Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-08-17

Hundreds Watch
as Blast Tears
Hole I'M Vessel
Bottles Of rum. bottles Of rum!

There must have been thousands
Of them that went into the air off
the Point Isabel jetties Tuesday af-
ternoon when a great blast of dyna-
mite, set off by government Of
ficials to tear open the hull Of the
old sunken ship that blocks the
channel to the port, had accom-
plished a part of its work.
Bottles, fragments of cases and
kegs, splintered timber from the old
derelict, and giant fish suddenly
stricken, went up in a gigantic gey-
ser following the muffled roar Of
the explosion.
The large crowd gathered along
the shores of the bay had assembled
expecting to witness a spectacle, but
the people were unprepared for the
nature Of the underwater upheaval.
Blast Is Set Off
The blast had been set by the
diver. The huge dredge with the
workmen had pulled away, and peo-
pie with small boats were ordered
into shore. First there was n shak-
ing Of the clear waters Of the bay.
Then came a rumble like distant
thunder. Seconds seemed to elapse
before the great geyser started on
its way upward. 4,
The waters seemed to be lifted
slowly, then the spectators witnessed
perhaps the strangest sight that will
ever fall to their lot to witness
again. In the clear spray Of the
geyser, which gradually lifted to a
height Of over 200 feet, could be
seen bottles and fragments OF WOOD.
II was many seconds more before
all the wreckage had fallen TO the
waters surface again.
Waters Turn Black
The complexion Of the water over
the old wreck began slowly changing
to an inky black. Then the wind,
bearing into the shore, brought the
heavy, sweet aroma of ancient wines
and liquors-spirits that came from
foreign ports long ago.
A little later the waves began TO
bring in thousands of corks from
wine bottles that had lain in the
hold of the wreck. Then came IN
heavy fragments Of drift wood
plankinT from a small section Of
the sunken vessel. There was
wild scramble for souvenirs as men,
women and children waded out eag-
erly TO seize what they could lay
hands upon. f..
The exposion. as il turned out. had
killed hundreds Of fish, large and
small. There was gathered In dead
tarpon as long as six feet. Many
spectators saw large, vicious sharks
dash in almost TO the Jetties 70
seize and make away with morseis
that the explosion had slain
Salvage Work Begins
When the water had cleared some
what above the wreck, the WORKERS
went back with the dredge TO salvage
what might be found. and to see how
the blast had aided them IN clearing
the derelict away.
One Of the great finds the diver
made soon after was the huge ship
anchor-a heavy iron "hook" OF very
old design-which, when brought
ashore and weighed. showed 4 heft
of 1900 pounds. The anchor was
about eight feet long.
II was found that the third and
greatest blast had been placed in the
first hatch. and out Of this compart-
ment the diver brought several iron
cannon balls of the "24-pounder
class. He found also the broken
fragments of several old rifles with
the stocks rotted away. IL was diff
cult to determine the era in which
they had been used.
Ship OF Schooner Class
From. measurements made around
the old hulk il was judged by the
marine workers that the ship must
have been a three-masted schooner
nearly q hundred feet long. and with
a beam Of over 80 feet. The work
ers Judge that there will be two
more matches TO enter by the use of
the dynamite.
Though he made his underwater
search as thorough as he could, the
diver has not been able 60 date TO
find a fragment Of wood or metal
that might carry the identity Of the
ship.
Some have advanced the specu-
lation that because the old ship was
obviously heavily armed she might
have been a pirate vessel plying
along the coast. Stories are. begin
ming 70 come out now that the early
freebooters who worked along the
lower gulf coast had many strange
ways of using signals 10 comruni-
cate with the shore. and one theory
has been advanced 70 account for the
wreck Of the ill-fated ship in the
channel.
One Strange Pirate Yarn
II is said that the eonfederates Of
pirates who did shore duty used
donkeys to carry lights about their
necks to signal boats nc sea. In
this way. IL Is said, many an outlaw
boat along the coast has been lured
to a false security too close in shore.
and il is figured that this might
have happened 70 the mystery
ship in the harbor. causing her 70
run aground in water that was too
shallow.
The water where the ship lies
buried is about IL feet deep. The
wreck lies out from the jetties about
$50 ards. Practically ell Of TIE
hull is buried deep in the sand
with only about two feet OF the ribs
exposed. The upper deck il entirely
rotted away.
Believe "Log" Is Destroyed
This fact destroys a good deal Of
the hope Of the government workers
that they might find the log intacl
lCcntilued on page two-l