Evening star., 1933-07-30

from ores rich in gold. Probably the
long dead cook who had sweated over
the galleon's galley fires had never
dreamed that he was boiling the crews
soup in kettle containing more gold
than he could earn by years Of toll
The battered old pot was a real find
in another way also. The portion which
had been hidden beneath the crust of
lime was filled with loose sand. Obvi-
ously the hard, concrete-like coating was
merely floor above sand which had fl
tered in and covered the wreck; buried
in this we would find her timbers and
her treasure intact.
THERE were amusing incidents, too.
Once diver brought up some strips
Of bright metal and remarked that he
guessed they were remains of old sar-
dine tins. But if the Dons had used
that metal for sardine containerS-well,
the empty cans would be worth more
than their weight in gold today! For
the strips our diver had found were
platinum! OF all the metals we salvaged,
only platinum had retained its pristine
color and brightness.
But to the Spaniards platinum was
not precious metal. They regarded It
as almost worthless, too soft for most
things and of value only for making the
most ordinary and cheap utensils. Prob
ably it had been used for repairing pots
and pans and similar things.
Slowly the divers worked beyond the
site of galley and carpenters shack.
Another great gun was discovered lodged
among the coral growths. Twisted por-
tions Of ironwork of the mizzen rigging
were found and at last they came upon
the massive wrought iron hangers that
had supported the ships huge rudder.
They had reached the stern of the
wreck! Beneath their feet, under the
corals and the limestone crust, was the
lazarette, the floor of the high stern
castle and the galleon's strong room.
Feverishly the divers labored. Our
time was getting short. Each day the
wind was increasing; each night it blew
a gale. Our ship rolled in the ever-in-
creasing seas and snapped viciously at
her anchor chain. We were working
against time, and the treasure hunt had
become submarine mining proposition.
Our diving launch, moored between the
hungry coral reefs with only few feet
to spare, might part a line and be
smashed to matchwood at any moment.
But dangers were forgotten for the
time. Only few feet of crust and sand
separated US from the treasures in her
hold. We felt that luck had been with
us from the start, that it would stand
by us to the end And when at last we
hoisted our diving gear aboard and bat
tened down the matches above the lime
incrusted mound of metal in the fore
hold, hoisted the anchor and sailed for
home, we felt that our faith in Old Lady
Luck had been borne out.
The clutching reefs had stretched out
hungry talons in vain; the sea had taken
no toll of men or craft; no wraiths of
dead hidalgos or Spanish mariners had
materialized above their ocean graves.
We had succeeded where countless others
had failed. We had discovered a CEN
turies-old galleon, treasure ship lest
800 years ago.
But We had no intention OF abandon
ing the ancient wreck forever Some day
not far distant we will again gaze down.
ward through the glass clear water upon
all that remains of that stately old GAL
leon. Some day our divers win again
invade the haunts of strange fish and
hungry sharks. Once again they will dig
and delve on the oceans floor The con-
cussion of dynamite will send coral trees
tumbling to destruction, and from the
rent and broken limestone crust and