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1 Chapter 1 : Florida treasure hunters find $ million in rare Spanish coins Get this from a library! In search of Spanish treasure: a diver's story. [Sydney Wignall] -- In Search of Spanish Treasure includes the stories of the excavations of ships ranging from a second-century Roman ship off Sicily to a nineteenth-century steamer off the North Wales coast, but most. Determining the Facts Reading 1: The basic Spanish silver coin was the 8-reales piece or "piece of eight", which came to be called a peso. Because of its high silver content, pesos were widely accepted in Europe. This was important because Spain had virtually no industry of its own and had to buy manufactured goods from other European nations. In this way, the silver and gold Spain mined in the Americas made its way throughout Europe and impacted the global economy. Spain quickly established a policy whereby colonists in the Americas could only trade with Spanish merchant ships. These attacks were conducted by privateers, private ships that were licensed by the French government to try to seize Spanish ships. If successful, the privateer kept a portion of the seized treasure, and the French government took the rest. Using this system, France and eventually England was able to covertly claim some of the New World treasure without openly attacking Spain. To minimize these threats, Spain organized a defense for its merchant ships. In, the government sent a fleet of warships into the Atlantic Ocean to escort the returning merchant ships into port. The government paid for the escort by requiring merchants to pay a tax on the goods being protected. In the s, Spain conquered the Inca Empire in present day Peru and added huge amounts of gold and silver to its coffers. Not surprisingly, France expanded efforts to seize Spanish treasure by licensing privateers to operate far into the Atlantic Ocean instead of concentrating on waters near Spain. In, a year when French privateers captured nine treasure ships, Spain sent several royal warships all the way to the Caribbean to escort the treasure ships home. This convoy of merchant ships and warships is considered the first true treasure fleet. This system of merchant ships sailing in groups protected by warships helped the Spanish bring home large amounts of treasure. In the Spanish found the richest silver deposits yet discovered in the Americas on a mountainside in Peru. This find ensured the growth of the Spanish empire and made silver the most important precious metal coming from the Americas. As New World trade continued to increase in the early s, Spain struggled to find ships that not only could carry large quantities of cargo and sail well, but also could defend against attacks. The galleon, perfected during this period, soon became the standard ship used in the treasure fleets. An average galleon was about feet long and 30 feet wide. It had three or four masts, two or three decks, and two to three dozen cannon. While galleons could carry large amounts of cargo and weapons, they were top-heavy and hard to maneuver. Merchant ships called naos, which were basically unarmed galleons, made up the bulk of the fleet and carried cargo, treasure, and passengers. Other ships traveling in the fleets included pataches, which were smaller vessels used to communicate between ships, and resfuerzos or supply ships that carried food and regular cargo. Some years the two fleets left Spain as one large convoy and others they left separately. After rejoining in Havana, the combined convoy sailed back to Spain. Each fleet consisted of at least two heavily-armed galleons and two pataches as well as between 10 and 90 merchant naos. The largest galleon, the Capitana, carried the captain-general who was first in command of the fleet. The smaller galleon, the Almiranta, carried the admiral who was second in command. During the second half of the 16th century, at least 60 ships traveled in a convoy. Six or more galleons often traveled with the Tierra Firme fleet because it carried the most treasure from Peru. Because it was more heavily armed, this convoy became known as the galeones galleons. The New Spain fleet came to be called the flota fleet. In the mid s, a third fleet, called the Manila Galleons, began sailing between the Spanish colony of the Philippines and Acapulco on the west coast of New Spain. In the Philippines, exotic Far East products such as spices, porcelains, silks, and ivory were loaded onto ships and taken to Acapulco. Although the journey from Manila to Acapulco took from four to eight months and was considered the most difficult navigation in the world, the financial gain outweighed the risks. Since Spain did not produce these goods in large quantities, merchants had to buy more and more foreign products to send to the Spanish colonies. This, in turn, made Spain more dependent on treasure from the Americas. The treasure fleet system reached it height between and Then, over the next century the system began to slowly decline. Page 1

