The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-03-23

oIner. men, should prosecute their
operations from land. This would
leave the schooner free to put to sea in
case Of bad weather, and also allow
diving operations to be commenced at
once, by the aid of boat on the inner
side of the coral reef
Next day we were busy getting the
things ashore, and it took us till well
on to noon before this was completed;
then. while some of the men COM
menced rigging up couple of tents,
the boat was made ready, and Harris,
the head diver. with his suit and nec-
essaries, went off, with Captain Tomas
| and the don. to make his first descent
on the margin of the reef, opposite the
remains of the wreck on shore.
| went in the boat with them, and /
assure you | did not envy Harris; when
he got rugged up in his awkward suit
of clothes, with his unwieldy looking
metal helmet, with its great big star
ing glass eyes, he appeared like some
uncanny, antediluvian monster.
For some while we had no intima-
ton from him, beyond his various calls
for more or less air. After he had
been down ten minutes or perhaps a
quarter of an hour, we received the
call TO pull up the rope, and when we
| got it TO the surface we found the end
! made fast to q small, iron-clamped
| chest.
The iron was all rusted and rotten.
but the box itself was fairly preserved.
We soon had it open and its contents
out. They consisted chiefly of papers
| and books, but from their long i'm
mersion in the sea we could make
nothing of them; they fell to pieces as
we handled them-the INK had disap
peared into lines of undecipherabie
| stains.
The books we're little better, sodden
as they were. but we hoped, when they
were dried, something might be learn
ed from them.
While we were examining these we
! received the call from Harris that he
was coming up, so we started hauling
! in the slack Of the airline, and in a
few minutes his monstrous headgear
rose up alongside, as he elm bed up the
rope ladder.
We had chosen our spot so fortunate
| ly that we had anchored right over
the sl.nken ship. The wreck had set
tied almost upright, but was much
covered with sand and broken coral;
she had evidently laid there for years.
He had found the box iammed in the
cabin gangway; be gave it as his
opinion that, with time, we could get
at everything in the wreck. The diff
icultv would be the clearing out the
sand and rubbish, which had drifed
into the cabins and below the decks in
every direction.
Don Astigara was much elated with
this report, and it certainly looked as
if the information he had obtained had
more than a problematical basis of
| truth in it, We took the exact bear
| ings of our anchorage and then went
ashore to make preparation for COM
| mencing hard work on the morrow.
Next morning we started at day
light to get our boats loaded for our
! first days operations; and, after a
! good breakfast, we put off with the
three divers. The boats were anchored,
one on either beam of the wreck, so
that two divers could work at once.
Everything being in readiness down
they went, and we all waited anxious
" for the first intimation of their
search. We could get some Idea of
| their movements from the working of
the air lines, and presently we got the
| call 10 haul up, which we did, and
found another iron-bound box
On breaking this open out rolled a
mass of golden doubloons and silver
/ dollars. Then we sent up shout of
/ triumph. which the men on shore and
/ on the schooner took up and repeated
again and again.
We were still in the midst of our cX-
/ citement when we noticed the other
/ boat hauling in, and up came similar
| chest; this was, as far as we could see,
exactly identical with our own. and
we waited in breathless suspense while
! it was being pried open.
Then another hurrab from them be-
! tokened the contents. and Captain
| Thomas, who was in the boat, held up
| his hat, from which he showered a
stream of gold and silver.
| The don could wait no longer for the
! divers below without hearing where
! the treasure WAS found; 50 we gave
! them the signal to come up, and as
! soon as they were released from their
| helmets he commenced to ply them
! with questions.
They had got into the main cabin,
/ in which they found nothing of im-
/ pOrtance; then, carefully examining
] the sides of the cabin, they had come
on a door differing from the other
/ doors opening out of the cabin. BY
/ the aid of tLeir crowbars they soon
/ broke open the half rotten door. and
/ found the place contained some dozen
| or more cases. large and small. Owing
/ to the smallness of the entrance thew
/ had made, and the weight of the cases,
/ they had much difficulty in getting
| out the two they had sent up.
After a short spell of idleness. DUR
! inc which we refreshed the inner man,
| Bob Green and Harris again went down
! to work, and we sat anxious and eX-
/ pectant, waiting for their signal to
/ haul in.
! The minutes seemed hours as the
| time passed slowly by, and when near
I iy half an hour had crawled its tedious
| length and still no summons, we
! scarcely knew how TO sit still.
| While we were discussing and guess.
/ ing the reasons of thcIr delay both air.
lines gave Il sul:en jerk. which was
followed Immediately by the signal,
"An accident"
Then all was quiet for few min
ats, when the airline from our man
| Bob began to move and he signaled
| that he was coming up.
When he got to the surface he could
scercely get aboard and we had to pull
him in; then. hastily removing his
! face-piece. we waited full of anxiety
| for him to speak.
He made no sign. however. but lay
motioness in the bottom of the boat;
| quickly we unscrewed his helmet and
poured some brandy down his throat;
this pulled him round, and after bit
| he told his tale
He and Harris had finished break
ing open the door, and were lifting
down one of the cases. when of the
| lower boxes burst asupder. and the