The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-04-25
THE DIVERS STORY.
BY j. II. coNSELLY.

ton
"All fool superstitition, eh? Well,
you keep ON thinking so. But know
better, because I've tried it, The one l
had was only little one, but 1T mighty |
nigh did me up And the chap that got
IL from Newell, it finished him IN |
great shape. guess l know about opals.
ayes, I've no objection to telling you.
was, when young man, diver, and
considered good one too. A company
that had got concession from the
Venezuelan government TO recover the
treasure of the Spanish line of battle
ship San Pedro Alcantara engaged
seven other divers and myself TO do the
work. That company was formed III
Baltimore, but five of the eight OF Us
were hired from New York, myself and
my chum, Alec Paterson, among them.
"The ship was burned, and her re-
mains sunk in Margarita bay in 1919,
during the war between Spain and her
South American colonies. Seven hun
bred men, out of the 1000 she had
aboard, persisted in the flames and the
waves, and it was believed that couple
Of millions in gold, a million in silver,
the rich plumber of several Venezuelan
towns and the great wealth of some ca
thedrals-put aboard for safety-all
went down to the bottom with her.
That was the stuff we were after, and
thoughts of it set Us all pretty near
wild.
1--WE worked with a diving bell, two
men going down at a time and having
a very smooth job. The water was only
60 feet deep, the bottom sandy moor,
and cleaning up was easy. That we re-
covered some of the lost treasure Is sufii-
cieutly evidenced by the fact that after
giving up the Venezuelan government
share the expedition took back $500, 900
To Baltimore. And we were supposed TO
be getting it all up, just for days wages
So we would-if we'd been chumps. 1t
| was observable that none OF the jewels
| known to have been lost was found
| They seemed to have melted away-so
far as the company's superintendent and
] the Venezuelan fiscal" knew, anyhow.
| MANY months afterward, when we had
all got back, somehow, one OF the boys
sold in New York for Sl3, 200 dia-
moud crop that he said he had found'
but he didn't tell where.
Zone day Alec and We're down IN
| tbn hell together when we both saw at
tho same instant, i'll the shallow water
covering the sand at our feet, something
that seemed TO blaze with flames OF all
imapiuable colors, and together we
ipmned for it. / clutched the thing, and
| we had a solid fight for it. The moment
| 81 was in my hand, felt myself i'm
nelled to kill Alec, but luckily didn't.
4 Got the best of him without that, for
was the stronger. But 1t was fool
thing for me to do, he being revenge
fnl sort of devil, us well knew, and
me engaged to his sister Jenny, who was
dearer to me than life. He gave up, bat
said. 'I'll get good and even with you,
| Ben Trumbull'-andh he did.
"When came to look at my prize,
fonnd il was an opal, of about the big
ness of your thumbnail, quite thick ano
the most brilliant in its play OF color'
that ever saw. Fine as il was didn
| bappen TO think Of reporting 1t to th'
| snperintendent, but we gave him abou
| peck of black silver dollars we nae
raked up, and he seemed pleased. "
course Alec couldn't say anything u
l him about it. for he himself had SOM
uncousidered trifles slowed away III hi
dunnare and did not care TO have an.
,uspicions awakened. The other boy
vould have dubbed his head off II h
had
Il "About fortnight after that ever
diver with the expedition disappeare
| one night. Some Of them could not en
dure the thought Of possessing so niue
wealth as they had ia their clothes with
, ont going on a spree, and the steadies
{ | of ms. who would have been glad TO sta
as long as possible and get all he couIt
had TO give in and go with them, ie
fear of suspicion and search when the
were gone. We took the loDgboat. Id
; superintendent said we stole 1T, but
| didn't. we lust took it. He was weicom
: | 10 his old longboat any time after
! | carried us to La Guayra. :,
, GAS soon as we were missed he q,
| vined the whole thing at once, and crac'
: inc ON all sail, with the help " favo
; inc wind. got down to La Gnayra
pursuit soon enough to have us all a
| rested Just in the opening up OF OF
! spree. Luckily we had taken the pr
caution to hide away. III hands Y
shoueht we could trust or IN secure MI
' ing places, most of the valuable thin'
We happened To have with Ms, ana son
T. Of that stuff was actually recovered al
. erward. But was in hard luck. wn'
I we were getting into the boat scme 10
n | who went down the rope ahead Oh
o dropped his sheath knife, which WI
Y sharp. and when lowered mysen-
;. my bare feet. as we all WERE gov
8 mighty nasty cut in my left foos
6 that knife. The salt water infiamed
: so that IL was n sight to see by the I'm
we cot TO La Guayra, and was tn'n
ing more about my chances Tor iock,a
THAI anything else. So couidn . NJ
D tie ABOUND to hide my stuff, as the o.n
ir fellows did, and of course l couidi
: trust any of them, and the upshot W
r that when we were arrested every PIE
'e of gold and every jewel ! Ind was ca
: tured. all but the opal, which, being
unset stone, had slipped into the wal
band Of INV old trousers. Ii was