The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-11-16
Seeking Sunken Millions.

An expedition almost as wonderful
as the search for the Golden Fleece
and in Imagination carrying us back
to the days when the daring nav
igators of Spain set sail for unknown
countries in quest of boundless wealth,
is now fitting out in New York city,
and will next month begin a search for
S6,OOO, 900 in treasure which now lies
deep beneath the waves of the Spanish
main. More than sixty years ago the
threc-deckcr Spanish man-ot-war, the
San Pedro Alcantara, set sail as convoy
TO a number of provision laden vessels
designed for the fleet then engaged in the
Caribbean sea in subjugating to Span
ish rule the states on the Spanish main.
Thirteen hundred men accompanied the
vessel, and in her treasure chest were
S3,O00,0 900 in silver. When the Alcan-
tara reached Venezuela fierce revolu-
ton was i'll progress, and the citizens
of Caracas, fearing for their property,
transferred to the vessel an enormous
amount of treasure, of which the gold
alone was worth 81 .OOO.O0O. while the
priests of the various temples and
churches also placed on board several
heavy chests loaded with gold and sill
yer altar plate and gold coin. Sailing
thence to Margarita Island, the troops
debarked and defeated the Nenczuclans,
sacked and burned four revoltcd towns
and took on board the vessel enormous
spoils. Excited by success, the soldiers
and sailors drank deep that night, and
when drunken watch dropped Il torch
into an open cask of brandy nothing
could be done TO check the progress of
the flames. The boats were easily low
cred, for the sea was calm, but the OK
cited crowd fought so terribly for plac-
es that they were capsized and few of
the 800 men on board escaped. The
flames soon reached the powder maga-
zine, which was Immediately below the
trcasurc-chests, and terrific explosion
tore the stern of the Alcantara to pieces
and the forward part of the ship quiet
y sank meath the waves. Such is the
history of the vessel and its treasures
we come now to the efforts that have
been made to recover some of this vast
wealth from the sea.
In 1876, Captain Goodrich, of New
buryport, Mass, with diving-bcll, re-
covered $50, 900; in 1915, Baltimore
company secured 100000; in 1856,
Captain Nicholas Town brought UP
$4,000; and in 1858 Captain Whipplc
found 100000. All the above sums
were in silver coin. Other efforts have
also been made from time to time, but
with little or no success. The com
mander of the present expedition is
Captain |. II. Folingsby, who has made
a contract with the Venezuela Govern
ment, by which he gives five per cent.
of all treasure he may discover for the
exclusive privilege of dredging, drag
ging and diving for the sunken wealth,
for period of six years. He proposes
to make his search in different man
ner from that employed by his predc-
ccssors. He believes that the strong
boxes were not broken open by the cX-
plosion, but only tossed to distance,
and he intends to prosecute his opera
tions at some distance from the wreck,
dredging every inch of the bottom and
thoroughly testing all methods of
search. lie has appliances to search
800 square feet of ground per day, and
is sanguinc of making rich haul. So
far as known less than $500, 900 have
hitherto been recovered, and there is
every reason to believe that from ST.
100000 to S5,00O,OOO still lies on the
bottom of the sea.