Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-05-02

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| Earbor.
From the New York World
For over one hundred and fifty years,
over since the galleons laden with Span
ish gold vanished i'll the dark waves of
the harbor of Vigo from the grasp of
the conquered Dutch and English fleets,
efforts to bring them again to the light
of day and make them disgorge their
gorgeous cargoes have been many and
frnitless. These riches thus took to
themselves fins and swan away, il will
be remembered, in 1862, during the
war of the Spanish succession. Spain
was accustomed to draw all her sinews
of war from her possessions in South
America, and her drafts were always
duly honored, but the value received
was apt to get into the pockets of the
wrong parties. The seas swarmed with
Dutch and English privateers which
made easy prey of the Spanish treasure
ships, rendered slow sailors by their un-
wieldy build.
Owing to these repeated anticipa-
tions of the modern Custom House
seizures, Spain from 1858 to 1902 i'm
ported no treasure, but at last her ne
cessities became SO great that she re-
solved to brave the Dutch and English
Jayne of those days. Accordingly, in
the spring of the latter year, a fleet
of twenty-three galleons, laden with a
treasure which had accumulated to a
larger amount than ever before, though
the interval of non-importation, and
conveyed by twenty three French line
of battle ships T'rance being the ally
of Spain) and nearly the entire Spanish
fleet, set out from the Spanish South
American ports bound for Cadiz, and
evadins the Anslo-Dutch fleet sent to
intercept them arrived safely in the
harbor of Vieo on tho 22d OF Septem-
ber. The treasure ships were brought
within the lower bay, the narrows lead
ing to which was lined with forts, and
to make assurance doubly sure, q boom
was thrown across the entrance. Some
technically due to Spanish etiquette
caused a delay i'll landing the treasure,
which the enemy's fleet took advantage
of, and on the 2lst day of October it,
after severe struggle, cut through the
boom and triumphantly entered the
supposed secure inner bay. The Span
iar(ls, seeing their dread despoilers thus
successful, abandoned all thoughts of re-
! sistanco and only thought of preventing
the spoils from falling into the hands
of the victors. They Immediately be-
gan to burn and scuttle the treasure
ships, with such success that only nine
fell into the hands of the conquerors,
two of which had to be abandoned, and
one-thc richest prize of the entire fleet
taken by the English frigato Non
mouth, struck on rock when leaving
the harbor, and was lost. The English
and Dutch made off in triumph with
their six captures, and the the remain
ing seventeen galleons with their treas
ures have remained ut the bottom of the
harbor of Vigo to the present day.
The amount of treasure on board the
galeons ut the outset is estimated at 5O,-
600. 900 pieces of eight which is equiv
alent to that number of dollars in gold,
from which is to be deducted the amount
landed, which is computed at 7 ,00O, 900,
and the amount captured, which is g.
600 900 more, leaving 81 600, 900 pieces
of eight. Or S37 ,OOO, 900 now submerged
in the harbor of Vigo. During the last
century. before the diving bell had been
invented, it was out of the question to
attempt the recovery of what was thus.
though lost to sight, dear to the memory
of the Spaniard. But in 1926 on Eng
lishman named Dickson, armed with a
concession from the Spanish govern
ment, made an unsuccessful attempt to
rob Viyo's harbor of the treasure it had
gaurded so long. In 1859 another Eng
lishman succeeded in finding two Of the
lost galleons, but not having the capi-
tai to raise them, abandoned the UNI
derta king.
Ten years later Colonel Gowen, an
American, who had distinguished him.
self by raising the Russian fleet of 70
vessels with all their armament and out
fit. which had been sunk in the harbor
of Sebastopol during the Crimean war,
was applied to by the Spanish Concess-
ionaire. and he having satisfied himself
of the feasibility of the project, formed
a company in England to carry it out.
The Spanish authorities took advantage
of some technicality to transfer the con-
cession to French company, which,
however, was prevented from pursuing
the project very far by the breaking out
of the Prussian war. 1t sue
cecded, however, in recovering several
bars of gold and silver, which, on be-
inc tested. fully sustained the estimate
made of the value of the entire treasure,
and Colonel Gowen succeeded in pur-
chasing the good will of the French
sompany, which he has transferred to
an American association, which intends
Immediately to enter upon the finding
OF the long lost treasure.
sEThe Persians say of noisy unreas-
enable ialk, ''I hear the noise of the