The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-02-11

bn1L sthey blAleu Ofcts h'Sn At"-S
what I held clasped in my arms.
shouted and cheered to myself, as j knew
ALI would do when the boxes would
reach the lighter. ss
Nov, did not know what to do with
them; I could not handle them both,
and was afraid TO leave one lest the
Mexican divers might find il, or it
might become buried before ! could re
turn for it. j finally took one in my
arms, and gave quick. strong pull on
my lifeline, which is the signal Of dis
tress, aud is never given except when
the diver wants to be drawn up in haste.
! lay about three hundred feet from the
lighter. The bottsm was winrowed in
email waves of sand, running parallel
with the shore Over these drifts l was
dragged as fast as four men could haul
me with an inch rope around my waist.
On being hauled up under the end of
the lighter, my back came out of the wa
ter first. my feet being loaded with lead
ed boots, and the boz Of gold in my
arms. / could family hear excited words
that 1 was dead. In the excitement
the men ceased pumping air to me The
skiff came around where ! was suspend
ed, and could distinctly hear the men
say l was dead. One of them reached
under my head to unscrew nv face
glass. and discovered the box in my arms.
Then, ali was changed from sadness to
joy. And three cheers went up for the
diver 5Hs @Ea
After being relieved of my burden, ]
waved my hand to be lowered to the
bottom again, and soon found the other
box. I gave the same signal on the life
line, but feceived kind treatment COM
pared with my first trip to the lighter.
I never want another such ride as | had
over those sand ridges with n box of
gold weighing one hundred and seventy
Eve pounds in my arms, lying on my
side and dragged at the end Of rope. /
thought every bone in my body would
be broken.
We recovered one or two boxes next
day; the total value amounting to $780,
600.
No more treasure would ever have
been recovered, az there were some brok-
en- planks under these boxes which pre-
vented them from sinking in the sand
with the rest, had ii not been for an in
vention Of our carpenter.
Feeling confident that the rest of the
treasure was there in the sand, near the
place, all hands set their wits at work to
devise some means to recover it.
After lying idle a week or more, WAS
talking one evening with the carpenter,
when he asked me how a stream of water
would affect the sand. saw at once that
it was just what was needed, and told
him so. Then he make a wooden force
pump, and hose Of canvas with q noz-
zle was made by rolling up piece Of
sheathing metal We also built another
lighter to work the force pump on. We
had small donkey engine. which wa.
prepared and put on the lighter and tow
ed to,shere 20 be tried. As force pump
it was failure. However, thought !
would try it in the sand before condem-
ming it.
/ dressed and went TO the bottom .un-
der the boat, with the understanding that
if il would drill hole in the sand to
take it into the surf and try it. If did
not like il they were to haul the hose up
and condemn il. Thus on my decision
hung the fate of 81 500 900 gold, worth
S3,OOO.OOO at the time in green backs.
/ found on forcing the nozzle into the
sand that il confined the water in the
hose, and gave il force to cut into the
sand; and with that rude pump we re-
covered over $4,000 making SITS, 900
in all.
A little while after, a gale came on in
the night which piled our lighter in
ruins high, ON the beach, and sunk the
engine in the sea, which so crippled US
that We bad to leave for San Francisco.
As the working season was far spent,
we could not return until another winter.
In the meantime made as perfect pre-
parations al possible, and. when the sea-
son arrived, was early on the ground
with two vessels, one q small schooner
having twenty horse power boiler in
her hold, and steam pump throwing
700 gallons of water per minute.
As I had control of the expedition,
with everything needful, procured 500
feet of six-inch rubber hose and about
the same of 2 1-2-inch hose. ! had a
variety of nozzles made. some for boring
in the sand and some for working ahead
when down in the sand. also fitted up
twelve-aection Groves battery for
blasting purposes.
/ will here state that went with new
parties the second time. not liking the
management of the first parties in set
tling the salvage; consequently there
were two expeditions the second trip.
The old parties arrived at the wreck
soon after ! did with large and well
fitted ex pedition, with four old and ex
perienced divers in common kinds of
diving. They, however, met with trouble
they little expected. TfFfr7s~ b
1t was such perilons work that l had
to take my life in my hand and risk il
with perfect recklessness; and I sup
pose the opposition that existed between
those two expeditions was as bitter as il
could be.
The old parties were sorely vexed be-
cause I had left them, so we expected nc
help from. them in case of accident OF
atrouble Of any kind. Both parties we're
armed with cannon, rifles, and revolvers
Every man went to his work eack morn.
ing armed. - - iii a'- ~
The mode of operating was this:
With over 240 pounds suspended from
my shoulders. made two dives per dav