The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-06 00:00:00

THE GALLEON TREASURE VENTURE.

With respect to the "Galleon Treasure Venture,"
a prospectus of which has been issued to the public,
inviting them to take shares, a Correspondent of The
Time' writes :
I see in several of the daily papers an advertisement
headed as above. It may be of sees Ice to the public to
know that the proposed venture Is not the Pest of the kind
to iluse treasure supposed to be lying in Vigo Bay. I was
oung at the t.nie, but, as far as I can reeollect, the follow-
ing seethe facto—
About 1125. or later, eight gentlemen (one of them nearly
related to nie) joined together to miss the gold or silver
from the sunken galleons.
A ship was built or procured and named the Enterprise;
she was commanded by Captain W. S. Brown, and pro-
vided with divers and a diving bell. I think that the ori-
ginator and chief promoter of the scheme, Captain or Mr.
Dickson, who had made all the needful inquiries, Ac,, in
Spain, went out in the vessel, accompanied by a German
chymist.
The galleons were visited, but no treainre was found, and
hot even certain fabled brass mllllOllB. some large earthen-
ware bottles and a few metal pdts were fished up, and the
chymist, after examination, pronounced the latter to be not
silver, but very tine pewter. The whole thing was a failure,
and severe arlacles were written at the time in the daily
papers upon the folly (as it was called) of the adventure—
.. the Vigo Bay Bubble." The ship v.ns sold and mod office
fittings; the plate was divided among the owners, and I
Ihave now In my possession certain silver spoons engraved
'Enterprise."

To the above, one of the Directors relAies i. 77

- ,
The attempt to recover the treasure from the galleons
sunk in the Bay of Vigo, as mentioned in the above letter is
also referred to in Colonel Gowen, report, which accom-
panies the prospectus, as follows, viz.
'From all the information I have been able to gather, .
only one attempt has been made to recover the treasure, and
that many years ago. In that ease that trial was made
upon two of the vessels only, and by the aid of the diving
toll, which it is now well I now, will not admit of any practi-
cal result, as the divers can make only a superficial examine
-
lion and cannot possibly descend into the holds or bottoms
, f the vemels. In the pri sent day, 'oh the modern liven-
lion of aubmarine armour, the divers can examine the hold

and every portion of a submerged vessel, and carry on their
work with almost equal facility as on land."
This report, therefore, is a sufficient explanation of their
want of success. and of their not being able to furnish any
more information than NVile known before. The following
points are well ascertained :—I. That the fleet was lone of
the richest that ever reached the shores of hurope from the
Indies : 2 That several gall.ms (containing a very large
amount sd treasure w ere taken and others sunk : 3 That
no rec,,rd can be found 'llk. recovery of any of the trea-
sure that went down, and that, although an attempt was
made at the time mentioned by " derc.itor," it moved
a complete failure, and for reasona so well explained
by Colonel Gowen in his report; 4. 1 1,,,t 1100 Sine
of the vessels have been discovered in comparam ely deep
water, and marked by buoys, and that Colonel Gower.
by practical experience, is able to say that, with
the mmiern improvements invented and previously
used by Idol far such purposes, he can clear and explore
, those ships nearly as well under water as abuve ; 5 That
in introducing the " Venture" to the public, the di- ectors
have endea,oured to he careful in giving all the lacts
, that call be obtained relative to the matter, so that those
' who are disposed to join In setting the question as to
whether the treasure is there may be enabled to hum for
themeviVea a judgment as to the fact of its existence, and
the probability of its recovery. In the event of success
those interested will not only be largely rewarded for the
amount they may risk, lint will also succeed in settling one
of the most important questions of the day—the feasibility
of stealing with vessels and recovering their cargoes after
they have been submerged is the sea. Upon this last point
Colonel GOWell expresses his entire confidence of a happy
result.