European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Bonnie Archer and her Mother Lovine a. Salmon look Over norwegian accounts of the sinking of the Steamer  seeks Kin of victims in Erie sinking by Jeffrey Bair the associated press Erie a. A the Steamer Atlantic Sank to the Bottom of Lake Erie 140 years ago with hundreds of immigrants on its decks their possessions in sturdy Oak crates. Buoyed by a Federal judges ruling the Salvage company mar dive corp. Of Van Guys Calif., has claimed the wreck in Canadian Waters and is looking for descendants of passengers who want some of the possessions after diving begins this summer. Canada however has warned against any attempt to Salvage the vessel. A a it a like someone is taking part of my life and giving it Back to me a said Bonnie Archer of Al Dorado Hills Calif., whose great great Grandfather Amund o. Eidsmoe his wife and their two children survived the wreck. A the Story has been such an important part of our family for  a Grain freighter rammed the Atlantic on aug. 20, 1852, killing 150 to 300 people and sinking the paddle wheel Steamer near Long Point Ontario. The exact death toll is unknown because the passenger logs were incomplete. Most of the estimated 600 passengers were norwegian or German immigrants who paid $1 each to sail from Buffalo to Detroit mar dive president Steve Morgan said. Others paid $10 for first class Cabins and dined on Marble tables under whale Oil lamps. A a lot of people have the mistaken impression that immigrants were very poor people a Morgan said. A they were very Thrifty and a lot of them had sold everything they  among items believed to be at the Bottom of the Lake Are a Safe containing $30,000, leather sacks of . Mail about 1,000 guns and dozens of Oak crates packed with the immigrants belongings including Gold coins and jewelry Morgan said. Passengers such As the Eidsmoe were sleeping on the upper decks when the collision occurred in fog about 2 . Many could not understand the Crews English commands and jumped overboard in panic. A i next heard an awful scream from a Hundred voices which rings in my ears almost As vividly As then a passenger Almon Calkins of Belvedere 111., told a coroners jury afterwards. The Eidsmoe who had boarded the Atlantic shortly after arriving in the United states from their Village of Aurdal Norway were plucked from the water by the freighters Crew according to Eidsmoe a journal. Eidsmoe later became a teacher and magistrate in York wis. Editor s note a the address for inquiries from descendants of Atlantic passengers is mar dive corp., descendant search division . Box 9078-66, Van Guys Calif. 91409. Tuesday february 18, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 3 civil War wreck eroding As Access fight goes on Washington a time and the Atlantic oceans tides Are eating away at the Monitor while underwater explorers and government officials argue Over Access to the fabled ironclad whose Battle with the Merrimack ended the Era of wooden fighting ships. A if nothing is done in As Little As five or 10 years the whole wreck will collapse completely and what is left will be buried in the Sand or just completely disintegrate a said Peter e. Hess an explorer who wants to return to the civil War relic. The Monitor lies at a depth of 235 feet off Cape Hatteras n.c., where it Sank in a Gale on dec. 31, 1862, almost 10 Morichs after its epic encounter with the Confederate ironclad Merrimack at Hampton roads a. The National oceanic and atmospheric administration agreed with Hess that the Monitor is deteriorating but said it is not in As great a danger As he argued thursday before a Commerce department administrative Law judge. Is the Monitor corroding a sure a said Noaa spokesman Brian Gorman. A a it a underwater. Its made of Iron. A we Welcome research and proposals to Deal with the eventual decay of the wreck a he said. But Gorman added a i certainly done to see in looking at videotapes of three major expeditions any dramatic changes Over the past 10 or 12 years. The corrosion and disintegration caused by time and Salt water continue but at a snails  Noaa argued at the hearing that Hess a a Wilmington del., lawyer and scuba diver who accompanied a 1990 Monitor photographing expedition led by Gary Gentile of Philadelphia a has not shown that he is qualified to Lead a new photography and research Mission. The judge William Ogden has 30 Days to decide on Hess Appeal from a Noaa decision denying him a permit. A permit is needed because the wreck is in a Federal maritime preserve. The Agency has granted permission to Rod Farb an author and photographer from Cedar Grove n.c., who led expeditions to the site for the last three years. He said he is going Back in May. Farb said in a Telephone interview that he believes the Monitor will last for a Good Many years though a it will probably be virtually unrecognizable a Century from now. An illustration depicts the Monitor sinking in a storm on 1862, accompanied by the masted Tow vessel Rhode Island. Dec. He agreed with Gorman who said any idea of raising the wrecked ship is Only a a pipe dream of a lot of  a it ought to be studied from an archaeological Point of View and then simply allowed to go its Way Quot Farb said. Hess said removal of pieces of the wreckage was not a primary goal of his proposed expedition though some might be removed to save them from dispersal by Ocean currents. A a lot of the plates originally were 1-Inch thick but you can Sec from videos and photographs that we took that some of them Are wafer thin a he said. Gorman said a Given the right people and the right amount of Money and encouragement from us there is the potential for recovery of parts of the wreck that could be displayed in  Gorman said Noaak a policy a is that the Monitor is a special artefact that is not like any other Ordinary Shipwreck and therefore we have to be very careful about research  a we really Are extremely strict with this particular Shipwreck a he said. U.s., Russia to set up Center to redirect nuclear scientists Moscow apr the United states and Russia agreed monday to establish an International Center to help nuclear scientists from the former soviet Union turn their skills to peaceful uses. The two sides also agreed that the United states would provide Russia with 25 rail cars and other tools to transport nuclear weapons to storage and eventual destruction. The United states will also Supply several Hundred special containers for transporting the weapons and their components said a senior . Official speaking on condition of anonymity. The accords were reached at a three hour meeting Between Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii and russian president Boris n. Yeltsin. Yeltsin said the two sides had been unable to concur on further cuts in their Long Range nuclear arsenals although they had narrowed their differences. Another meeting was to be held today Between Baker and foreign minister Andrei Kozarev to discuss the Issue Yeltsin said. Yeltsin said he hoped agreement could be reached in time for a july Summit with president Bush in Washington. The senior . Official said however that no Date had been set for a Summit. The United states had previously said it would occur in the first half of this year. Yeltsin also asked Baker for an additional $600 million in Grain credits from the United states in addition to the $3.75 billion the United states has already furnished. Baker promised to take the request to Washington. Yeltsin responded a i have no doubt in the positive response of the United  the . Official said Baker was hearing the russian request for the first time. He indicated that Given the Good russian repayment record of existing Grain Loans the new request would win approval. Baker said the United states will provide $25 million to help set up an International Clearinghouse in Russia that would gather proposals for employing nuclear scientists in commercial projects. He said Germany would also take part in the Center and encouraged other countries to join. The two men discussed possible cooperation Between their scientists on space research. In addition the United states gave Yeltsin a detailed proposal for constructing a facility to store plutonium extracted from nuclear weapons Baker said. No agreement however was announced on that score. The former soviet Union is estimated to have Between 10,000 and 12,000 Long Range and 17,000 Short Range warheads. The United states has 12,000 Long Range and 9,000 Short Range warheads. Bush did not Rule out further cuts when he met earlier this month with Yeltsin at the presidential Retreat at Camp David my. But deeper cuts would affect the . Submarine nuclear Force in which the United states enjoys a distinct advantage