Dynamite & Diamonds

Swarthy Italian deep-sea divers were lowered into French waters near Belle Isle last week, and soon came up with $2,000,000 worth of Belgian diamonds.

The stones were lost in 1917 when a German submarine torpedoed the Belgian steamer Elizabethville, which was carrying the entire diamond output of the Belgian Congo for that year.

Last week the salvage firm of diving Italians kept 60% of their diamond haul, returned 40% to the original Belgian owners. That was right, that was legal, and in strict accord with the Italo-Belgian contract.

To get the diamonds, diving safe crackers were obliged to dynamite the strong room of the Elizabethville.