2 Disputes over religion, territory, and trade caused Spain to fight various wars against the English, Dutch, and French for much of the 17th century. The huge financial strain of wars and shortages of goods and ships made it hard to maintain the annual schedule. By the mid 17th century, more than two thirds of its ships were built in foreign countries. Also by this time, the average number of ships in a fleet had fallen to After there was little improvement in the treasure fleet system. A major reason for this was that Spanish colonists began buying goods from English, Dutch, and French merchants at cheaper prices. War with the Dutch and English in the early 18th century created a huge strain as did another war with the English in the s. During these periods, small fleets sailed sporadically at best and sometimes not at all. The loss of the and fleets to hurricanes took a toll as well. In the s and 70s only six flotas sailed to Veracruz. The treasure fleet system finally ended completely in when the Spanish Crown declared free trade all over her American colonies. After that, individual ships traveled back and forth to the Americas, but regulated convoys ceased to exist. Questions for Reading 1 1. Why were precious metals considered so valuable? When and why did Spain organize a defense for ships sailing to and from the New World? Describe the basic elements of the treasure fleet system. Why was Spain so dependent on treasure from New World trade? What was the role of each ship that traveled in the Spanish convoys? When did the treasure fleet system reach its peak? What contributed to its gradual decline? Reading 1 was compiled from Robert F. Marx, The Search for Sunken Treasure: Key Porter Books, ; Robert F. Marx, Shipwrecks in the Americas New York: Smith, "Treasure Ships of the Spanish Main: Bass; and Timothy R. Page 2

3 Chapter 2 : 'Holy Grail Of Shipwrecks' Found Near Colombian Coast, Woods Hole Says WBUR News In Search of Spanish Treasure A Diver's Story [Sydney Wignall] on blog.quintoapp.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Sydney Wignall's intriguing stories about his search for Spanish treasure. Prelude to History In the early morning hours of July 31,, one of the richest Spanish treasure fleets ever assembled was in trouble. The bulky treasure-laden galleons were not fast enough. They were trapped in the channel. They had nowhere to go. Eleven of the twelve ships in the Fleet, including all the treasure galleons were lost, either capsizing in deep water or tossed upon the reefs and sandy shores off of the Florida coast. More than a thousand men and women, crew and passengers perished with the ships in the fury of the hurricane. By dawn the next morning, the desolate beach was strewn with lifeless bodies and littered with wreckage. It was one of the worst sea disasters of all time. The first order of business for them was to construct a make-shift camp. The survivors had barely any food or water. Shelter from the Florida sun and protection from hostile Indians was the priority until help arrived. When the Spanish Colonial authorities heard of the disaster, they responded from Havana and St. Augustine, but it was more of an effort directed at salvaging the galleons than rescuing the survivors. As September rolled around, some survivors were still at the camp, which the Spanish authorities had turned into a base of salvage operations. Using a clever system for salvaging ships in shallow water, the Spaniards were able to recover large portions of the treasure. If so, it did not work. Pirates were almost as quick as the Spanish in responding to the disaster. The British governor of Jamaica declared open season on the remaining sunken treasure. Survivors and salvors soon faced the additional peril of armed raids aimed at relieving them of the treasure they were trying to salvage. One English privateer named Jennings was especially successful in early Winter had obliterated the wreck sites and the Spanish were apparently content with having recovered the majority of the treasure. But, in fact, a great fortune in treasure was still scattered along the Florida coast. Among the personal losses that Philip suffered from the Fleet tragedy were eight chests of gold and silver, as well as jewels designated as part of the dowry for his new year-old wife. He had married Elizabeth of Parma by proxy in and was still trying to make a good impression on the reluctant lady. More than pieces of rare jewelry from the Americas were being sent to Spain as dowry pieces for Elizabeth. Her requests included a heart made of pearls, 14 carat pearl earrings, a pure coral rosary with large sized beads and an emerald ring weighing 74 carats. Elizabeth, however, never saw any of her dowry. This sunken treasure remained untouched for more than two centuries. Kip Wagner used to go beach-combing along the Florida coast looking for decorative pieces of driftwood. What he found,instead, was treasure. Wagner noticed that none of the coins that he found dated past Consequently, he started to research shipwrecks from that era. He also had a neighbor and good friend, Dr. Kip Kelso, who was an amateur Florida historian. Their big break came in when Dr. Kelso found an authentic 18th Century map of Eastern Florida. The map was published just fifty years after the Fleet disaster. Wagner became convinced that a vast treasure in gold and silver lay scattered on the reefs just off Florida beaches. More research identified the location of the salvage camp near the Sebastian inlet. He found a number of artifacts including musket