Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-03

SSaIt wSn. pe1ore she mad accomplished
stearlng gear, and SO silenced the throbbing
of her engines.
There were scowlinss and mutterines
they had done, but when the sharp COM
manos OF their captain rang out over the
aS hia tney sprang to obey with a celebrity
through him only could they hope to escape
from the dilemma The engineers and their
macninlsts werea directed to unship the
pr9peliers from their shafts, for she was a
type. These wers sent inboard, and were
housed in the hold, the rudder chains were
n n,aSa taui and ltshed, immovably, and the
iron clamps. Then the iron tubes through
wnich the hydraulic force was to be exerted
were shipped and adjusted. The con-
so that all Of the exertive power Of boilers
ana engines might be applied to them and
through them.
,Rehabilitated in this way for her excur-
son among the weeds, steam was once
more admitted to the cylinders, the mighty
pumps Desan their work, and the gallant
vessei forged ahead again dedantly. There
the floating mass could clog or hinder. nor
had 1t sufficient solidtty to impede her
course which, although slow, was sure
Sr SS m, masses Of the floating debris gath
eIso Ake hillocks in front Of her and on
eltner Quarter, only to waste away and
| settle again into their former soddenness,
wnen sne had passed and the pressure was
removeo: Astern. the channel that she cut
closea together again almost instantly, as
moist sand fills In a human footprint. It
seemed seemed indeed almost as If the yacht were
IoIcing ner way through yielding masses of
the sea itself. VA
The sailors, at first terrified, became con-
n Iaaa "nen they realized that the mass of
mesuS sou!o not fmprtson them. They
watcheo with unceasing interest and some
with superstttious awe the towering hill
locks OF reeking, Shiny weeds which some
s e,ines grew to omlnous proportions dead
auIau, ohly TO disappear again to an I'M
o4iatihg mass of sodden evenness astern
II was TWO bells in the afternoon watch
Wnen the yacht entered the sargasso sea.
alterations in her machinery, so that when
me sun went down, as it did about 8
Q CLOCK, Capt. Darlington estimated that
s sney mad left twenty-miles Of weeds be-
Then the engines were stilled and every
tning was made snug for the night; and
what night 1t was!
me mass OF weeds which surrounded
snem on every side seemed to be on fire.
strange phosphorescent lights cleaned over
them like darting flames, unlike anything
they had ever witnessed before. Swishing,
slidlng, rustling noises filled the air, as If
serpents were at play upon that treacher-
Gus surface. Louder and still stranger noises
came to them from distances and It was
as though they had glided into another
"orio, heretofore unvisited by man.
There were sieepless eyes aboard the
yacht that night. Uncanny sights and
sounds dfspelled all thought of slumber,
and the watch upon the deck comprised the
whole ships crew.
But with the dawn Of another day the IL
lusions Of the night were dispelled. Greg
DRY onered q reward to the first man who
should sight derehct; and they had not
mass before dozen were discovered. An
other Knot and the yacht seemed to be in
the vortex Of the Sargasso sea, around
which the mass Of weeds and floating
center. There were solid masses Of weed
grown wrecks, brown with age and mold,
and green and red and yellow with moss
and vegetable fungi Some were compare
house. showed itself among the stagnant
growth. Others were SO old and besodden
and pulpy that one wondered why they did
not sink. Every stage of decay to which
the handiwork Of man is heir was here in
evidence, and over 1t all there hung an In
describable odor of wretchedness Of misery
OF decay and death. There were living
things there, too; strange crawling Writh-
ing creatures. as of another world; and
even the stout heart of Capt Darlington
faltered and trembled with alarm at what
he saw.
Then. while he stood appalled,, with the
impulse growing upon him to turn and
make his way back again to the open sea.
he raised his binoculars and swept one more
ocAI SiiiilS SiduCS him. that
huddled mass Of slowly revolving decay
ing, forgotten wreckage.
HIS arms dropped at his Sides He ut
tered an exclamation of amazement. Be-
fore him. not half a mile away listed to
starboard SO that only the port half of her
deck and hull could be seen, he discovered
the object of their search. The water COW
cred half the name yet visible upon her
STERN put ne could read enough to satisfy
MIN that he was right. "Sallfe Jo-"
cleaned at him above the weeds. and be-
meath 1t were the first two letters of the
name OF the port from which she had
In an instant his momentary trepidatton
was forgotten and excitement took it's
place. The hydraulic apparatus was set in
motion again, and the weeds and wrecks
were pushed aside until the nose Of the
yacht was thrust against the half-sunken
null OF the long-lost derelict. The excite
ment communicated itself to the men. al
though they did not know for what thew
really searched.
My men," called out the captain, I'VE
nave arrived at our destination. In a few
hours our work will have been performed
| thank you for your courage. I ask your
patience yet little while. When next
were under weigh our bow will be pointed
toward the open sea and home. Three
cneers row for your owner and the yacht"
Aye, and for the captain, too" shouted
a resonant voice from the forecastle, and
they Were given with hearty will:
DRY worked long over the blue print plans
which directed the way to the hidden mil
liens.
There is only one way, Gregory" said
the captain at last, thrustfng the papers
aside and rising to pace the cabin deck
I'VE can, at best, recover no more than
half of this fortune. The other half lies on
the starboard side out of our reach, and it
were death to any man to seek it in this
awful place. Were the Sailie floating on an
even keel as last reported by Capt. Ora
ham. then. l grant you, the thought would
be tenable; as it is. it is out of the question
Your plans here show US that five of the
ten compartments in which the gold was
stored lie along the port side of the hold
just above what Is now her water line
There are 100000 in gold in each; s., 5O0, 900
in ALL
And that, Darlington. you believe We
can save?' asked Gregory. eagerly.
Yes, or nearly all of it. If we work with
system and with care. I have figured out
the measurements here" placing his hand
upon a sheet of paper that laid upon the
table They are mechanically exact
can put my finger over the precise spot
where each compartment is located. We
must bore through the hull at these places
Il have indicated them here-saw out sec
lions Of the planking penetrate to the inner
A.