Decatur Democrat, Volume 42, Number 36, Decatur, Adams County, 17 November 1898 — Page 6

~\; ; 'j- no ® Clarehce Herbert Mew. [Copyright, 1897, by J. B Lippincott Co,]

CHAPTER I. "Henry M. Stevens, Manila (via HongKong): “Business suspended. Cancel unshipped orders. Draw Larrinaga & Co. balance to date, |2W. LANTINE & COMPANY.” I remember as if it happened but vesterdai the queer feeling which came over me when I read the foregoing cable. It hud been an unusally warm day for March, and I was trying to keep cool in the lounging-room of the European club, on the river bank, a short distance from the city. My business in Manila was practically finished, and I was anticipating a few days of recreation before the HongKong steamer left, upon the following Tuesday, when the message was handed me by one of the native boys employed by the club. It was such a thorough surprise that for several moments I did not realize the position in which it placed me. I had been the eastern representative of Lantine & Company for over two years, and. although my savings had disappeared through a series of ill-advised investments, my position seemed such a secure one that money matters seldom troubled me. Now, however, after drawing from the Manila banking and shipping l ouse the amount mentioned in the dispatch, my entire capital consisted of something less than three hundred dollars, and I had no idea which way to look for employment. Two of the leadingManilamerchants happened to be in the club at the time, and. after canceling the purchases I had made from them on behalf of my house. I cabled to Hong-Kong and Shanghai in the hope of heading off shipments ord. red there during the previous month. Then, driving to my hotel in Binondo —the Oriente—l settled matters as far as lay in my power, and was ready for dinner before eight o’clock. The Oriente. being new and. progressive. sets ore of the best tables in the east. and. as experience with oriental life brings the conviction that neither hurry nor worry is conducive to good health, I took my time over the meal. Then, lighting a cheroot, I walked down the Escolta as far as the Puen.e d’Espana, which connects Binondo with the old walled citadel of Manila, and, leaning against the hand-rail under a solitary electric light, watched the canoes and bancos on the Pasig while I tried to do a little figuring as to my immediate prospects. Three hundred dollars would land me in New York by careful management, but there was no certainty of employment when I reached there; and the other foreign houses were so well represented between Yokohama and Singapore that an immediate opening in the east seemed unlikely. At first I could think of nothing but my uncomfortable predicament. But after awhile the influence of a good dinner and the soothing qualities of the climate began to make themselves felt. I found myself watching the motley crowd of all nationalities which passed and repassed across the bridge, the crowds of laughing Mestiza and Visaya girls strolling along through the Paseo to hear the military band at Luneta. groups of Chinamen sauntering about after the day’s business, and Spanish officers driving in with the ladies of their families. Down the river were rows of email coasting steamers and brigs, each spar and funnel outlined distinctly by electric lights on the quays; beyond them, a red spark from the lighthouse upon the northern mole, and scattered lights from larger vessels which lay at anchor two or three miles out in the bay. While watching these. I noticed a government launch coming up the river. The landing steps of the quay were but a few ] aces below the bridge, and I could easily see the faces of two men as they stepped ashore from her. They were both strange to me, but there was something about the walk of one which seemed familiar. I presume my own face must have been distinct. as I leaned over the rail, for the man glanced searchingly at me as he climbed to the street level. At first he turned and walked away several steps, evidently under the impression that he had made a mistake, then came back, as if to cross the brid<ge in front of me. We looked each other in the eye for a eecond; then he stopped, and said: “If you’re not Harry Stevens, of New York. I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.” I grasped the outstretched hand and began to see some thing familiar behind the brown beard. “Yes. I’m Harry Stevens, but—hold on a minute. Weren’t you with the Oceanic Steamship company, several years ago? By Jove! It can’t be Dick Halstead? What? Well. I’m blessed! Where on earth d'id you drop from? You have changed, and no mistake.” “Possiblv. But yon haven't, old chap; I'd know you anywhere. Say. look here, we’ve got a heap to talk about: come up to the club. No, never mind) the carromata; it's cooler on the river. We’ll go tip in the launch.” “But —how the deuce? I thought •he belonged to the government?” “That’s right. So do I, for the present.” We had taken our seats in the

