reason or other never executed. Why the Italian government doesn’t take it in hand I don’t understand; we would do It over here. It would qot be particularly costly and the findings. I’m quite sure, would give us some of the most wonderful works of art as well as treasures to which an enormous sentimental interest would attach. "If others do seriously mean to prosecute the work I am perfectly willing to associate mywir with just to give financial aid. It seems to Ml that there are enough art lovers'

in this country who would be willing to subscribe the comparatively small ampunt necessary to carry It out. Personally I don’t know why it isn’t done or when It will be done, but I am surf it will be sooner or later. 37 “I received my first intimation of the idea when I was over in England, in 1902, building the Westinghouse works and doing work for the English admiralty. They made quite a bit of fuss over our work at that time; the rapidity of the methods, the general efficiency, seemed to amaze them, and as a result it got to be embarrassing to pick up a paper. Well, I suppose .that’s why the Italians- sent me the data abouUthe River Tiber. Passively Interested. “It interested me, of course, but mostly in ar historical and sentimental way. I never took any action. But I’ve been —what shall I say?—passively interested ever since. “The idea that in that river bed may lodge wonderful statues of marble and hrongp a-nd hosts and coins, as Well as implements and weapons of all sorts, and that the Candelabrum of the Covenant that stood in the Tabernacle in King David’s house may he resting there, covered over with the silt of centuries, makes one keen to help to dig them out or to encourage others to do so.” The quest for buried treasure is as old as the human race itself. . Ever since the mythical expedition of thef Argonauts in l search of the Golden

Fleece of Colchis, men have wandered all over the face of the earth in their search for the hidden wealth that is reputed to lie secure in many hiding places. Even in this day of cynical incredulity we hear, now and again, of the outfitting of a new expedition for the recovery of the pilfered gold that noted freebooters extracted from the holds of the Spanish galleons. It is not remarkable, then, that even so hard-headed an individual as a prosperous New York contractor should be interested in the recovery of a treasure that will make the pirate spoils of Captain Kidd look, in comparison, like a handful of coppers. Nor is it strange, that the kingdom of Italy should be willing to give Its consent to a plan that will enrich its coffers as -well as benefit its national capital, the city of Rome.

SCENE ALONG THE TIBER.