Word: webber
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...teen-ager in rural Pennsylvania, far from the sea, Burt Webber had visions of finding long-lost treasure in sunken ships. First he took up scuba diving; later he embarked on a long trail of treasureless sea hunts, barely supporting his growing family as a peripatetic encyclopedia salesman and brickworker. But last November Webber's ship finally came in. Blessed by coincidence and new technology, the 36-year-old adventurer located the site of a 17th century Spanish galleon, the Concepción, some 80 miles north of the Dominican Republic. With his research partner, Jack Haskins...
Following a steady procession of other curious adventurers, Webber launched his first search for the Concepción in January 1977. He was backed by a consortium of bankers and aided by a team of divers, cartographers, numismatists and electronics technicians. His fishing boat was equipped with sophisticated tracking instruments in addition to $15,000 worth of maps made from aerial photographs. This was not, as Webber put it, a Captain Kidd operation. Said he: "It was purely academic, based on research and scientific technology." Webber did have to strike a sort of treasure hunter's bargain, however...
Five months and 13 shipwreck sites later, Webber conceded defeat, even though he knew he had probably floated right over the Concepción. The problem: his principal tool, an onboard magnetometer for detecting telltale aberrations in magnetic fields, could not be used effectively. Haskins' research had revealed that the galleon was outfitted with nonmagnetic bronze cannons and that its iron anchors had been cut loose in deeper waters. The ship's remaining iron artifacts, such as hull fittings and cannon balls, had slipped into coral crevices where the device could not detect them...
...breakthroughs persuaded the treasure hunters to try again. In England, a fellow researcher provided stunning information: the missing log had just been uncovered in a private archive. Exulted Haskins: "That was the last piece of the puzzle." In Canada, a highly portable magnetometer was developed that Webber later had modified for use under water to permit readings in hard-to-reach crevices...
Last November Webber and a 16-member crew set off again for Silver Shoals, this time in a converted British coastal minesweeper. Only 150 yds. from the spot indicated by the 17th century expedition's log, they found iron fittings and pottery shards. Soon after, they found a 17th century Spanish olive jar, a rare Chinese cup and silver pieces of eight dated 1639 and earlier. Not a trace remained of the Concepción 's wooden hull...