stern, and were gliding up the motionless stream. “I've been in command of that tramp, the Countess of Devon, for over a year—you see her lights out there, two miles from the mole —and the biggest stockholder in the company that owns her is old Leon Ramirez, of Liverpool and this place. So when the Isla de Ponape, that used to carry mail to the Carolines and Ladrones, ran ashore on Espiritu Santo. Ramirez chartered the Countess to the government here until the compania could spare another of 1 heir own boats with big enough coal capacity to make the trip. That was last September. and they manage things so slowly that I’m still running supplies out to those islanders, once in three months, with a Scotch engineer and a Spanish crew, connecting with the Messageries boats at Saigon the rest of the time. Now tell me under what the canopy brings you out here.” “Business, of course; you didn’t think I was traveling on my money, did you? I've been buying China goods, assorted devils, and Manila matting for Lantine & Co. about two years. Up to three o'clock this afternoon I expected to keep on buying them until my liver refused to stand the climate, but about that time this cable changed my plans for me.” Halstead looked thoughtful as he read the message which I handed him. We had reached the club quay, and were climbing to the balcony, where the boy presently brought us cigars and coffee. “M-m-m-m —how long will it take you to close matters up for the company?” “They're settled now, as far as anything I can do. It will be a month before they can get letters out here, but the orders already shipped will have to be paid for. Larrinaga's people told me this evening that they knew old man Lantine to be individually good for all the house bought. This cable, however, winds up my connection with them for the present.” “And jou haven't decided what you're going to do next?” “Not yet. I’ll probably go to HongKong on Tuesday and see how things look there.” “Why not take a little vacation? You've been working hard, and a rest would do you good. Run out to the Ladrones with me. It's a fine voyage at this time of year, and I’m so sick of talking mixed languages that it’ll be a perfect godsend to have an old friend along. Come now. what do you say?” "Why. I don't know. I'd like nothing better, if—m-m-m-m —there's really 1:0 reason why I shouldn't. When do you sail?" “About midnight.” “What, to-night?” “Sure. I only came ashore to get my papers from the custom house, and shou'd be getting down there as soon as I finish this cigar. The mail’s on board now. I guess. You're stopping at 1 lie Oriente, of course; how long will it take to get your duds together?” “Fifteen minutes. But how about a passport? The commandante's office closed at noon.” "That's all right. No one'll stop you on a government launch, and I’ll take care of the rest. Come along.” In three-quarters of an hour Halstead and I reached the quay with my _ nw i/ : L If) fl I “ SI, Senor I ” luggage, and 20 minutes later we were climbing the Countess of Devon's accommodation ladder, out in the bay. The Spanish mate stood at the top and touched his cap. Halstead looked along the gangway and said: “All the passengers aboard, Mr. Diaz?” “Si, senor.” “Pilot come off with Mr. McPherson?” “Si, senor.” “All right. Get your anchor up and find how much she’s drawing. Tell Mr. Moreno to be careful that iron buoy doesn’t foul the screw this time, and have the quartermaster bring Mr. Stevens’ luggage up to my room. The steward can give the passengers biscuits and coffee if they want it before turning in—there are only a dozen, I think —and seat the ladies’ party at my table in the morning. Now, old chap” (turning to me), “I'm going to give you the extra berth in my cabin, and you can do as you please on board. Go to sleep now, if you like, or bring a stool up on the bridge and smoke. I shan't turn in until after breakfast.”