balls and a diamond ring. With this discovery he knew that the ship wrecks were nearby. But how to go about salvaging the wrecks? In, Wagner partnered with some of these experienced divers. The first season of treasure hunting proved fruitless but the group soldiered on. Then on January 8,, their luck changed. On that day, Wagner and his crew recovered over pieces of eight. Shortly thereafter, a salvage company was formed that had eight members. By the summer of, the members of Real Eight were convinced that they were on the trail of a great treasure. A gentleman named Bruce Ward had found another gold-laden galleon just south of Ft. Pierce, Florida about 70 miles south of the Sebastian inlet site Wagner was focused on. Real Eight did not have the resources to work both sites, but a new man from California by the name of Mel Fisher wanted to join Real Eight. Fisher had his own financing and crew so Wagner proposed that he work the Ft. Pierce site and partnership with Real Eight. Fisher put a boat in the water at Ft. Numismatic Significance of the Coins National Geographic heard of the find and sent an agent to sign an exclusive first-disclosure deal with Wagner for their January issue. This issue is a classic among students of Fleet lore. Wagner took the deal but he had a Page 3

4 problem. Most of his partners in Real Eight wanted to see some of the treasure sold immediately to recoup their investments. The compromise was an auction in October that featured some of the greatest numismatic treasures from the Fleet, but without explicitly identifying them as such. The auction was a great success nonetheless, and Real Eight prospered. Wagner and the members of the Real Eight Company did find the treasure that they were after. Many majors auctions followed and slowly the treasure found its way into the numismatic community. Today many collectors pay tens of thousands of dollars for prized gold doubloons and those strange bits of silver dated Commemorations are planned throughout Florida. Phil Flemming is an author and noted historian regarding Spanish Colonial America. He has extensive numismatic knowledge regarding the treasure coins of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. To learn more about these coins, visit his website at goldcobs. Flemming resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Costello resides in Venetia, Pennsylvania. Page 4

5 Chapter 3 : Treasure Definition of Treasure by Merriam-Webster The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet from Spanish Flota de Indias, also called silver fleet or plate fleet (from the Spanish plata meaning "silver"), was a convoy system adopted by the Spanish Empire from to, linking Spain with its territories in America across the Atlantic. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail, phone, fax, , or live on the Internet until each lot is closed during the live session. We cannot be responsible for errors in bidding or the loss or delay of any bids that do not reach us by the closing date and time. All bids are in U. In the case of tie bids, the earliest bidder will win the lot. Bidders are advised to provide allowable percentage increases to avoid losing lots due to a tie. Winning bidders will be notified as soon as possible after the sale with an invoice reflecting the total amount due and shall remit payment within two weeks of notification. If payment has not been received after two weeks, we reserve the right to re-open the lot s to second- and third- etc. Title to each lot does not pass until the item has been paid for in full. Mail when the invoice has been paid in full. Lots won via live Internet bidding are not eligible for these reductions. Payments by PayPal should be made to auction sedwickcoins. All payments shall be in U. Credit cards are acceptable in lieu of a deposit. If your bids are unsuccessful, your deposit will be refunded, but if you are a winning bidder, your deposit will be applied to your purchase unless other arrangements are made. Any bidders with an overdue balance with Daniel Frank Sedwick or Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC must complete payment of their previous balance before their bids will be accepted. Total budgets are used when you are bidding on more lots than you expect to win and do not wish to spend more than a specified amount. These options are not available for live Internet bidders. Any reserve will be at or below the stated low estimate and starting price. All estimates are given in U. Furthermore we reserve the right to reject any bids that we have reason to believe are not submitted in good faith. Note that grading and estimation of corrosion are subjective and differences of opinion thereof cannot be considered errors. Any returns must be agreed upon BEFORE return shipment to us, and any applicable refunds will be made immediately upon receipt of the returned item s. All returns must be submitted to us in unaltered condition no later than one month after the sale. High-quality photos of all items are viewable on our website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In some cases special delivery must be arranged between the consignor and the winning bidder. There are no surcharges for packing or handling in this sale. Page 5

