Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-02-09

bode; but when ascended 10 the proa
and, after padding a hundred feet
away, pulled the line, the doubt vas
removed. Two or three square rods cf
water rose in u gigantic bubble, as if
from boiling spring, accompanied by
a rumbling which sounded very like
"un terremoto." as Dorotea said.
I lost no time in descending again
when the commotion subsided, and
found a gaping eight-foot hole in the
hull For moment or two l hesitated
about entering. All the stories about
divers who had been caught and sutfo-
Gated in old wrecks flashed through my
mind. But, finally, mastering courage
enough TO crawl inside, 1 began to in
vestigate. The space evidently had
been an afterhold in the galleon, for
it was filled with packages done up in
hides; they and their contents
were now hard as coral rock, but had
once been indigo bales, without doubt,
4 number of them must have been
stove through the planl<ing when the
calleon struck, for could almost stand
upright without touching the deck
beams overhead.
Cautiously making my way aft, l
came to a bulkhead separating the
hold from lazaretto directly beneath
the captains cabin. This l feared
would be solid, in order to prevent
communication from the forward part
of the ship; and so it proved. ASH pre-
sumably fenced in the strong room, or
treasure chamber, there was nothing
to do but force an opening through 1t
without delay. Qt must be under
stood that even diver who has spent
years at the business, and has an at
tendant pumping fresh air down to
him, cannot afford to waste an instant
of time or undertake anything requir-
ing violent eXertion while he is inside
of wreck, under water. The slightest
miscalculation, the displacement of
some heavy object, may cause him
other to lose his head or to become
entangled beyond the possibility of es-
cape.) l hated to use another cart
ridge; the chances were even that it
might blow the treasure into Father
Neptune's subcellar. But the effects
of the first explosion appeared to be
merely local, there being no indication
of radial splits in the coral incrusta-
ton; and that decided the question.
The sledge had disappeared, so the
shorter steel bar had to take its place
as an explosive agent. Calculating
that the force would be mostly inside,
I descended as soon as the rumbling
had ceased; but the water in the hull
was still violently agitated, and the
current forced me back when | at
tempted TO enter. After this had sub
sided, | crawled into place so changed
in appearance that it made me feel
queer. The great Jumps which had
once been indigo were hurled In all di-
rections. mostly forward. In some
places they were piled even with the
deck timbers; toward the after bulk
head they were scooped away to
depth of six feet, and the planking be-
yond was completely crushed through,
leaving n large hole into the lazaretto.
I was exceedingly careful where |
stepped but lost no time in crawling
in. The moment had come at last when
our hopes were destined to be realized
or finally destroyed. I cast the light
slowly about the place. Along the
after side there were several tiers OF
small boxes, piled one above the other,
and there seemed to have been an even
larger number against the bulkhead;
| but the explosion had thrown them all
| about the place. Wondering why none
| OF them had smashed open, presently
| noticed that several had gone to pieces
| little beyond where 1 was standing,
scattering their contents In drifts
over the floor.
With n sense of unreality numbing
my brain, stopped and took some OF
the objects in my hand. They were
| round and fiat, smaller than a silver
| dollar. They were covered with thin
| film of corrosion, through which had
no difficulty in making out the castles
and rampant lions of the Spanish royal
| arms. I scratched with my knife at
| the corrosive film; the bright yellow
| beneath proved conclusively that the
coin was an old double doubloon, or
| doubloon onza, worth $3.50, troy
weight, and probably something more
| on account of its antiquity, for 1t was
dated 1761 reign of Charles ILL and
| bore the mint mark of Mexico City-M.
1t was impossible TO estimate the num-
Der of these doubloons in sight; there
were tiers upon tiers Of the boxes, and
they were all full.
Stepping toward the side wall, to see
how deep they were piled against 1T,
I stumbled over the combing of O
hatchway In the floor. The cover was
unfastened, and, after raising 1t, the
| light revealed short ladder, which /