“If that's the case, I'll stay with you. Just to humor my fool curiosity, I wish you'd explain why you start at such an ungodly hour. 'I here's no bar to cross, so the tides can’t make any difference.” “No; there's plenty of water, but after passing Cape Santiago there isn’t another light in the strait, there are two dim ones on the no’theas corner of Burias island, but they re not visible to west’ard, and I want to see where I’m navigating between Burias and Ticao. We’ll get there about five o’clock to-morrow morning,—ought to pass Santiago at breakfast time today,—so that during the night we 11 have plenty of elbow room.” “Suppose you strike rain or fog? ' “We won’t. This is the morning of March 29, isn't it? Well, two weeks from to-morrow it’ll be sultry, and still, and hot as Tophet. After that the air'll smell like a furnace until April 21. Then there'll be a hurricane in this bay that will send a pile of ships ashore and spread corrugated iron roofs all over the landscape, and from that time to about the first of October the weather'll be simply hellish rain, hurricanes, fever and mud. In other words, the southwest monsoon will have set in for six months. You ought to know when the monsoon changes, it you've been out here two years. "Well, I suppose I should, but I’ve spent the summers in Yokohama and Shanghai, and they don t make so much difference up there.” It was a perfect night. The wind had died down until there was scarce]v a ripple cn the water and each particular star was reflected in it. lhe lights of Cavite, on our left, were fast dropping astern; and, approaching Corregidor island at the entrance of the bay. about three o’clock, the mountains of the I’iquito on the south head with the Sierra de Mariveles on the north rose like dark blue ghosts 4,000 feet in the air. Corregidor itself stood over 600 feet above high water, the light on its summit filling the rocks with grotesque shadows as we passed e'ose under it. Halstead occasionally called my attention to some prominent point, but he was too closely occupied in watch-, ing the different bearings to talk very much; and. although we didn't drop the pilot until well past Cape Santiago. ’ could see that my friend preferred to know himself just how his ship was being navigated. After a six-o'clock breakfast we turned in and slept until noon. Then we went below and sat down at our first meal with the passengers, only four of whom spoke our language, so that the conversation was mostly carried on in rudimentary Spanish. CHARTER 11. The captain’s cabin was an exceedingly comfortable one. with a large chart table in the middle, cushioned transoms around thi sides, and several luxurious rattan chairs. It was situated upon the hurricane deck directly under the wheel-house, and had large windows instead of the usual torts, so that we had an uninterrupted view of everything that was going on. While I smoked an after-dinner cigar end enjoyed the breeze which blew through our quarters, the strange and rapid succession of events that had lesulted in my being bound for the most forgotten corner of the earth's surface struck me very forcibly. Every few moments some reminiscence of cld times would occur to one or the other of tts, and I finally asked Halstead if he were married. “No,” he said; “I'm not. I was just going to ask the same question. It seems rather odd that we two should Lave reached the age of —let’s see; I'm 25, and you can't be* far from it — without settling down. Do you know, cld chap, I'm beginning to think I haven’t made much of a success in life.” “Oh, I don’t know. You're likely to have a ship as long as you want to go to sea, aren’t you? And the house would probably offer a fairly good berth ashore, if you felt like takingit-” “I suppose so, as long as the present management remains unchanged. But, even so, there’s no chance of making a fortune at it. Here we are, y ou and I, two men in the prime of life, and able thoroughly to enjoy all the good things in it, yet I suppose we are likely to keep on drudging for some one else as long as we live. In the long run the fellow who persistently drudges comes out ahead, and then he’s too old to enjoy his good fortune. It takes a young man to appreciate the things that money will buy. Now why can’t we strike a bit of luck somewhere. find a buried treasure or something of the sort, and then live like princes in London or New York, instead of frying our gizzards out in the East Indies? Isn’t there a fairy godmother that we might propitiate?” “M-m-m, I don’t seem to remember any in my family. But, speaking of treasure, aren’t we sailing over pretty much the same track as that followed by the old galleons?” “That’s right; same track, to a mile. To-morrow morning I’ll show you Bort San Jacinto, on the island of Ticao, where they used to wait for a favorable wind in beating through the San Bernardino passage. Anson’s ships watched for them just outside the ‘Embocadero,’ as it is called' in Spanish, and they all stopped at the Ladrones for pigs and water on the voyage across.” “Well, weren’t they usually loaded with a pretty rich cargo?” “Rich! Why. man, the Acapulco galleon brought between two and three millions—in silver dollars, gold doubloons, and indigo—to Manila, once or twice every year. You see. the junks used to come down from Hong-Kong in March or April, loaded with silk brocades, fine linen, gold ornaments and jewels, which the Manila Spaniards bought and, after keeping what they wanted for personal use, shipped to

