Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-04-22

ourselves over the shore to hunt FOL
any remains or signs Of the lost Span.
lard.
After short time we heard hal
from the northern end of the island,
and hurrYing up we found the cap
tain and the others grouped around
a mass of black and rotting timbers,
which we Immediately recognized as
the debris Of a wrecked vessel. This
was evident proof that at one time or
another vessel of considerable size
had been cast up at this spot.
Don Astigara was satisfied that his
quest was here, so after we had cast
about for awhile, hunting for further
evidence, we returned to our boat
and went aboard.
1t was then arranged that camp
should be set up on the island. and
the don, with the three divers and
three other 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 a
boat n 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
necessaries, went off, with Captain
Thomas and the don to make his first
descent on the margin Of the reef,
the remains Of the wreck on
shore.
/ went in the boat with them, and
can assure you / did not envy Harris;
when he got rugged up in his awk-
ward suit Of clothes, with his I'M
wieldly looking metal helmet, with
its great big staring glass eyes, he
appeared like some uncanny ante
diluvial 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 per-
maps quarter of an hour, we received
The call to pull up the rope, and when
We got it to the surface we found the
Ind made fast to small, iron
;lamped chest.
The iron was all rusted and rotten,
put the box itself was fairly pre-
served. We soon had it open and had
is contents out. They consisted
'hiefY of papers and books, but from
heir long immersion in the sea we
ould make nothing of them; they
ell to pieces as we handled them
he ink disappeared into lines of un-
lecipherable stains
The books were little better, sodden |
s they were, but we hoped, when
hey were dried, something might be
earned from them.
While we were examining these we
eceived the call from Harris that he
Vas coming up, so we started haul
ng in the slack of the air-lines and
q few minutes his monstrous head
ear rose up alongside, as he climbed
p the rope ladder
We had chosen our spot so fOrtu-
ately that we had anchored right,
yer the sunken ship. The wreck
ad settled almost upright, but was
luch covered with sand and broken
oral; she had evidently laid there
Dr. years.
He had found the box damned in
he cabin gangway; he gave it as his
plnion that, with time, we could get
t everything in the wreck. The
would be the clearing out
he sand and rubbish, which had
rifted into the cabins and below the
ecks in every direction.
Don Astigara was much elated with
his report, and it certainly looked as
the information he had obtained
ad more than problematical basis
truth in it. We took the exact
earrings of our anchorage and then
ent ashore to make preparation for
hard work on the NOR
wv.
NeXU morning we started al day-
ght to get our boats loaded for our
rst days operations; and, after a
bod breakfast, we put of with
ne three divers. The boats were
nchored, one on either beam of the
reck, 50 that two divers could work
+ once
Everything being in readiness, down
hey went and we all waited anxi-
lsly for the first intimation of their
'arch. We could get some idea of
leir movements from the working
the air lines, and presently we
ot the call to haul up. which we did,
nd found another lron-bound box.
On breaking this open out rolled a
ASS of golden dOublOOns and silver \