Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-09-17
Wealth Under Water.

In 1915, when Spain was exerting all her
powers 10 suppress the revolution in Ven
eZuela, the l,000-ton line-Of-ba ship
San Pedro Alcantars was dispatched from
the mother country, laden with ammunition
of war and treasure to pay the army in
Venezuela and the navy on the Spanish
main. She had on board, as proven by
the records preserved in the State archives
in Madrid, 81, 200, 600 in gold coin packed
in iron chests and s., 100000 in silver
packed in wooden chests. When the YES
sci arrived off La Guayra the insurgent
forces were threatening Caracas, and the
frightened merchants and clergy, fearing a
sack of the city. hastened to place their
wealth in the treasure hold of the San
Pedro Alcantara for safe keeping. Bullion,
church ornaments, and jewels, roughly
estimated at s. 900, 900, 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- During revel among
the sailors fire was started by the upturn-
ing of bowl of blazing punch, the flames
communicating with barrel of brandy.
IL is said the dry wooden vessel was speed
ily enveloped, and the fire soon became I'M
controlable until it reached the powder
magazine, when terrible explosion took
place, shattering to fragments the afteT-half
of the vessel, scattering far and wide over
the waters the wealth of her treasure-hold.
and sacrificing the lives of 200 out OF /, 900
men. All the foregoing is a matter of his
tory, established by undoubted authority:
that remaining TO be stated is matter of
knowledge TO living witnesses. In 1864 a
company in Baltimore undertook TO recover
the treasure. They worked three months
on the wreck of the forward half of the
vessel, and recovered about =, 600 in coin;
the coin found there was only scattered sill
Yer dollars, stuck into the wood. work by
the force Of the explosion. Owing to the
slow progress in recovering any of the
treasure, many concerned in the expedition
became dissatisfied with the way 10y which
the wreck was worked. Thomas H. Fol
ingsby, one of the divers, advanced a
theory TO the Superintendent that the force
of the explosion had thrown almost every
thing on the vessel aft; other divers com
cided with him in his opinion. After
changing the location on the schooner from
which they worked a diving bell to the
place indicated 10y Follingsby, they sue
ceeded, after six months work, in recover
ing about 5000, 600 in silver coin. How
ever, much more was recovered, rs the
divers secreted about themselves large sums
of money. They also found jewels of
which they rendered no account. One
man. in particular, picked up a diamond
cross, which was subsequently, sold in New
YORK for Sl3, Several Of the divers
finally stole the longboat and fed to La
Guayra; they were, however. pursued and
arrested, but as they had counter claims for
percentage, and the manager of the eXpe-
dition was quite unpopular, the affair was
compromised and they were set free, the
expedition returning TO Baltimore 10 refit /
and set out the second time. Owing again I
10 difficulties between the superintendent I
and his divers, the expedition was COM
PEELED 10 return 10 Baltimore the second .
time and again refit. The third expedition 4
Was equally unsuccessful. Owing to .
change III the Venezuelan government,
suspicion of pretended distrust and decep-
tiOn in the matter Of royalty were taken
advantage of to annul the grant An eX-
petition from Providence took some s30,-
900, but was believed to be dishonesty
and brought up in row. An
her small expedition got $4,000. Sev-
sral attempts have been made since by
Incompetent and inefficient expeditions. all
II which have got money; but, owing TO
-ariOus circumstances, have only been |
successful, having been stopped
" incOmpetency or ayariciOus dishonesty.
The latest was sent out by well-known d
Sew York capitalist IN 1878. 1t failed. q
owever, through the incompetency Of the q
'aptain. The grant for exclusive working =
( the ground, for a term of six wears. is /
ow he'd by Mr.. Follingsby. the diver be-
)re mentioned as directing the movement /,
/ lS+6, which led to the recovery Of :
500. 600. The ground to be worked is y
bout two and half miles from shore. in !
4 almost land-lOcked roadstead; the water :,
; from fifty to sixty feet deep; the bottom :
; sand, from fourteen to thirty inches I
eep; at both ends of the roadstead there I
: very deep water, preventing, therefore,
ny accumulation of sand in the roadstead.
The current is never more than two knots
which renders it an easy matter to work at !
he wreck the whole year. 1t is proposed
o dredge the entire bottom for a sufficient
-adIus to take up everything thrown out by
he explosion. Dredges taking twenty four
square feet at each dip have been tried and
work well Experts contend that the iron
;hests containing the gold have afforded
'olid break by the explosions force, and
nave consequently been thrown far off
while the silver hurled from the burst
boxes came down in a 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 return to the
United States, as all employed suffered
from the heat and bad drinking waite: taken
aboard at the island of Margarita, so that
work was impossible, and it may be said
hat the Captain was the only one who es-