Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-01-21
The Santa Maria
Derelict
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

SoSN AAN oooA"
one Of the Spanish merchantmen, the
Santa Maria. in the year 1862. 1t was
published in the papers at the time.
but only Il partial account, and as we
had wal and excitement at home the
incident was soon forgotten.
One of the oldest business houses in
Mexico up to the date above named
was that of the Spanish house of Ga
lera & Co., founded seventy-6ve years
previously. The business of the house
was banking. mining, merchandising
and cattle raising. 1t had a dozen
branches in Mexico, and it had deal
ings with half a dozen countries. In
a financial sense it was stronger than
the government. and its yearly profits
footed up an sum. A son
Of the founder had succeeded to the
management. inc when old age came
he turned over the active work to a
cousin named Alvarez. The new man.
ager was a young man of twenty-five.
born in Spain of a fine family and had
been educated for the priesthood. He
was a man without a vice. Such was
mis- probity that he was called "Holy
Alvarez even in his youth. At an
enormous salary and with autocratic
powers young Alvarez took over the
management Of affairs in Mexico, and
almost as soon as he stepped foot Oh
North American soil a change took
place in his character. He began to
drink. gamble and play fast and loose.
OF course there was gossip about the
new manager, and there were those
who predicted that his extravagances
would ultimately bring ruin to the old
house, but there were no official COM
plants. He knew little or nothing Of
business. but he did know how to
spend money royalty, and in a year
he had people guessing how much
longer it would take him to bankrupt
the house. 1t vas after the balance
sheets had proved to him that he was
spending more than the profits of the
house and was a debtor to an enor-
nous amount that he set about prepar-
ing a grand coup. The Spanish mer-
chairman was loaded with a consign-
ment of gold, silver, copper, furs and
dyestutfs for Spain and the cargo in
sured to the last cent. Alvarez took
into his confidence a young man named
Prado. and when the Santa Maria sail
ed his confederate went with her as
Snpercargo.
The ship was manned by Il crew of
fourteen men. all Spaniards. Thirty
days after her sailing to the southwark
the American bark Iomeward left the
port of Valparaiso homeward bound.
We had been out three days when we
ran into Il dead calm, With the weather
so terribly Tot that the deck planks
smoked in the sun. AS We lay heaving
on the ground swell Il small boat drift
ed into view. 1t seemed to be empty,
and it had been in sight for two hours
and was not over half Il mile away
when the captain decided to pick it up.
A boat was sen off, and when she re-
turned with the stranger we had q sad
spectacle under our eyes. There was a
dead man lying at full length under the
thwarts.
About two days later we came up
with II derelict from which the mar in
the oat had no doubt escaped. On
board Il horrible sight met us-the bod
les Of fourteen dead men
The derelict was a great find to us.
Her manifest showed a cargo valued at
over 50, 100000, and the ship was all
right above deck.
AS the man got away alone and had
provisioned the boat it must have been
after the others were dead. He it was,
then. who had brought about the
wholesale death of the crew, and he
must have had Il strong motive. That
motive was discovered when some of
The boxes of treasure were hoisted out
of the laZaret and broken open. Aside
from one or two boxes. the whole
treasure business vas a fake. Lead
had been substituted for silver and
gold. The furs were a cheat and a
fraud. and the value of the dyestuffs
was not o%ne-quarter of the sum they
were insured for. a second and closer
search of the stateroom evidently &C.
cupied by the supercargo gave US the
NSN l. ullioNA IL "uOlc ulySIClS. IL
had left behind a letter of instruction
signed by Alvarez at the City Of Mexi-
10. and in that we learned that the
name of the dead man was Prado.
With the auger hole plugged and a
part of u crew Oh board the Santa
Maria, we laid our course for the port
of Valdivia. and in due time both
craft arrived there in good shape. The
dead had been given burial, of course.
but there was nc lack Of other proofs.
AS o o as the plot was veled
steps were taken for the arrest Of Al
vareZ in Mexico. and our claim for sal
wage was filed. Governments move
slowly in international matters. 1t
was months before they got ready to
arrest the man who had plotted this
sea tragedy. He had meanwhile con-
tinued his career of dissipation and ex-
~travagance. depending upon his insur-
ance money to make everything good.
News got to hin somehow from VAL