Document 5gVvGNRO3yVLJd7aG0nbg2YV

N21152 PAT BARRY Os CO o 20 o o IUKi Hi gh l a n d Tower s , Ap t . 10 4 , 1071 Ce l e s t i a l St r eet , Ci n c i n n a t i , Ohi o 45202, U. S. A . 13t h Jul y 1977. De a r Th a n k y o u s o mu c h f or y o u r l e t t e r of J une 28t h. We hav e been v e r y mu c h i n v o l v e d wi t h t he " Ca v t a t " wh i c h s a n k f o l l o wi n g a c o l l i s i o n t h r e e y e a r ' s ago a b o u t f o u r mi l e s of f Ot r a n t o at t h e h e e l of I t al y . Th e s h i p was c a r r y i n g a c o n s i g n me n t of a b o u t 900 l e a d a l k y l d r u ms f r o m Oc t e l f or d e l i v e r y t o Yu g o s l a v i a . The s hi p l i es at a dept h of 300 f t and al t hough at f i r s t t her e was no p u b l i c i t y f o l l o wi n g i t s s i n k i n g , i n t h e l a s t t wo y e a r s a gr eat deal of at t ent i on has been pai d t o t he pos s i bl e ef f ec t s on ma r i n e e c o l o g y and t he h u ma n p o p u l a t i o n a l o n g t he Ad r i a t i c c o a s t of I t a' l y. Mo s t of t he p u b l i c i t y o r i g i n a t e d f r o m Ge r ma n y , t he ma i n t h e me b e i n g t he d a n g e r t o h o l i d a y v i s i t o r s t o t h e I t a l i a n Ad r i a t i c h o l i d a y r e s o r t s and r e c o mme n d i n g t h a t i t wo u l d be s a f e r f or t h e Ge r ma n s and Au s t r i a n s t o s p e n d t h e i r h o l i d a y s at home. An a t t e mp t was ma d e a b o u t a y e a r ago by a Yu g o s l a v s a l v a g e g r o u p t o r a i s e t he d r u ms f r o m t he dec k . Th e y we r e not a d e q u a t e l y e q u i p p e d f o r t he j ob and t wo of t he d i v e r s i n v o l v e d v e r y n e a r l y c a me t o an u n t i me l y end. No f u r t h e r a t t e mp t s we r e ma d e u n t i l t h i s y e a r wh e n a we l l o r g a n i s e d I t a l i a n s a l v a g e gr oup, i n c o n j u n c t i o n wi t h a s s i s t a n c e f r o m Oc t e l , we n t i n t o a c t i o n abo u t t hr ee- mo n t h s . ago. So f a r al l t he d r u ms on t he d e c k h a v e n ow b e e n r e c o v e r e d and a n u mb e r s c a t t e r e d wi t h i n t he i mme d i a t e v i c i n i t y of t h e s hi p, a mo u n t i n g t o a t o t a l of a b o u t 470; of t hes e, n e a r l y 2 0 $ we r e f o u n d t o be l e a k i n g and a b o u t 4 $ we r e empt y . So me t h i n g o v e r 4 0 0 d r u ms r e ma i n i n t he h o l d of t he v e s s e l a n d no a t t e mp t has y e t b e e n ma d e t o l i f t t h e s e . I t i s t h o u g h t t h a t ma n y of t h e m h a v e been s e v e r e l y d a ma g e d but t h e r e i s a r e a l d i f f i c u l t y p o s e d i n r eac hi ng t hem f r om t he poi nt of v i ew of t he di v er s . I mu s t a d mi t I was one of t h o s e who di d n o t " c o n s i d e r t hat t he r e mo v a l of t h e d r u ms was e s s e n t i a l f o r t he p r o t e c t i o n of ma r i n e e c o l o g y or h u ma n l i f e. St u d i e s of f i s h and of Cr u s t a c e a wi t h i n t he i mme d i a t e v i c i n i t y of t he s h i p h a v e s h o wn t h a t t h e r e has y a r d s o f f t he s h o r e i n Ca p e To wn . I t was c a r r y i n g 190 d r u ms as dec k c ar go, of wh i c h o n l y 32 d r u ms we r e r e c o v e r e d ; t he r e ma i n d e r d i s a p p e a r e d and no s i g n of t h e m has e v e r c ome t o l i g h t . The a r e a was p r o l i f i c i n s h e l l f i s h, p a r t i c u l a r l y l o b s t e r s and i n' t h e f i r s t f ew y e a r s f o l l o wi n g t he i n c i d e n t no e v i d e n c e was f ou n d of t h e s e h a v i n g been a f f e c t e d . We b e l i e v e t h a t t he d r u ms and a ny f r e e TEL we r e e v e n t u a l l y d e p o s i t e d i n t he Ca p e To wn bay wh e r e t h e y d i s a p p e a r e d i n t o t he s a n d and s i l t a b o u t a mi l e o f f s hor e. The r e c o v e r y of t he d r u ms f r o m t he " Ca v t a t " has been an e x p e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s o f ar , and of c o u r s e wi l l be ev en mo r e s o i f wa y s a nd me a n s c an be d e v i s e d f o r t h e i r r e c o v e r y f r o m t he hol d. The v a l u e of t he c a r g o i s f ar o u t we i g h e d by t he c o s t of t he o p e r a t i o n , but as t he p u b l i c and p o l i t i c a l p r e s s u r e s we r e c o n s i d e r a b l e , I h o p e t h a t i t ma y be c o n s i d e r e d t o hav e been wo r t h wh i l e . We k n e w t h a t Co u s t e a u had b e e n i n t o u c h wi t h Et h y l Co r p o r a t i o n , as we had i n f o r ma t i o n of t hi s f r o m Ga r y Te r Ha a r e a r l y i n t he y ea r . As y ou s ay i n y o u r l e t t e r , hi s i n t e r e s t was p r i n c i p a l l y c o n c e r n e d wi t h hi s own a g g r a n d i z e me n t and I d o n ' t b e l i e v e t h a t he h a d any r e a l k n o wl e d g e of t he p r o b l e m or a ny e n l i g h t e n e d c o n c e r n f o r t he ma r i n e e n v i r o n me n t . I h o p e t h a t t h e s e c o mme n t s wi l l g i v e y ou s ome i d e a as t o wh a t has been g o i n g on. I am p r e t t y c e r t a i n t h a t t he l e a d a l k y l ma n u f a c t u r e r s i n t he USA h a v e b e e n k e p t i n f o r me d of t he r e c o v e r y and pr ogr ess. An n e and I hav e not y e t s o l d o u r h o u s e but we hav e s o me o n e who i s v e r y i n t e r e s t e d and I t h i n k we ma y e f f e c t a s a l e by t he mi d d l e of nex t mo n t h . We h a v e n o wh e r e e l s e i n v i e w at p r e s e n t , so I t h i n k i t wo u l d be wi s e f or t he t i me b e i n g t o a d d r e s s y o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n c e t o me at t he o f f i c e . " When we hav e a n ew a d d r es s , I s hal l l et y ou k now of t hi s. Pl e a s e gi v e L g c i l e o u r v e r y bes t wi s h e s . Ki n d e s t r egar ds , Yo u r s s i n c e r e l y ,