6 Chapter 4 : 10 Real-Life Hidden Treasures You Could Still Find - Listverse An early 18th-century Spanish ship that could contain treasures of gold, silver, and jewels is becoming an object of contention as Colombia, Spain, and a U.S.-based salvage company try to sort out. The organized system of convoys dates from, but Spain sought to protect shipping prior to that by organizing protection around the largest Caribbean island, Cuba and the maritime region of southern Spain and the Canary Islands because of attacks by pirates and foreign navies. From Acapulco, the Asian goods were transhipped by mule train to Veracruz to be loaded onto the Caribbean treasure fleet for shipment to Spain. By law, the colonies could trade only with the one designated port in the mother country, Seville. Spanish merchants and Spaniards acting as fronts cargadores for foreign merchants sent their goods on these fleets to the New World. Some resorted to contraband to transport their cargoes untaxed. The flow of precious metals also made many traders wealthy, both in Spain and abroad. The increase in gold and silver on the Iberian market sometimes caused high inflation in the 17th century, affecting the Spanish economy. By some of these lenders could no longer offer financial support to the Crown. Numbering just 17 ships in, the fleets expanded to more than 50 much larger vessels by the end of the century. By the second half of the 17th century, that number had dwindled to less than half of its peak. However, the Atlantic trade was largely unharmed. The English acquired small islands like St Kitts in ; expelled in, they returned in and seized Jamaica in In, British Admiral Edward Vernon raided Portobello, but in his campaign against Cartagena de Indias ended in defeat, with heavy losses of men and ships. A shipyard on the river Guadalquivir in 16th century Seville: In the s, Spain opened its colonies to free trade. Thereafter small groups of naval frigates were assigned specifically to transferring goods or bullion as required. Only Piet Hein managed to capture the fleet in and bring its cargo to the Dutch Republic. In the case of the Manila galleons, only four were ever captured by British warships in nearly three centuries: Two other British attempts were foiled by the Rosario in and the Begonia in The fleets, however, must be counted as among the most successful naval operations in history. Every year, two fleets left Spain loaded with European goods in demand in Spanish America, which were guarded by military vessels. The silver from Mexico and Peru were the valuable cargo from the Americas. Fleets of fifty or more ships sailed from Spain to the Mexican port of Veracruz and other to Panama and Cartagena. Once the two fleets reached the Caribbean, the fleets separated. The New Spain fleet sailed to Veracruz in Mexico to load not only silver and the valuable red dye cochineal, but also porcelain and silk shipped from China on the Manila galleons. The Asian goods were brought overland from Acapulco to Veracruz by mule train. Some ships went to Portobello on the Caribbean coast of Panama to load Peruvian silver that had been shipped from the Pacific coast port of Callao. The silver had then been transported across the isthmus of Panama by mule. Other ships went to the Caribbean island of Margarita, off the coast of Venezuela, to collect pearls which had been harvested from offshore oyster beds. After loading was complete, both fleets sailed for Havana, Cuba, to rendezvous for the journey back to Spain. Three men died during the storm. Afterward, divers recovered most of the treasure aboard. The Capitana was the first of the ships to be found again in Salvage workers recovered items from the sunken ship over more than 10 years. Additional gold was recovered in June Walton [39] gives the following figures in pesos. For the year period the peso or piece of eight had about 25 grams of silver, about the same as the German thaler, Dutch rijksdaalder or the US silver dollar. A single galleon might carry 2 million pesos. Of the 4 billion pesos produced, 2. Of the remaining 1. Little of the wealth stayed in Spain. Of the 11 million arriving in, 2 million went to France for imports, 6 million to Italy for imports and military expenses, of which 2. The income of the Spanish crown from all sources was about 2. In the debts of the Spanish crown were 30 million pesos short-term and million long-term. Most of the New World production was silver but Colombia produced mostly gold. After about Brazil began producing gold. The following table gives the estimated legal production and necessarily excludes smuggling which was increasingly important after The crown legally took one fifth quinto real at the source and obtained more through other taxes. Page 6

