Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-25
AFTER LOST TREASURE.

in Coin and Jewels that Went TO the
Bottom Of the Caribbean sea Efforts to
Recover tho Treasure.
In 1915. when Spain was exerting all
her powers TO suppress the revolution in
Venezuela, the l,000-ton line-of-battle
ship San Pedro Alcantara was dis
patched from the mother country htden
with ammunition of war and treasure to
pay the army in Venezuela and the navy
on the Spanish main. She had on board,
rs proven by the records preserved in the
State archives in Madrid. 80, 1000, 600 in
gold coin packed in iron chests and S3,-
100000 in silver packed in wooden
chests. When the vessel arrived off La
Guayra, the insurgent forces were threat
ening Caracas, and the frightened
merchants and clergy, fearing II sack of
the city, hastened TO place their wealth
in the treasure hold of the San Pedro
Alcantara for safe keeping. Bullion.
gems. church ornaments and jewels,
roughly estimated at 81 600, 600, were
thus added to the riches already aboard.
The San Pedro Alcantara sailed from La
Guayra to off the southern coast of the
island of Margarita where she anchored
between Cache and Cubagua, small
islands to the south of Margarita. Dur
ing revel among the sailors. fire was
started by the upturning of bowl of
blazing punch, the flames communicate
ing with n barrel of brandy. 1t is said
the dry wooden vessel was speedily en-
veloped. and the fire soon became un-
controllable until it reached the power
magazine. when terrible explosion
took place, shattering To fragments the
after-half of the vessel, scattering far
and wide over the waters the wealth OF
her treasure hold, and sacrificing the
lives of 700 out Of 1000 men. All the
foregoing is n matter of history estab-
lished by undoubtcd authority; that re-
naming to be stated is Il matter of
knowledge to living witnesses In 1864
company in Baltimore undertook to re-
cover the treasure. They worked three
months on the wreck of the forward half
of the vessel, and recovered about two
thousand dollars in coin; the coin found
there was only scattered silver dollars
stuck into the wood work by the force
OF th@ explosion. Owing 10 the slow
progress In recovering any of the treas
ure, many concerned in the expedition
became dissatisfied with the way by
which the wreck was worked. Thomas
III. Folingsby, one Of the divers, ad-
vanced n theory to the superintendent
that the force of the explosion had
thrown almost everything on the vessel
aft; other divers coinciGed with him in
his opinion. After changing the loca-
tion of the schooner from which they
worked a diying-bell To the place indi-
Gated by Folingsby, they succeeded after
six months work in recovering about
1900, 600 in silver coin. However, much
more was recovered, as the divers Sc
creted about themselves large sums Of
money. They also found jewels. OF
which they rendered no account. One
man in particular picked up n diamond
cross which was subsequently, sold in
New York for $4,000 Several of the
divers finally stole the longboat and fled
to Ia Guayra; they were, however. pur-
sued and arrested, but "a they had coun-
ter-claims for percentage. and the mana
ger of the expedition was quite unpopu-
lar, the affair was compromised and they
were set free. the expedition returning
TO Baltimore to refit and set out the sec
ond time. Owing, again, to difficulties
between the superintendent and his
divers, the expedition was compelled to
return to Baltimore the second time and
arnin reiit. The third expedition WAS
equally unsuccessful. Owingt to n change
in the Venezuelan government, n sus-
picion of pretended distrust and dcccp-
tion in the matter of royalty were taken
advantage of to annul the grant.
An expedition from Providence took
some $4,000. but was believed to be dis
honestly managed and brought up in a
row. Another small expedition got
$4,000. Several attempts have been
made since 10y incompetent and incffi-
cient expeditions, all of which have got
money, but owing to various circum-
stances have only been measurably sue
cessful, having been stopped by incom-
potency or avariCious dishonesty.
The latest was one sent out by n we'll
known New York capitalist in 1873. 1t
failed. however. through the incompe-
tency of the captain. The grant for ex-
elusive working oc the ground for term
Of six years is now held by Mr.. Fo-
lingsby. the diver before mentioned rs
directing the movement in 1916. which
led to the recovery of 5000, 900. The
ground to be worked IL about two and
half miles from shore, in an almost land
locked roadstead, the water is from fifty
to sixty feet deep; the bottom is sand.
fourteen 10 thirty inches deep. At both
ends of the roadstead there Is very deep
water, preventing. therefore. any accu-
mutation of sand in the roadstead. The
current is never more than two knots,
which renders IL an easy matter to york
Mt the wreck the whole year. 1t Is pro-
posed to dredge the entire bottom for
sufficient radius TO take up everything
thrown out by the explosion. Dredees
taking twenty-four square feet at each
dip have been tried and work we'll. Ex-
perts contend that the iron chests con-
tanning the gold have afforded solid
break by the force of the explosion, and
have consequently been thrown far of,
while the silver hurled from the bursted
boxes came down in n shower within
narrow radius, which accounts for the
fact that only silver has been recovered.
The last expedition-under Capt. Post,
of the brig Gypsy-was compelled to re-
turn to the United States, as all en-
ployed suffered from the heat and bad
drinking water taken aboard at the
island of Margarita, so that work was
impossible. and 1t may be said that the
captain was the only one who escaped
any illness.