Acapulco on speculation. Mexico WW a viceregal province then, an Philippines was a subdependc . . return galleon brought the proceeds of these/speculations; though, as the I boletas, or shipping permits for!transIportaticn space, were issued by the , gobernadors for revenue they practically amounted to a Philippine subi*'“ That’s about as I remember it. There were a good many galleons ! wrecked on the coral islands, weren t ■ '""Lots of them; they were great tin- , j wieldy tubs, always loaded beyond , their carrying capacity. And, bj the ( ' wav, that reminds me of an instance ( which I happen to know about, more or less directly. Last voyage, Padre Julian, who has been in charge of the I mission on Saipan for 30 or 40 years, j came home with me. The old chap i is a good deal of a student, and has I the history of these islands at his j ! flnger-ends-best judge of rum and I -berry I ever saw. I used to fill him up with good liquor, just to see him I enjoy it and hear the stories he told ! when the stuff got into his blood. I Among other things, he told me one ! night about the loss of Nuestra Scnora I ’ de Sevilla in 1769 on the Santa Rosa i Reef, somewhere south of Guajan. 1 ' The padre was pretty mellow, and I I guess said more than he meant to, for | j I never could get another word out of I him about the wreck. It seems that a 1 | native in one of the flying proas—the ! island catamarans, you've heard of I them —found an unconscious officer lashed to a spar several miles out at I sea, and turned him over to Fray IgI nacio, who was then running the I church at Agana, when he came in. ; The fray and his brother priests suc- | ceeded in restoring the man long j enough to get his account of the wreck, together with the approximate I position of the galleon when she I struck; then he died. Being method--1 ical old chaps, they jotted the story all down, and Fray Ignacio signed it. Then, like the pious old imbeciles that j they were, they buried the document, 1 with several others, in the frays ' sarcophagus when he got through I with life. I believe he and his box are t now in the crypt under the church ! The story seemed straight enough, and I guess there’s no doubt of there being two or three millions of good rusty money lying at the bottom of the ocean, south of Guajan, to this day. It might as well be in the Bank of England as far as we are concerned. Another case of life's little ironies, isn't it?” “How deep is the water there?” “Well, the Alert got from 2.0C0 to 4.000 fathoms near there in ISSl—saytwo to four miles. Why, were you thinking of diving for it ?” "Not exactly. I meant the depth on that reef.” “Oh, Santa Rosa ? I couldn’t tell you that. There are no soundings of it. even on the Spanish charts, though it was laid down on Dalrymple’s and Cantova’s older maps. Dampier said he found it in 1656, four fathoms under water. One of the galleons struck on it in trying to avcid his ships while they were lying at Guajan. and had a deuce of a time getting off. but no captain has seen the slightest indication of a reef there since that time. Most of these islands are volcanic, you know, and it may have sunk to the three or four mile level.” "Very likely. Still, the ships that looked for it might have been there at a time of year when the weather was unfavorable for a search.” “You mean —?” “That, as is quite probable, they mayhave been cruising during the summer, That would be the southwest monsoon, wouldn’t it? Rain, fog, hurricanes—” “That's so.” "And the water might have been so lumpy that careful sounding would have been out of the question." “Hardly. They wouldn’t attempt to sound in bad weather, unless for their own safety. Still, they might not have happened to try it when they were over the exact spot, and the shifting of the monsoon might make anything like an accurate search impossible. j Oil, I wouldn’t venture to say that there is no reef there; its existence and position are not definitely known, that's all. But suppose there is. Sup- : pose for the sake of argument that its lagoon isn’t more than 190 feet or so deep, how much chance do you think there would be of finding even the fragments of a hulk lost there 120 years ago? Why, man, it would have a coral jacket on so thick that you’d have to use dynamite if it were above water. Coral deposit increases at the rate of an eighth of an inch a year, or more, according to Agassiz; that would make make a thickness of about 15 inches. Adding shell-fish and other marine growth, it would be safe to fig- ; ure two or three feet, wouldn’t it?” “Probably; but I thought that coral, diatomaceae, and foraminifera deposited perpendicularly on these volcanic atolls?” That s so. If the wreck lay in a bold position some of her side timbers might still be exposed, or at Vast covered very thinly. Harry, what crazy notion have you got in your head? There isn’t one chance in a million of an attempt to raise that treasure being successful. It would be folly to think of trying it without a ‘fully equipped wrecking steamer, and even then you’d have piracy to contend with among your crew.” “Well, I became interested in the story. And then the idea occurred to me that, being out of a job, there would be nothing to hinder mv investigating the thing a little. Just for the sake of argument, now—we might as well amuse ourselves with this as anvthing --suppose I were to leave the steamer at Guajan; that’s the biggest and most southerly Ladrone. isn’t it? Ri<rht Then suppose I should happen to’get hold of Fray Ignacio’s account of the shipwrecked officer, and should find in

