Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-13
ABANDONED SHIP
TREASURE IROVE
Continued from Page y

town consists OF d few tumbie-dowr
y. Uses on the leach. az tht terminus
OF z rickety railroad running lack into
the mountains TO the coffee pianta-
tons. The process of loading cargo
II primatiTe. The bags OF coffee ar
carried by the Indians from tie
cars out through the surf and th"O"H
into boats. and a-e then taken Out 70
t. ship in lighters. the boats being
liIlled By light wire cable paSsei
lUrnd a pulley attached to a buoy
;.lOut 500 feet from shore. all Cng!H ;
On land supplying the motive pOwe:'
for the cable. Ships anchor near the
buoy, and the coffee is ho.sted aboard
tom the lighters.
On the memorable March afternoon
when the SesOStrs arrived at OCOs
Tor the last time, the ocean VAS nix >
gIal s, and the calm o. the tropics
ling over land and sea. Storms AMI
shIpWTeck seemed as far removed as
the North Pole and casting dull care
to the gentle land breezes all hands
went ashore for a froliC. letting the
Tires die out The men hit the beach
toI a good time, and what followe
indicates that they found what they
sought At any rate, it was not until
late that night that they returned to
tie ship, and al hands turned IN 70"
what they conA idered a well-eal ned
rest
False Security.
1t was a night of clear tropical
moonlight, and the fair weather gave
the officers a false feeling OF security.
When everything was quiet aboard,
the breeze freshened, and the ship,
thinking it her turn ashore. clipped he"
cable at the 3O-flthom shackle, and
when the crew woke in the gray dawn,
it was to find the Sesostris in the
breakers, pounding on the sand. Be
fore they could get up steam, and get
of anchors and cables, the sand
filled around the ship until she was on
a shoal, and it was then Impossible to
move her. Alter working several
weeks and making no progress, even
after one of her SISTER ships had called
at Ocos and given tow, while every
day the sand was making round her
more and more, the ship was abandon
ell to the underwriters, who paid the
insurance.
The underwriters sent an expert
from Hamburg to Ocos, to look at their
bargain. and he decided that while the
ship was in good condition, she was
1000 miles from nowhere and as
there were no tug boats, dredges or
barges within that distance, 1t would
he hopeless to attempt to salvage her.
She was put up at auction by the I'M
derwriters and sold to a Mexican COT
fee planter Bruno G. Mijares, at Ia
pachula, Mexica, for $4,000 gold.
Now Mijares had operated the light
er business at Ocos, and knew consld-
ersble about tidal conditions there,
and he conceived the idea that the
first northwest storm would move the
sand round the ship, so that she could
bc pulled Off With that in view, ne
kept men aboard the Sesostris, paint
ed her inside and out, got of heavy
anchors and chains, put white lead and
tal.ow on the engines, and in general
kept her in shape, ready for operation,
and then sat down to wait for mana
ma"
For two years Mijares waited, and
fraIly a northwest storm did come,
and washed enough of the sand from
al ound the ship to float her in little
basin, the bar still remaining between
her and freedom, however. The story