The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-02-11
SELECT STORY.
GOLD UNDER THE SEA.

beach about eighteen miles north of the
port of Manzanillo.
The Golden Gate was a total loss and
22S human beings perished, either BY
the flames or By drowning A few. Capt,
Hudson among the number, were saved
Although the Golden Gate was bum
ed TO the waters edge, no vestige remain
ing to mark her grave saving such Of
the iron work as had resisted the flames,
the old hulk, BY virtue of coneomitants,
was worth 4 large fortune. For with the
Colder Gate d 800 900 in gold coin and
bullion went down. This treasure was
encased in boxes of various sizes, the
valae of theiE contents ranging from S4.-
COO 70 81. 600. 8
Of course this treasure was not suffer
ed to remain under the waves. Mea-
aures were at once instituted for the re-
covery. a.
In 1868 William Ireland of San Fran
cisco organized an expedition, which
proceeded to tha wreck, in order to re-
cover the treasure on a salvage Of one
third.
The services of Sidney Cook, the we'll
known Eastern diver, were procured.
and neither pains nor expense was spar
ed 20 recover the vast wealth beneath
the waves. But the task proved diff
culG one. The coast is dangerous, and
even in calm " Gather a tremendous surf
RACES along the beach. In rough weath- \
er no boat can live among the breakers,
the roaring of which may be heard for
miles. This continual fierce action of
the waves speedily drifted ridges of sand
over the treasure to a depth. of from
eight to twelve feet.
d For fifty days the;e1pedition remain
ed as the spot, the diver cropping in the
sand every day for seven hours. The
result Of hissIabor was the recogery sof
S775, 900 one-third ofwhich wasciaitned
and obtained as salvage by Ireland.
In 1864 Cook accompanied another ex-
pediiion under the management of T. J.
L. smiley. The Underwriters objected
to this proceeding. and instituted suit
against Smiley. The litigation was fn-
ally settled by compromise, Smiley
paying the underwriters $4,000, and re-
ceiving a bill of sale for the wreck in
toto. Smiley made fine haul, recover
ing $4,000
The diver returning to his home in
the. State. of Maine after this expedition
Terminated proceedings, and about $780,
600 in gold coin and bullion still re-
manned buried in the sand at the bottom
of the sea- -~ .a.1 s{. 1913
Is But let Mr.. Cook tell his story.
When the steamer went to pieces the
stern broke of bodily and drifted to the
northward, the tide setting that way
about three miles an hour. The stern of
the steamer rolled over in the surf until
it went to pieces. a p
The few passengers who reached the
shore alive, including Capt. Hudson.
were satisfied that the treasure was in
the stern piece that broke off, and that
the boxes had been. scattered along in
the surf for q distance of 6ve miles, and
all had sunk in the sand beyond recov-
cry. The fact, however, as afterward
proved, was thatiwhen the stern broke
of the break wHs in and through the
treasure room; consequently the treasure
dropped where her bones lay, all in a
small space, about one hundred and ff-
ty feet from the shore in ordinary wea-
ther, and three hundred feet in rough
weather. The heavy seas rolling high
on the beach, in their return would car
ry the sand of shore and deposit it over
the money. In calmer weather the waves
would carry the sand back to the beach
again and thus through alternate changes
the treasure had worked itself deep into
the sand in the years it had lain there.
The sand in the water is extremely
hard and solid; consequently with the
treasure lying from four 90 twelve feet
deep in the sand, many obstacles were 70
be overcome in order 10 secure the prize.
Then, again, the divers had to work right
in the surf, which was always quite
heavy from the southwest swell, and at
times would completely envelop the en-
gine frame and paddle wheels; which
stood erect in the sand about forty feet
high. There are only three months in
the years when vessel can lie at anchor
off the coast with any safety-Janusry,
February and March.
was under the command Of William Ire
land of San Francisco, . veteran in the
wrecking business. We left San Francis
co in a schooner of $50 tons, with allthe
appliances that could be thought of to
experiment in digging sand under water
We had working crew of twelve men,
with two divers-one, Duncan johnson,
a muscular man weighing 200 pounds,
and myself, weighing $50 pounds.
We reached the harbor of Manzanillo.
in due time, procured a permit from the
commandant of the port to wreck on the
coast, and next day sailed for the scene
Of ruin or fortune, as many had their all
invested in the expedition.
Arriving off the wreck we dropped
anchor in twenty fathoms of water. a
mile of shore. and commenced to build
Lighter, which was finished and launch
ed from the vessel in a few days. iHa
About this time sloop came down
the coast from Mazatlan. with seventeen
native pearl divers, all stalwart fellows,
who aiterward gave us much trouble.
johnson made the frat dive. He was
down about half an hour. He went
down outside of the surf. and crawled
into shore on his hands and knees, carry :
ing only the ordinary weight that divers
use. He, however, did not accomplish
anything,i and was drawn up somewhat
scared, having been roughly handled by
the surf. then dressed myself and went