it j us t where the galleon went down. I'd very likely get myself into a serious scrape' but just suppose I should manage to see the document after all. 1 hen suppose I took a little trip some day on one of those flying catamaransthev make 23 knots sometimes, if I remember correctly—and succeeded in locating this reef. Suppose I had a diving suit with me; there probably isn't such a thing between 'Frisco and the Yokohama navy yard, but imagination is cheap. Suppose I actually found something that looked like an old wreck, crusted over with coral, and tried a dynamite cartridge on it. Suppose I ‘found something there, and stowed it away until you could join me, eh?” Halstead was filling his pipe as I spoke, but his fingers trembled a little. He took several long, meditative puffs without saying a word. Then he got up and began to pace the deck, up and down, back and forth. Presently he cleared the table and spread upon it an Imray chart of the western Pacific between New Guinea and Japan. After studying this closely for several moments. he took down Findlay s Direc torv of the North Pacific, which he also consulted. The conversation had drifted casually into this channel from its association with the Ladrone voyage, but the subject was taking hold of us with the grip that such seeming impossibilities often will; and all sorts of wild absurdities flashed through my mind as I watched the captain’s face. After what seemed an hour of calculation over the chart and directory, he said: “That reef hasn't been found by any vessel since 1740, but it isn t safe to ac- •• That reef hasn’t been found by any vessel since 1740." cept the fact as conclusive evidence against its present existence. It is a difficult matter to fix the position of any ship exactly on a chart. Compass deviation, or trifling errors in the adjustment of a sextant, may easily make a difference of several miles. Then again, these islands are probably the most unfrequented portion of the earth's surface. I don’t know of a spot so seldom visited as the Ladrones; the government itself only communicates with them four times a year. Now, that galleon would have been approaching from almost due east, making for Guajan—Pert San Luis d' Apra. The prevailing winds, being no’theas’ to eas’. would drift the coral fragments over to west’ard, forming a shoal lagoon and breaking an entrance to it on the lee side. In that case, a ship under fair headway would either drive firmly on to Ihe first bold led’ge or shove herself over the ridge into the lagoon. So that, reasoning from pure theory, the chances are against her Laving sunk along the more precipitous face, which may go straight down a thousand fathoms or more. The same prevailing no’theasterly wind and waves which break and scatter the coral grit to leeward would have a tendency to crumble the deposit on a hulk in the same direction, leaving one side, or one end, more or less exposed. If Nuestra Senora de Sevilla was heading about west when she struck, with the intention of just clearing Cocos reef at the south end of Guajan, and if she lodged firmly in that position when she sank, her for’ard part would be pretty well sealed in with coral, but the high poop, where most of t he specie was carried, might not have more than an inch or two of incrustation. Theoretically, the possibilities of recovering any of that money amount to this: If the Santa Rosa reef exists today as it did in 1769, if that galleon drove upon it as I have been figuring out, if a man were provided with diving apparatus which would enable him to make a careful and protracted examination of the ledge under water, also pick and cartridges to work with, and if it were possible to preserve absolute secrecy as to his operations, or to transport the stuff without exciting suspicion, there's just about one chance in a thousand that he might get as far as a civilized country with it. As for taking any of the natives into his confidence—well, the old navigators named them ‘Ladrones' when the islands were discovered. That means ‘thieves’ in English, and from my experience there last voyage I should say the hereditary taint is not yet extinct. They’re a peaceable lot generally, but you can’t depend upon them. In 1888 and 1890 the Kanakas at Yap murdered every Spaniard in the place, just after that affair in which the German warship litis tried to grab the Carolines for the kaiser.” [to be continued.] Ten Hill ion Wheelman. It is stated by competent authorty that there are ten million people in America who are bicycle riders. Probably each one gets an average of one hurt in a season, and that is just when Henry & Johnson’s Arnica &Oil Liniment gets in its good work. Nothing has ever been made that will cure a bruise, cut or sprain so quickly. Also removes pimples, sunburn, tan, or freckles. Clean and nice to use. Take it with you. Costs 25 cents per bot- | tie. Three times as much in a 50 j cent bottle. We sell it and guarantee iit to give satisfaction or money re- • funded.—Page Blackburn druggist.

