The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-06

permission to experiment on the sunken
vessels lying in Vigo Bay, and the gov
eminent gave him permission for an
eight-year search on condition that be
handed over 20 per cent. Of all treasure
he raised to the surface during that
period.
Almost as soon as Pine got to work
he found one Of the vessels. which, with
S2s, 100000 in Spanish treasure aboard
went to the bottom on the night Of Octo-
Der %. 1902, and through his hyposcope
he could clearly see i've enormous guns
lying welded together with sand. The
elevators were let down. the air bags in
lated, and in q few moments the guns
came floating merrily to the surface as
II they were made Of cork, and were
towed into the harbor. And since then,
watched night and day by a Spanish war
ship, Pine has been at work in his IT.
tempt to bring those SOS, 100000 TO the
surface, and 1t would seem that by the
time his eight years have run out he will
be q rich man.
A good deal Of treasure has been recov-
cred from time to time from the sea,
but It is as a drop in the ocean compared
with the amount still lying on the sea
bed awaiting owners. or the Yorkshire
coast OF England there is a single sunken
vessel which contains no less than SO, 0OO,-
600. 1t is q Spanish galleon named the
CzariDa, which foundered many years
ago. and not a single coin has yet been
recovered from her. Not far away an
other vessel lies In about so feet of water.
Some years back diver went down, and,
after some trouble succeeded IN "a ising
S150.00O Of It, but there Is as much and
more waiting for anyone to pick up.
What is practically a record in deep-sea
salvtng was accomplished year or two
ago OF Cape FinisterEe- AS most people
are aware, this is one Of the widest
pieces Of coast in Europe, and here in
1891 the steamer Skyro, sailing between
Carthagena and London, struck a rock
and foundered in III feet of water with
silver on board to the value Of s45, 900.
The first expedition to recover the
treasure from the SkyrO proved unsuc-
cessfuI, but sometime later a second ex-
petition went out and q very clever diver
named Erostarbe went down. Hs found
that cross-currents were running above
the wreck, and cross-currents, Of course,
are very deadly to the diver. However,
he got safely through these, and on reach
ing the wreck the pressure upon him
was about go pounds square foot. Now
q fresh difficulty presented itself. The
cabin in which the silver was locked was
buried in the wreck, and dynamite had
to be used to effect an entrance, and dy-
namfting at this depth is q matter OF
after repeated efforts, brought every
ounce Of silver to the surface. These
| Cross-currents flowing deep below the
waves have for more than a century pre-
four and q half millions in spanish gold
coins which lie close in to the shore Of
Mizen Head, in Bantry Bay. In 1893
the Spanish galleon Infanta, & treasure
ship, foundered In a storm. and from that
time forward the wreck became the hunt
ing ground OF divers yet not a single
coin has been raised.
The divers can go safely down to the
sea-bed, a few yards from the wreck, so
close to it, In fact, t. at when the weather
Is clear they eau clearly see the wreck
embedded in the sand, but II they al
vance a step nearer to where the treasure
lies they come within the current zone,
which has caused the death Of many in
trepid divers, who during lae past CEN
fury have endeavOred to reach the In
fanta The possibilities are that these
millions viii never be touched unless
some effective method Of battling with
the currents can be devised. But divers
are not always to be thWArted In this
manner, and IL the divers have failed at
| AIizen Head, they certainly made up for
| 1t in saving the Spanish mail steamer
| Alphonso XII, which fOundered some
years since of Grand Canary In I6O feet
/ Of water. She had treasure aboard to tie
value of 100000, but the wreck lay Ia
/ such a position that the task OF recover
| ing a single penny Of it seemed at first
an impossible one.
As it happened the diver who was sent
out from England was q man named
Lambert, the same man who accom-
! plished the daring feat Of stopping the
4 flooding Of the Severn tunnel By going
through a mile Of water and closing the
door, As soon as Lambert got to the
I wreck Of the Alfonso he went down
| three decks to the treasure-room ana
broke open the door and found the gold
Il lying In boxes. 1t took six months to get
| the treasure up, but at the end of thaf
time every penny Of the money had been
/ brought to the surface.