The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-02-11
CHAPTER II.-CoNrINuEp.
CLARENCE HERBERT NEW

CHAPTER II.-CoNTINUED.
Among other things, he told me one
night about the loss Of Nuestra Sonora
de Sevila in 1863 on the Santa Rosa
Reef, somewhere south of Guajan.
The padre was pretty mellow, and l
guess said more than he meant TO, for
l never could get another word out Of
him about the wreck. 1t seems that
native in one OF the flying proas-the
island catamarans, you've heard OF
thcm--found an unconscious officer
dashed TO a spar several miles out at
sea, and turned him over 10 Fray lg-
nacio, who was then running the
church at Agana, when he came In.
The fray and his brother priests sue
ceeded in restoring the man long
enough TO get his account OF the
wreck, together with the approximate
position of the galleon when she
struck; then he died Being method
zeal old chaps, they jotted the story
all down, and Fray lgnacio signed IT.
Then, like the pious old imbeciles that
they were, they buried the document,
with several others, in the trays
sarcophagus when he got through
with life. ] believe he and his box are
now In the crypt under the church.
The story seemed straight enough,
and | guess there's no doubt of there
being two or three millions OF good
rusty money lying at the bottom OF
the ocean, south OF Guajan, TO this
day 1t might as well be in the Bank
of England as far as we are con
cerned. Another case of life's httle
ironies, isn't it?"
slow deep Is the water there's"
"Well, the Alert got from 1000 to
1000 fathoms near there in 1ssl-say
two 10 four miles. Why, were you
thinking OF diving for it2"
Not exactly. i meant the depth on
that reef"
"oh, Santa Rosa? couldn't tell you
that. There are no soundings OF II,
even on the Spanish charts, though II
was laid down on Dalrymple's and Can
toyas older maps. Dampier said he
found II in 1886, four fathoms under
water. One OF the galleons struck on
A. In trying TO avoid his ships while
they were lying at Guajan, and had
deuce of time getting OFT, but no cap
tain has seen the slightest indication
of reef there since that time. Most
OF these islands are volcanic, you
know, and 1t may have sunk 10 the
three or four mile level"
very likely. still, the ships that
looked for il might have been there at
a time OF year when the weather was
unfavorable for a search"
"Yon mean-?"
"That. as is quite probable, they may
have been cruising during the sum
mer. That would be the southwest
monsoon, wouldn't It? Rain, fog, hur-
ricanes-"
That's So"
"And the water might have been SO
iumpy that careful sounding would
have been out OF the question"
Hardly. They wouldn't attempt TO
sound in bad weather, unless for their
own safety. Still, they might not have
happensd to try 1t when they were
over the exact spot, and the shifting
,f the monsoon might make anything
like an accurate search impossible.
Oh, wouldn't venture TO say that
here is no reef there; its existence
and position are not definitely known,
that's all. But suppose there Is. Sup
pose for the sake OF argument that its
lagoon isn't more than 100 feet or
80 deep, how much chance do you
think there would be OF finding even
the fragments of hulk lost there 1870
years ago? Why, man, IL would have
a coral jacket on so thick that you'd
have to use dynamite IL il were above
water. Coral deposit increases at the
rate OF an eighth Of an inch year, or
more, according TO Agassiz; that
would make make n thickness OF about
IS inches. Adding shell-fsh and other
marine growth. IL would be safe TO fig
ure two or three feet, wouldn'tit2"
probably; but / thought that coral,
diatomRceae, and foraminifera depos-
ited perpendicularly on these volcanic
atolls?"
That's so. II the wreck lay In n
bold position some of her side timbers
might still be exposed, or az least COW
cred very thinly. Harry, what crazy
notion have you got in your head ?
There isn't one chance In million OF
an attempt TO raise that treasure be-
ing successful. IL would he folly TO
think OF trying IL without a fully
equipped wrecklng steamer, and even
then you'd have piracy TO contend
with among your crew"
"Well, I became interested IN the
story And then the idea occurred TO
me that, being out Of job, there would
be nothing 10 hinder my investigating
the thing little. just for the sake Of
Argument, now--ws might a. well