IF THE sewe, s „f ad 1 are faulty, or get c| ■« soon becomes so foul that is not safe in it. That is J what happens to you when th Liver or Kidneys fail in work. The first little signs are backache, poor appetite, changes m urine and sometimes bowel troubles and dropsical swelling Do not neglect any of theseDeadly disorders may fou ow ’ STOP the mischief in time Use IWiMiii which is sure to bring speedy re . lief and finally a permanent cur“ At druggists, $i ,oo per bottle." THS OR.J.H. MCLEAN MEDICINEca ST. LOUIS, MO. EC0 ' For sale by llolthouse. Callow SCo HENRY B. HELLER, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Office, rooms 1 Stcne Bloek.opM,, Collections. N, UrJ . PuW RICHARD K. ERWIN, ATTORNEY AT LAW. Okficf.-Corner Monroe and Second strew, General practitioner. No charge for cZ James t. Merryman. ATTORNEY AT LAW, DECATUR, IND. Office—Nos. 1. 2 3. over AdamsCo, Bank I refer, by permission to Adame Co. Bank. R. 3. PETERSON, ATTORNEY AT LAW, DECATUR, INDIANA. Rooms 1 and 2, in the Anthony Holthonaa Block. A. P. BEATTY J. f. MASS MANN A BEATTY. ATTORNEYS AT LAW And Notaries Public. Pension claims prosecuted. Odd Fellows building. Jobn Schurger. Dave E.Smitk SCHURGER & SMITH. ATTORNEYS AT LAW. Money to loan at lowest rates of interest Abstracts of title, real estate and collectiooi Rooms 1. 2 and 3 Welfley block. S’? DeVilbiss & Archbold, DENTISTS. I. o. O. F. BLOCK. Phone nnic,> ’ 42 1 none ( Kefidencet JSJUJF’T'CTKriE urtos. DENTISTS. N .w located over the City NtwasuaiiiN prepared to do all work peruimog » « demal protesaion. Gold filling B7 use of Mayo's Vapor they :ire d ertract teeth without ram. ivurk kuaramet J. D. HALE DEALER IN Grain, Seed, Wool, Salt, Oil. Coal, Lime, Fertilizers. Elevators on the Chicago A Erie Leaf railreads. Office and retail s «re east corner of Second and Jefferson patronage solicited. Capital 1120,000. F.stabhsbtifl 3 THE OLD ADAMS COUNTY BAI® Decatur, Indiana. Does a general banking lections In all parts of ,j ers . Forein town, township and c<)U , n ’^„ t , an dsol<l. !»• and domestic exchange bought anosv terest paid on time deposit. D j tl ,je. Officers—W. H. Niblick. l J 6B . iH SOn ,C»sN* baker, Yice President : K. h. and C. 8. Niblick. Assistant Casn MORTGAGE LOANS — Money Loaned on Favorable M LOW RATE OF INTEB® 81 Privelege of Partial I F . m. icHIRM* Y6 ’' Cor. 2d and Mad^° — rs MOORE'S □tgSg 25 cts. Sold evirv ,7. |,E. " " TK " ea cb AGENTS get flf'.^’ en write SlTlddr”"ne’catholic " Bt., New York.