Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-03-19
NO. 81.
MISCELLANEOUS READING.

! TREASURE HUNTING IN THE SEA.
At meeting in this city on Wednesday
OF the stockholders Of the Boston Relief and
Submarine Company an interesting report
was made by the directors, Of the result Of
two expeditions of the company to recover
treasures buried 10 the sea. One of these ex-
peditious was to raise the vessels and other
materials sunk BY the Russians in the hsr-
bor of S.bastopol. In this expedition as
vet opIy a partial success has been obtained.
The two vessels ofthe expedition are, however.
t. be employed the c)ming season 10 opera
tiog upon vessels 10 Turkish waters.
The other expedition has been sent TO the
Caribbean sea, under the command OF Capt.
Coutbouy. After various missdsentures,
the whole Of the crew being attacked with
yellow tever at St. Thomas, from which they
all fortunately recovered, at length the Bay
of Cumana, in VeneSuela, was reached,
where work was at once commenced upon
the sunkeu Spanish trgate San Pedro, and
it has been continued steadily ever since
The several divers connected with Capt.
Couthouy's force spent in the aggregate
about eight and a half hours under water
daily, during the time they had been at work
upon the wreck
After removing q vast amount of deck ma
terials, the divers penetrated into the deck
room, where they found gun-csrriases, deck
furniture, &c, piled up in one large mass,
making any attempt to work useless without
first removing it, At this place four mag
nlfceut brass csnnons were taken out and
eleven strange boxes, supposed to be cast
steel: they were Of the size Of candle box,
but were thought by some to be platins. Sil.
YER dollars were also found at the depth OF
sixty feet 10 the water covered With mud, but
thew we're mostly separate. Several gold
watches were here taken out, and many 9TH
er articles; aud the divers came to the con-
clusion that hen the explosion of the vessel
took place these articles were driven from
the forward part Of the ship, where the bulk
of the treasure undoubtedly remained.
Taking this as reasonable view OF the
case, they proceeded to their work with re-
newed vigor, and after great difficulty sue.
ceeded 10 clearing away the large amount OF
rubbish, and obtained sn entrance to the
hold in the forward part of the ship on the
18th of Decem Der last. Abou, $7OO in specie
and another brass siI-pounder were taken
and many curious relics. The money found
here was ceuented together in rolls Of SIS,
$50, and 500 each, and plainly showed that
they must be very near the vast amount OF
money contained in this ship. According to
the official documents, when the San Pedro
went down she contained one million Spanish
dollars and million and half in gold,
large portion Of which should be there still.
The work was now fairly commenced
and the directors felt greatly encouraged.
and saw no reason why the stockholders
should not be so. The last advces, which
we're up to January lot, represented that
they had been unexpectedly stopped in their
lsbors by timber, &C., in the hold, but hoped
in short time to remove it. In the mean
time Captain Cou.houy bad been to the capi-
tai to obtain license for bis divers to dive for
pearls at the Pearl bank.-Boston Trareller,
Friday.