Complex sentence: The steward and carpenter surrendered the money, some £1176 in copper coins, stored in 35 casks, before fleeing below decks where they hid, as did three or four other crew men.
Split into simpler sentences: The steward and carpenter surrendered the money, some £1176 in copper coins, stored in 35 casks. They then fled below decks where they hid, as did three or four other crew men.