The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15
Lost s1,oOO,OoO Every Year.

gold.
Lost 81 100000 Every Year.
A little research into the musty records
of Madrid shows that during the early
part of the seventeenth century over $50, :
100000 worth of silver alone
were shipped from Spain. During the lat
| ter part Of the seven zenith century. one
mine the Nalenciana of Guanazuato, en-
p-oyed 1900 slaves and the company own
ing it lost Sl,000,000 every year by pirates
and accidents at sea without in the least
impairing its credit in European markets
Most of these enormous losses strew the
| ocean bottom around the West Indian is
| lands. A careful search of old Spanish re
cords would reveal The approximate loca-
ton of scores of the treasure wrecks SC
| that they could be visited with very little
difficulty.
My researches have been limited 10 such
ancient Spanish records as may be found
in America, and from these alone-and
their number compares with the immense
Libraries of such works in Madrid as a drop
to a stream-I have unearthed the stories
of more than a score of vessels and fleets
the wrecks of which now lie in American
waters.
Whole Fleets of Treasure Wrecks
East OF the Isle of Pines are the Gardin.
Iilos or famous Jardine rocks, where lies
whole fleet of good ships. 1t was here
that the daring buccaneer captain, Bar
thelome Portuguese, lost the richest prize
he ever took in his adventurous career
and il lies there to-day, awaiting the lucky
submarine explorer. The account of the
wreck in The old books is most circumstan-
| tia2.
Captain Portuguese Famous Capture.
Barthelome Portuguese had ntted out a
! small 3-pOunder vessel at Golpho Trste.
on the Gulf of CamDeachy, and with u
| crew of thirty men he had captured a
! treasure galleon bound from Carthagenia
| TO EaVana. 1t was a lucky adventure
I he inventory of the ships goods showed
over 100000 worth of gold and silver bull
| hon, with as much more N coin Portu-
| cues set his sails for Tortugas but as
they were passing Cape Corrientos, three
swift-sailing guard vessels from New
| Spain swept down upon the ship and cap
| tured him and the entire crew, and look
| them in irons to San Francisco in Cam
| peachy The old account tells how Por-
| tugues escaped that night, and after an
! almost incredible journey through swamps.
secured a canoe from friend enlisted
| thirty men, and actually recovered the
ship that had been taken from him Then
| he sailed away again for Tortugas, tina I
| island of blood and spoil.
Off the Isle of Pines a hurricane brought
down vengeance upon him and carried him
! irresistibly on the Jardine rocks and the
! galleon with ali its treasure went down
| Some of the hardy buccaneers ESCAPED in
a stnan boat to tell the story, but the gold
and silver bullion for which they risked
/ so much is still heaped in some hollow of
that rock-bound bed of the sea. The treas
ure would pay richly for the recovery.
Fifteen Tons of Silver Bars.
|
| told as a musty joke on musty tome.
In 1850 three canoes, manned by fifteen
buccaneers, each crept around the western
end of Cuba and came suddenly upon one
of his majesty's treasure ships. bound from
| Caracas to Havana. They swarmed over
the side of the great vessel like so many
rats, and threw every Spaniard overheard
| The uncouth victors ransacked the vessei
| for booty, but to their disgust, found only
a small quantity of wine in the officers
quarters, and in the hold a lot of greyish
metal, which some wiseacre on board de-
cided to be tin ore, and not wishing their
newly acquired vessel to be laden with
such trash the leader ordered il TO be
thrown overheard; and there it lies to this
day not far from the Colorado banks. not
less than fifteen tons of fine silver bars
Phipps' Enormous Fortune.
Sir William Phipps, baronet of New
England who was once governor of Mas
| sachusetts, enriched his ancestral house
! and left his descendants among the wealth
lest in New England by sharing the secret
of a smuggler who saw a plate-heet go
down in a storm about halfway between
the nearest points of Cuba and Haytf.
"Phipps' fortune" has been famous ever
since. And yet it is said that he found
only one of the sunken ships of the fleet
containing not less than thirty-two tons
of silver, with jewels enough to make 81 =
100000 The remainder of the vessels still
lie off the eastern point of Cuba. and