Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-06-30
BY Z. L. COFFMAN

North American Newspaper Alliance
WEST PALM BEACH. Fla.
June 30-In 1885 an old
Florida fisherman-I knew
him only as Charley-was re-
turning TO Miami from Key
West, after having been kept
there for three days by a
severe storm. While Charley
dozed in the warm sun, his
sloop suddenly ran aground
on one Of the numerous reefs
of Pigeon Key. about mid
way between Key West and
Miami.
Charley Jumped over the
side into the waist-deep water
and began easing the boat
clear. While doing so he
noticed he was standing on
a pile Of metal bars, scattered
along the reef for about $50
feet.
He loaded Is of the heavy
bars into the boat and for
two years used them as bal
last. A down-to-earth fish,
erman, he assumed they were
pigiron and had been lost at
sea by some cargo ship.
One day in 1897, however.
Charley was idly chipping at
the black encrustation on one
Of the bars. Beneath the
crust he motto ed several
strange markings. one OF
which resembled a cross. 1t
turned out that the cross was
the Spanish mint mark and
that for two years Charley
had been sailing with a bal
last of 10 bars of Spanish
silver.
Gave Up Fishing
Needless to say, Charley
gave up fishing and immedi
ately took of for Pigeon Key
with a group of his friends.
Unless he kept it hibhly-
guarded secret, however. he
never did find the hundreds
Of other bars which were ly-
ing there.
Those Of us who will be
searching for treasure this
summer can learn three
things from Charley's story:
Know what you are looking
for, be able to recognize 1t
when you find it--and try to
look for it after a storm. The
tides and currents immedi-
ately following a storm often
uncover many objects previ-
ously buried in sand.
How does one recognize a
find? Rarely does one actu-
ally come across an entire
ship nestled on the ocean
bottom. Wooden galleons-
the kind you'll probably be
looking for are completely
destroyed within 20 years by
terrados (sea worms. The
things to look for then are
anchors, anchor chains, bal
last stones. the tarred keels
of the ships, cannon. and iron
shackles.
AS for where to look" the
question is relatively simple.
There are thousands. most OF
them never investigated with
scientific instruments.
7 Some Sure Things
Here are few of the sure
things" offered in the Flor
Bahamas Caribbean area,
for centuries the headquar-
tiers Of world piracy:
/. The "Santissima Con-
ception," a Spanish galleon,
sank in ITS and now lies in
$50 feet Of water of the
southern coast Of Margharita
Island. Venezuela. On board
is SIS million in gold, silver
and pearls.
2. The Santa Paula"
Spanish galleon, sunk in
1879. lies off Point L'Este,
Isle of Pines, Cuba, in ITO
feet Of water. Its cargo con-
sists of SIS million in minted
coin, Jewels and bullion.
3. The Spanish galleon
"San Fernando" sunk in
1897, lies of PIT. Ducal, st.
Ldcia, in the British West
Indies, with $40 million in
gold and silver coin, bar,
plate and jewels.
4. The Spanish galleons
"San Felipe II" and Santa
Maria" both sunk of Flores,
Brazil. in 1891. lie there with
a combined total of 81 million
in bullion and specie.
5. The San Pedro de Al
cantara," a Spanish galleon,
was sunk in Cumana Bay,
Venezuela. and has 81 million
in bullion and coin on board.
Others Investigated
6. The Don Carlos II" was
sunk of Point L'Este, Isle Of
Pines. Cuba in 1912 and car
ried 50 million In silver bull
lion.
Z. Three galleon wrecks lie
among the reefs. south Of
Jamaica. with silver bullion
worth SO million.
Q. Spanish ealleon in Mat