7 Chapter 5 : Wignall, Sydney. In Search of Spanish Treasure (, HB/DJ, VF). In Search of Spanish Treasure: A Diver's Story by Sydney Wignall () on blog.quintoapp.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Christopher Columbus put the Americas on the map in Shortly after, this ignited over years of treasure hunting and vicious competition with the English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese, who all wanted to claim the gold, silver and other treasures for personal gain. They were willing to sink galleons, kill and do whatever it took to have these riches in their hands. Museo del Oro contains close to 34, gold pieces, plus 20, bone, stone, ceramic, and textile articles belonging to 13 Pre-Hispanic societies: The Spanish were then faced with the challenging task of transporting their multitude of treasures home. Panama City- Camino Real The Camino Real, a mule trail, was established by the Spanish to provide a land road where slaves were the main transporters of gold, silver and other treasures. The trail ran from Panama City, on the Pacific, to Portobelo, on the Caribbean Sea, while trekking through the jungle as well. Upon reaching Portobelo, the treasures were stored there until the Spanish fleet came to retrieve them and return to their final destination, Spain. In order to travel the Camino Real, the trail had to be paved. This was accomplished by bushwhacking through the dense, thick rainforest. The trail was made wide enough for two mule carts to be able travel. One cart would bring in necessities while the other cart was left with the treasures. There were many obstacles and challenges to overcome while making this ten to fourteen day trek and many were lucky to get out of this alive. From snakes, coral snakes, poisonous frogs and jaguars to malaria and yellow fever, there were no shortage of potential tribulations. Pirate attacks were also another great challenge they faced. Map of Camino de Cruces by viragoslog blogspot Cimarrones Often times, the cimarrones, enslaved Africans in Panama, who had escaped from their Spanish masters and lived together as outlaws, were recruited to help the pirates attack the mule trains. They willingly joined in to take revenge against the Spanish. In the s, they allied with Sir Francis Drake of England to defeat the Spanish conquest and raid their riches. When brought to Panama, they intermarried with the Indians and immediately learned the land in order to outsmart the Spanish. Their principal settlement was at Vallano. Many lived in large settlements of in hideouts secreted in the uninviting mountains. They frequently organized raids on the Spanish settlements and had threatened to burn down Nombre de Dios. They often stole treasure from the Spanish and hid it in the river. When the Spanish once prepared to send an expedition against them, they constructed gallows on the main road and threatened to hang and decapitate the Spanish if such a mission was carried out. During the 16th century, the quantity of treasure that the Spanish exported increased from, to 16 million pesos. The warehouse was tightly guarded. The conditions were less than desirable. The soldiers slept where they could. They ate all of their meals here, got drunk and played dice. Only two fleets were sent twice a year. One came from Seville and the other one was from Cadiz. Nombre De Dios Nombre de Dios was a storage town for the vast amounts of gold and silver that the Spaniards brought to the coast on an almost monthly basis. In, Sir Francis Drake, who was an explorer, seafarer, soldier and privateer, traveled to Nombre De Dios, Panama in search of the Spanish treasure being carried from Peru across the Isthmus of Panama. Drake was given a letter of marque, which was a royal commission that would allow him to plunder Spanish ships and ports in the New World. The relationship between England and Spain during the Tudor period was very complicated, and mutual hostilities repeatedly flared into conflict. For many English and Spanish privateers, the only thing distinguishing them from criminal pirates was the letter of marquee. They used the situation to gain riches.. Drake was granted his commission, making the queen herself a shareholder in the expedition. Drake was a notorious pillager and was active in the slave trade. The first Cimarron he encountered was named Pedro Mandiga or Mandinga, who helped guide Drake and his men across the Chagres River to Spanish outposts. He was the eldest of the twelve sons of Edmund Drake â, a Protestant farmer, and his wife Mary Mylwaye. The first son was reportedly named after his godfather, Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. Due to religious persecution during the Prayer Book Rebellion in, the Drake family fled from Devonshire into Kent. He was ordained deacon and made vicar of Upnor Church on the Medway. In Drake set sail on his first major independent venture. He planned an Page 7

8 attack on the Isthmus of Panama, This was the point at which the silver and gold treasure of Peru had to be landed and sent overland to the Caribbean Sea, where galleons from Spain would pick it up at the town of Nombre de Dios,. Drake left Plymouth on May 24,, with a crew of 73 men in two small vessels, the Pascha and the Swan, to capture Nombre de Dios. In, Drake joined Guillaume Le Testu, a French buccaneer, in an attack on an opulently overloaded mule train. Drake and his group discovered that they had captured around 20 tons of silver and gold. Wounded, Le Testu was captured and later beheaded. The small band of adventurers lugged as much gold and silver as they could carry back across approximately 18 miles of jungle-covered mountains to where they had left the raiding boats. When they got to the coast, the boats were gone. Drake and his men, disheartened, exhausted and hungry, had nowhere to go and the Spanish were not far behind. Without many options