Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-04-10

After we had got our supplies OF
fresh provisions on board the anchor
was weighed and we stood out to sea.
The run up was soon accomplished
and by noon of the third day we were
at anchor off the western side Of the
island. After making all snug afoat
we got boat out and Don Astigara,
the captain, Harris, the diver whom
we had shipped at Valparaiso, and
four men, of whom I was one, started
off for the shore.
The island was surrounded by belt
of coral reefs, which in ordinary fine
weather did not make their where
abouts visible, as they lay quiet and
treacherous under about fathom or
SO of water.
But when the sea ran at all high and
the long rolling swell Of the Pacific
Ocean broke from its gentle mood,
then the vicious, wicked looking snags
showed their ugly teeth.
When we got ashore we pulled the
boat up, and then, under the captains
instructions, we separated and spread
ourselves over the shore to hunt for
any remains or signs Of the lost Span
lard.
After a short time we heard hail
from the northern end of the island,
and hurrying up we found the captain
and the others grouped around mass
Of black and rotting timbers, which
we Immediately recognized as the de-
bris of wrecked vessel. This was
evident proof that at one time or an
other 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.
It 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 on the in
ner side of the coral reef.
Next day we were busy getting the
things ashore, and it took US till we'll
on to noon before this was completed;
| then, while some Of the men COM
menced rigging up a couple Of tents,
the boat was made ready, and Harris,
the head diver, with his suit and nee
essaries, went off with Captain Thorn
as and the don to make his first de-
scent on the margin of the reef, OPP
| posite the remains of the wreck on
| shore.
went in the boat with them, and
can assure you I did not envy Harris;
when he got rugged up in his awkward
suit of clothes, with his unwieidly
looking metal helmet, with its great
big staring glass eyes, he appeared
| like some uncanny antediluvial mon
| ster.
For some time we had no intima-
ton from him, beyond his various
calls for more or less air. After he
| mad been down ten minutes, or per-
haps a quarter of an hour, we receiv-
ed the call to pull up the rope, and
when we got it to the surface we found
the end made fast to a small, iron
clamped chest.
The iron was all rusted and rotten,
but the box itself was fairly preserved.
We soon had it open and had its con-
| tents out. They consisted chiefly Of
papers and books, but from their long
immersion in the sea we could make
nothing of them; they fell to pieces
as we handled them-the ink disap-
| peared into lines of undecipherable
stains.
The books were little better, sodden
as they were, but we hoped, when
learned 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 air-lines and in
few minutes his monstrous head gear
rose up alongside, as he climbed up
the rope ladder.
we had CHOSEN our spot or fOrtu-
nately that we had anchored right
over the sunken ship. The wreck had
settled almost upright, but was much
covered with sand and broken coral;
she had evidently laid there for years.
He had found the box jammed in
the cabin gangway; he gave it as his
opinion that, with time, we could get
at everything in the wreck The diff
Guilty would be clearing out the sand
and rubbish, which had drifted into