McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-09-25
TREASURE TROVE.
Dredging for Millions in Vi0o Bay.
Philadelphia Record.

has been formed for the purpose of re-
covering vast amount of treasure sup
posed to be lying at the bottom of the
Bay of Vigo, on the northwestern coast
of Spain. The projectors of the COM
pany expect to begin operations within
month or two, and they express no
doubt but that three months will be
sufficient in which to raise portion of
the sunken treasure, the amount of
which is attractively put at from twenty
to forty millions.
Every one has read of the vast
amounts of gold and silver that were
drawn from her American dependencies
by Spain during the era of her greatest
prosperity. One-fifth of all the pro-
ducts of the mines was due the King as
royalty. This treasure was sent both in
coins and gold and silver bars. 1t is
portion of this tribute lost through dis
aster that this company expects to re-
small sum of money.
In the year 1902, during the war of
the succession, in which England and
Holland were called against France and
Spain, fleet of over twenty Spanish
galleOns, laden with treasure from the
| Spanish-American colonies, sailed for
Cadiz under the protection of a convoy
of French and Spanish vessels. Owing
to the danger of capture by the English
fleets shipments of treasure had been in
terrupted for four years, and this fleet
is described by different historians to
| have been one of the most richly laden
| that ever sailed from the Antilles.
The English Government learning
of the immense shipment of treasure
dispatched fleet to watch the coast of
Spain, with the view of intercepting the
galleons. To escape this fleet the gal
Icons and their escorts put in at Vigo,
and were there attacked by the combined
English and Dutch fleets. Six of the
treasure galleons were secured, and they
proved to be valuable prizes, the amount
of treasure on board being estimated at
about S6,0O0,000. The commander of
the French fleet, to prevent more of the
treasure from falling into the hands of
the enemy, sank the remaining galleons,
said to number seventeen, with their
precious cargoes; and there, buried be-
meath the waters of the inner Bay OF
Vigo, it is claimed they remain undis-
turbed to this day, awaiting resurrec-
ton by some enterprising persons. A
more fascinating undertaking than the
recovery of this treasure can scarcely be
imagined, and the enterprise has not
failed to attract the attention of several
persons ambitious of fortune.
Several concessions have been grant
ed by the Spanish Government for the
recovery of the treasure. The first Sc
rious attempt was made in the year 1925
by Dickson, an Englishman, who eXper-
imented with diving bell, but was I'M
successful. The next attempt was in
1859, by an English engineer, who Sc
cured from the Spanish Government a
concession authorizing him to search
for and recover the treasure. He sue
ceeded in locating nine of the galleons,
and marked their position by means of
buoys. He was unable to secure sutfi-
Gent capital to proceed with the work
of raising them, and the scheme was
| abandoned.
In 1869 another concession was grant
ed to French company on royalty to
the Spanish Government They COM
menced operations and succeeded in
partially unloading one of the galleons,
but the Franco-Prussian war breaking
out their engineer was summoned to
join his corps. The head of their en-
terprise being thus withdrawn work was
suspended, and, by the conditions OF the
contract, the concession lapsed. The
part of the cargo recovered consisted OF
well-preserved logwood, mahogany,
cochineal jars, etc.
1t is said that the Spanish archives
contain evidence that the galleons were
specially constructed for the safe car
riage of plate, with a massive case built
over the keels in the strongest possible
manner. In this case the treasure was
placed, and the cargo of valuable tim
beers, ETC., was loaded above. The
Frenchmen failed to reach the bottom
of the galleon, hence did not secure any
of the treasure.
The concession under which the Phil
adelphia Company is operating was
granted in November, 1882. 1t it with
out limit as to time or restriction as to
the mode of operation. One-fourth of
the treasure recovered is to 90 to the
Spanish Government; the remaining
three-fourths to the stockholders of the
company.
Mr.. JohnJ Boyle, of this city, visited
Vigo during the past summer, return
ing in August. He reports that the
surroundings are most favorable to a
successful prosecution of the enterprise.
The sunken galleons are fifteen miles
from the mouth of the bay, where there
is no surf to disturb operations, and
where the tide rises seven feet. The
water is so thoroughly sheltered by the
surrounding hills that work can be car
ried on during the entire year. The
vessels lie in from % to "a feet Of water
and their decks are covered with nearly
four feet of soft oozy mud. The pres
ence of this covering of mud makes it
impossible to get the treasure by the
ordinary means of diving. even if the
construction of the galleons did not