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National Geographic : 1982 Feb
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centuries dropped away, and I experienced a surge of empathy with the lost galleons of 1622. The ingot had been shipped at Porto belo, intended for Seville and the Brother hood of the Holy Cross; it was sent by the merchant, Gaspar de Rojas. Cut into the blackened surface of the bar were Rojas's RX mark and an S topped with a Jerusalem cross. The sunken vessel found by Treasure Salvors was the Santa Margarita. Treasures and Troubles Multiply In late May, Bob Jordan filed the wreck site in his own name before a federal judge. Then he loaded Castilianwith supplies and fuel-at Fisher's cost-and sailed again for the Marquesas. Near the center of the Santa Margarita site, on May 25, Castilian'sdivers hit a bo nanza. Their excitement built as they recov ered 11 large gold bars, four smaller ones, and part of a large gold disk: fifty pounds of bullion! They also found five two-escudo gold coins, six small silver ingots, two pigs of Cuban copper, a quartzite stone cannon ball, and 581 silver coins. The next day Castilian'scaptain pulled her anchors and left the wreck site. He paused briefly at Key West harbor, but did not turn the treasure over to Mel Fisher. In stead he went up the keys, docked at the home of a financial backer, and turned the gold and silver over to a U. S. marshal. David Paul Horan had earlier successful ly turned back the claims of both state and federal governments to the Atocha treasure. Now he faced another urgent challenge. For two days Horan slept little as he prepared the necessary motions to recover the Santa Margaritatreasure, at least until the dispute was resolved. These were successful; Judge William O. Mehrtens approved the transfer of the gold and silver to Treasure Salvors. In the next few months the state of Florida moved to claim the new shipwreck. Fisher was free to work the wreck site, but the legal cases went on. To add further to Fisher's problems, on May 28 his galleon museum, ravaged by shipworms, sank alongside its pier in Key West. The salvor had then to locate new of fices, fight the legal challenges, and further fund his operations. Work on the Santa Margaritacontinued. 240 Bones of the ravaged galleon hold clues to the artof 17th-century Spanish shipbuilding. Unexpected survivors in these rough shallows, 22 feet deep, National Geographic,February1982
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