left, Drake rallied his men, buried the treasure on the beach, and built a raft to sail with two volunteers ten miles along the coast to where they had left the flagship. When Drake finally reached its deck, his men were alarmed at his dishevelled appearance. Fearing the worst, they asked him how the raid had gone. Drake pulled a necklace of Spanish gold from around his neck, which signified the success of the raid and by August 9th,, he had returned to Plymouth. In, he failed to conquer the port of Las Palmas, and following a disastrous campaign against Spanish America, where he suffered a number of defeats, he unsuccessfully attacked San Juan de Puerto Rico, eventually losing the Battle of San Juan. However, not more than a few weeks later, in January, he died of dysentery at approximately 55 years of age, while anchored off the coast of Portobelo, Panama, where some Spanish treasure ships had searched for shelter. Following his death, the English fleet withdrew. Before dying, he asked to be dressed in his full armour. He was buried at sea in a lead coffin, near Portobelo. Galleons A galleon is a large, multi-deck sailing ship used mainly by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. The galleon was designed to protect the annual treasure fleets sailing between Spain and the New World. Most galleons weighed tons. They held a lot of cargo and were built with three masts called the foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast. They also had tall forecastles and enormous stern-castles, which made them cumbersome and hard to sail. Most of the sails were square, requiring that the galleons sail with the wind coming from near the stern. The galleons were large enough to hold up to 60 cannons and crew members. The galleons were also known to carry many Spanish soldiers to help fight off pirate boarding parties. However, the galleons main drawback was that they were heavy and slow. The original galleons used to explore the lands across the oceans rarely surpassed the size of a modern-day fishing boat. Pirate ships could easily catch up to them, get past the cannon fire and come alongside to attack. The early vessels lacked the capabilities that Spain needed. They required seaworthy ships that were capable of making extensive voyages while being weighed down with a wide range of cargo. This led designers to borrow the best characteristics from existing ships to build this dream vessel. They combined elements of the caravel and the carrack, which resulted in the galleon. This new vessel combined square and lateen sails rigged on three or four masts with a longer ratio of length to beam and castles more integrated with the structure of the ship. One of the most famous shipwrecks of a galleon was the San Pedro in, wrecked by a hurricane. The ship was full of New World goods including silver, cochineal, indigo, Chinese porcelain, and other common goods. The vessel was full of water, but almost all of the cargo was rescued and taken to a nearby salvage camp on Indian Key. Life On Board the Galleon Although the new galleons that were being built were larger in size, life aboard the galleon was no different. The wealthy or influential passengers and their servants could potentially put the total number of people aboard a galleon at two hundred soldiers and sailors and up to fifty civilians, which made for extremely confined quarters. A typical Spanish galleon had a number of decks: The larger galleons also had a surgeon on board. Furthermore, in addition to the crew, there was also a carpenter, sailmaker, cook and cooper. The captain or admiral occupied the Great Cabin, which was more luxurious than the other living quarters. The Great Cabin contained large windows, a bigger space and added comfort. In contrast from the above deck, the crew slept and ate on the gundecks where it was dark and damp with a foul smell. There were also the unsightly insects and rats and foods were often spoiled. The galleon was a delicate structure and although there were threats from their enemies, the most distressing damage was caused by nature, the sea and the wind. Hurricanes and rough seas sank more than one treasure ship during the period the galleons sailed. Codes of Conduct in Piracy It was common that things were Page 8

9 handled fairly democratically on a pirate vessel. Their rules included a dress code, no women, and some ships had no smoking. Everything from the rules, the punishment for breaking them to the living arrangements would be decided on with the entire group before departure. They all took an oath that they would not betray their fellow crewmembers. Once on the ship there were typically no racial divisions and in some cases, pirates of African descent served as the captains. If there were disagreements among the pirates included fighting until first blood or in extreme cases, abandoning the person on an uninhabited island, being whipped 39 times and even being killed by firearm. In times of battle, the pirate captain always maintained all power including decision making. Page 9

