Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-04-17
sUNkEn TREASURE.


There are few subjects more fascinat-
ing to the human mind than that of sud
denly acquiring fabulous wealth by dis
covering hidden, buried or sunken
treasure. There is always at least one
solitary digger for Kidd's treasure, and
since the art and appliances of the diver
have become SO perfected, expeditions
are continually at work in some portion
of the earth in the hope of recovering
some of the treasure that is known to
have been sunk in its waters.
Undaunted by repeated failures, says
the New York Dispatch, companies are
from time to time formed to furnish
means to dive for the treasure lost off the
coast of Venezuela in 1915. Numerous
expeditions have been sent out from the
United States, the last being one formed
by some New York merchant about four
years ago, of which welI-known New
York reporter was placed in charge.
Like all other efforts to recover the
"Alcantara" treasure, it was dismal
failure The treasure was lost under the
following circumstances: In 1914 the
Spanish colonies in South America hav-
ing revolted against the home govern
ment, an expedition was arranged in
Spain for the suppression of therebelion.
On February IA, 1915, General MorriIlo.
acting as admiral Of the feet, sailed
from Cadiz in the ''San Pedro de
Alcantara,n accompanied by thirty
two other war vessels and sixty-six trans
ports, for Cumana bay. He had with
him large armed force, intending to
make very short work of the revolving
colonists, but he was badly defeated in all
the engagements, and was forced to re-
turn to Spain, but before he sailed he in
vlted the royalists to go with him The
invitation was accepted, and for two
weeks the ''San Pedron received trans
port loads of bullion, jewels and gold
and silver utensils, the latter being
stripped from the churches and converts,
until wealth aggregating s5,OoO,OO was
stored in the vessels hold. The day be-
fore she was to sail a fire caught in the
hold, and communicated to the magazine,
blowing her up and killing or drowning
1000 men. Such is the legend of the
wreck and the treasure. In addition to
the foregoing, it is alleged that some
fishermen picked up from the wreck by
their hooks and lines, about 1869, jew
el-studded crown, which they sold in New
York for $40, 900.
The latest search for sunken treasure is
that now being made, or about to be made
at He'll Gate. The spectators hope to
find and raise the wreck of the old Brit
ish trigate ''Hussar, . which was wrecked
on Pot Rock, in He'll Gate, in 1880. The
wreck is supposed to lie few hundred
feet northeast of the rock where she
struck, and some of the best and most ex-
perienced divers in the country, it is re-
ported, are to make a determined effort
to get at her. The amount said to be on
board, in money alone, is valued at S.,
600, 900, ninety per cent. of which, by the
terms of the contract made between the
government and the company is to go to
the finders.
Many lives have been lost and fortunes
spent in previous attempts to recover the
treasure in the last half century, while it
has always been considered an offset and
twin brother Of Captain Kidd's supposed
horde
Although America has not thus far
been fortunate in her submarine re-
searches for money, yet there are on
record remarkable recoveries of specie
and valuables from the bottom of the sea
elsewhere.
The history OF the 'Iutine" is re-
markable, not merely from the amount Of
specie got from time to time out OF the
wreck, but because although the wreck
occurred in 1899, salving operations have
been continued up to the present time.
The 'Iutine, " on October 8, 1899, sailed
from Yarmouth roads, with several pas
sengers and an immense amount of treas
ure, for the Texel. During the night a
heavy gale drove the ship on to the outer
bank of the Fly island passage. At day
light not a vestige Of the vessel was to be
seen. She had gone to pieces, and, with
the exception Of two people, every soul
on board perished. The value Of the
lost specie was given In the newspapers
Of the day as being about e3, 900, O00
The pay of the British troops, then in
Holland, and the crown jewels of Hol-
land, formed part of her cargo. Salvage
operations were almost Immediately com
menced, and in about eighteen months
$50, 600 rewarded the efforts of the divers
and others engaged in the enterprise. The
Dutch government was largely interested
in the treasure, by reason Of the wreck hav-
ing occurred on their coast. They took
two-thi-ds Of the specie found, one-third
going to the finders. In 1914 further at
tempts were made to get at the wreck,
which had become deeply embedded IN
the sand. This company worked for
seven years-from 1914 to 1S2f-and
only recovered few pieces of silver. In
1922 another company was formed, and
spent several thousand pounds for diving
operations, without recovering farthing.
Next, Lloyd's. the adventures, appeared
upon the scene, and after making an ar
with the Dutch government,
commenced work, but the result was
merely ANNOYANCE and disappointment To