Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-20
Tale of Sea Brinqs Fortune.


To find an ocean-going steamship in
perfect condition high and dry on the
vest coast of South America. some eight
-eet from high-water mark, with grasses
climbing its iron sides and palms shading
its bridge; to buy the wreck" for a
,ong, dig it out of its sandy grave, cut
4 channel to the open sea, and then sail
away on it TO civilization and a tremen-
Ious profit is the unusual experience OF
Charles f. Wood of Philadelphia
He has done all of the things euumerat-
dali but the sailing away, and Within
i few weeks he will do that also. whereby
writing fms to a tale of wreck, discov-
Try and salvage as romantic and improb-
lble as any that could be evolved by an
imaginative writer of sea tales.
Mr. Woods half buried treasure is the
steamship Sesostris, which, i'm March.
sO7' came to the port of Deus, Guatemala.
or a cargo of coffee. Ocus Is an open
oadstead on the Pacific side. On the
March afternoon the ocean was like glass
md the calm of the tropics hung |ovfr
and and sea. Storms and shipwreGks
'eemed as far removed as the Norfh
pole.
The fair weather gave the officers a
alse feeling of security. When every
hing was quiet aboard that night and
I'll were asleep the breeze freshened.
md the ship slipped her cable at the
hirty fathom shaekle When the crew
yoke In the gray dawn it was to find
he Scsostris in the breakers, pound
nG on the sand. Before they could
get up steam and get off anchors and
;ables the sand had filled around the
ship until she was on a shoai, and il
VAS then impossible to move her. AZ
er working several weeks and making
40 progress while every day the sand
vas making round her more and more,
the ship was abandoned to the under
writer's, who paid the insurance, put
up the vessel at auction and sold it
% Mexican coffee planter, Bruno G..
diJares, for Sic 800 gold.
Mijares conceived the idea that the
first northwest storm would move the
sand round the ship, so that she could
e pulled off
For two years MijareS waited and
1nally u northwest storm did come,
md washed enough or the sand from
lround the ship to float her in a little
)asin, the bar still remaining between
ler and freedom, however. Mijares
Vas offered 100000 by a fruit COM
)any for his ship as she floated that
lay. but he refused it. Everybody ex-
)ected that the next high tide would
lift the ship safely over the bar.
That night theN, wind changed, the
sea went down and the storm passed
on. The sand came backS. building
'ound the ship until she was eighty
eet from high water mark, resting on
bed of green grass. Mijares gave up
n despair.
Last summer the story of the shin
vas TOLD to Mr.. Wood, who is building
he great breakwater at Hilo Hawaii,
or the government, when he was in
San Francisco Mr.. Woods informant
vent on to say that the Sesostris was
n perfect condition.
"The tale seemed SO incredible to me
hat l expressed considerable doubt as
its veracity, said Mr.. Wood, in re-
ating the incident.
However. | made an offer of So, 00O
for the ship, the outcome being that
utter some negotiations the deal was
closed, and l found myself the owner
Of an unseen wreck"
Mr.. Wood left New York last Sep
TENDER for Ocas.
There in front of me as / came in
sight of the beach was a ship which
would carry 1000 tons cargo and forty
passengers, said Mr.. Wood She was
high and dry on the beach and looked
for all the world like a big hotel, with
the lawn coming right up to the front
porch / went aboard and found tina
the Sesostris gave the appearance of
having just been abandoned.
1.-THE aneroid barometer on the wall
of the captains cabin was working
'rhe compasses were in good condition,