The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-02-25

passed the reef in safety, but had strucl
this rock, which had its head with
in three feet of the surface, and il
going down had turned turtle. L
seemed now that not a soul of hel
crew had escaped, and how anybody
had agterward located the wreck ant
made chart of the locality was
greater mystery than ever Our frs
move was to bring the schooner as
near as possible, and then we began
preparations to lift the wreck She
must be turned over, 50 as to float on
her keel, if nothing more. Lying bot
tom up. there was no possible way Il
get into her cabin.
Next day after the discovery, l went
down IN my diving dress md attached
chains to her starboard side These
were spliced out with stout ropes lea
ding aboard of our schooner, and af
ter half days work we were ready tC
haul. We could lift her little, but
not more than a foot, and after work
ing one day we gave up that method
for another. Casks were sent down
tn Inc and attached wherever possible
and put for the presence of sharks we
would have had her over in day. As
If one monster had communicated
with another for miles up and down
the coast, they gathered about the
schooner and the wreck, and l had the
closest kind of call from being seiz
ed by maneater that was fully ff-
teen feet long Standing on our deck
| counted eighty six dorsal fins NOV
ing abeut us at one time, and l don't
believe that was half the number of
sharks within circle of quarter of a
mile. There could be no more diving
while they were hanging about, and
we set to work to get clear of their
company. Capt. Roberts had fore
sean such an emergency, and had
come provided.
J. doubt If ships crew ever had
dearer revenge on Sailor Jacks i'm
placable enemy. The muskets were
brought up and four of the men tole
off to use them. A fifth man was put
in charge of a whale lance, and the
rest of us We're kept busy administer
ing punishment which might be
called bgrbarous by humanitarians.
We heated bricks red hot on the gel
ley stove, swiftly wrapped them up in
clothes, and they no sooner touched
the water than they were gulped down.
As soon as shark was wounded by
ball or lance SO as to leave trail of
blood he was at once attacked by 9th
ers, and our hot bricks SCOT turned
dozen or more big fellows belly upper
most.
1t was regular circus for abont
three hours, during which at least fif.
ty Of the monsters were slaughtered,
and then those that were left alive
suddenly drew off to the last one, and
ana we did not sight another shark
during our stay. did not go down
again for twenty-four hours, however,
not feeling certain that some big fell
low was not lying liz wait behind the
wreck. When [ did descend I found
the schooner lifting to the casks, and
after attaching three or four more she
slowly rose to the surface. We then
got the beats out and towed her into
a depth of fourteen feet and then
swayed her over until she righted
She went to the bottom agait, t,of course,
as the casks 40 longer buoyed her, but
we expected that.
1t was noT comparatively easy Job
to get at the cabin of the treasure
craft. She had been dismasted and
most of her bnlwarks swept away, and
her bows had been stove in as she
struck the rocks. Everything appear
ed all right aft, however, and we had
the sail anchored over the wreck and
was all ready IF go down when we
had second interruption. A coasting
schooner, going down the coast and
we'll in shore. espied us, and
either supposing we were in distress
or actuated by motives of curiosity
she lay to off the reef and began to
signal us, asking what was the matter
We answered that we were all right.
but she was not satisfied
She lowered boat to pull to us,but
we got ahead of her. The captain
handed me down a box of cigars and
Il q, zen bottles Of wine. and | met the
boat mile away The captain him.
self was IN the stern sheets, and he
seemed considerably put out when
told that we had not been driven O.
yer the reef and were not in need of
assls jance. | told him that our schoo.
ner had been charteaed by natura-
list, who was collecting fish from the
shoals and birds from the forests. and
he swallowed the story and returned
to his craft a happier man
When l came down in my suit /
found almost clear deck. She had
been schooner rugged, aud both
masts had been carried away at the
deck. Beginning at the heel of the
bow spirit and running along the port
side about twenty five feet of her bull
warks were left standing. Capstan,
hatch covers, and the sky
skyllght of the cabin had been swept
away. This latter fact was greatly in
my favor, as could drop directly in
to the cabin. l was told to look for
the treasure in the captains stateroom
put lis Itct udti no sooner COuCQ6u
the cabin floor than my oatstreched
hands encountered something which
knew to be dead man. He was tied
fast, and l mad to cut him loose with
my knife. As soon as released the bo-
dy floated upward, end the men told
me that 1t fiOated out to ssa with the
tide. on the surface like a cork.
Evening was now drawing near, and
further search was abandoned until
another day. After breakfast next
morning | descended again and with
in two hours had the treasure cut of
the wreck. I found it, not in the cap
taln's stateroom but on the floor IF the
main cabin. The diamonds were in
the cast iron box about AS large as
chi!ds savings bank and the gold in
stout wooden boxes and left moth
ing behind
From the treasure being 10 md