10 Chapter 6 : Treasure - Wikipedia Fla. family finds $1M of sunken Spanish treasure. MELBOURNE, Fla. â For a few weeks, the Schmitt family and Fleet-Queens Jewels LLC had a million-dollar secret on their hands. Share8 Shares 2K Everyone wants to find a hidden treasure. Just imagine walking around in the woods and stumbling across a treasure chest of money. Pirates hid them all the time, sunken ships hold endless amounts of wealth under the sea, and some people are giving away their life savings just for the fun of it. Treasures are hidden all around us, and all we have to do is search for them. When Fenn was only nine years old, he found an arrowhead near his home in Texasâ an arrowhead that would shape the rest of his life. Fenn fell in love with ancient artifacts. After becoming a pilot in the air force in the s, Fenn regularly flew his plane to Pompeii to look for artifacts, of which he found plenty. When the s hit, Fenn was diagnosed with kidney cancer and told he would only have a few years to live. A few men struck it rich when they found gold in Montana. When fewer and fewer men found gold in Middle America, more and more of them continued west. But they probably should have kept looking. Experts believe a large tide from the Gulf of California collided with runoff from the Colorado River. Enough water runoff developed that the ship presumed to be Spanish was carried into the Salton Sea. Surprisingly, there is a twist to the story. In, the Los Angeles Star produced a story about a man named Charley Clusker who went out in search of the ship and actually found the treasure. The problem was, Mosby had also captured 42 other men during the raid and had to take them back through Union territory and across the Confederate line. Unwilling to part with his treasure, Mosby instructed his men to bury the treasure between two large pine trees in case of a battle. Mosby marked the trees with his knife, and the Raiders headed back along their route and across the Confederate line without any trouble from the Union. Unfortunately for Mosby, when he sent back seven of his most trusted men, they were all caught and hanged. Mosby never returned to look for the treasure. Legend has it that in, Beale and a few men he was traveling with came into a large sum of gold and silver while mining somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. So Beale wrote three ciphers. Beale then entrusted Robert Morriss, a Lynchburg, Virginia innkeeper, with the safekeeping of a box containing the ciphers. Morriss was supposed to wait 10 years before opening it. At this point, if Beale did not return for the box, a key to the cipher was supposed to be mailed to Morriss. But it never arrived. For years, Morriss and a friend tried to decode the three ciphers, but they could only manage the second cipher the one describing the contents of the treasure. Apparently, the two brothers were so good at smuggling and pirating that they amassed enough wealth that they had to resort to burying some it. After LaFitte died sometime between and, legend of his treasures began circulating around Louisiana. Claims have been made that there are large caches of treasure buried somewhere in Lake Borgne, right off the coast of New Orleans, and another about five kilometers three miles east of the Old Spanish Trail near the Sabine River in a gum tree grove. He was such an outlaw that he even formed an outlaw group, called the Wild Bunch, to travel with him, robbing whomever they felt like. Dillinger was hiding out with a few of his outlaw buddies in April The FBI shot the first three men walking out the door, all three of whom happened to be civilians. Amid all the confusion, the gangsters were able to escape out a back entrance. Just two months later, Dillinger was shot to death in Chicago, never getting the chance to go back to find the money. But most of the loot has already been found. Experts believe there is still plenty of treasure to find. The plan for the ships was to leave from Cuba for the mainland just before hurricane season hit, hoping the hurricane season would be a deterrent to pirates and privateers. It turned out that leaving so close to hurricane season was a mistake. Just six days after leaving the shores of Cuba, all of the ships had sunk, thousands of sailors had died, and every bit of gold, silver, and jewelry was doomed to lay at the bottom of the sea. Since then, seven of the ships have been recovered, but experts believe only a small amount of the valuables on the ships has been found. The one ship that has yet to be found is the San Miguelâ the ship that experts believe contains most of the treasure. But where is it? Well, most of the ships that have been found have been located off the eastern shores of Florida, although some of the ships may have made it farther out to sea before sinking. Page 10

11 Chapter 7 : Spanish Treasure Fleets--Reading 1 treasure - Translation to Spanish, pronunciation, and forum discussions. Chapter 8 : Hurricane sinks Spanish treasure ships - HISTORY The concept of a zero-sum game has always fascinated me. Outside of certain theoretical conditions like Pareto optimality, a genuine zero-sumâ where one actor's gain is concomitant and exactly equal to another's lossâ rarely exists in real life. But something close to it does exist. Take, for. Chapter 9 : Numismatic History: The Loss of the Spanish Treasure Fleet We dug up some local legends with the help of Lost Treasure USA, to help you start your search. 1. Search St. George Island for this jackpot rumored to be worth $6 million. Page 11