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March 1987 Life Magazine www.life.com
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GREAT BURIED TREASURES THIS LUCKY MAN FOUND HIS, BUT OTHERS LIE UNCLAIMED In 1492 the dream of untold wealth lured an Italian sailor across an uncharted ocean. Ever since then, the same dream has drawn millions to the Americas, over deserts and mountains, through jungles and forests. For some the quest brought riches, success and power. For others it meant malaria, madness, starvation and an unmarked grave. Today’s treasure hunter has gone high tech. Shovels and snorkels have been replaced by magnetometers and remote-control vehicles, like the one used to explore the Titanic. But the quarry hasn’t changed: the glint of gold or the chance for fresh insights into our past. For Mel Fisher the prize was a shipwrecked Spanish galleon with $300 million in gold, silver and emeralds. It took him 16 years of searching, but on July 20, 1985, Fisher at last found the remains of the Atocha, sunk in a 1622 hurricane off Key West. There is lost treasure aplenty still out there in the Americas. On the following pages, LIFE looks at eight famous troves that have eluded generations of fortune seekers. But before you pack your shovel—and atmospheric diving suits—take heed. As Joseph Conrad observed, “There’s no getting away from a treasure that once fastens upon your mind.” Reporting: Linda Gomez |
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THE RICHEST OF intercepted the Spanish convoy. ALL IS NEAR THE COLOMBIAN COAST The Atocha plunder is small change compared with what lies some 16 miles off the coast of Columbia, 740 feet down in the Caribbean. On May 28, 1708, the Spanish galleon San Jose set sail from Panama with gold and silver bars, doubloons, lamps, chalices, altarpieces and jewels. The commander of the San José was José Fernández de Santillan. Although aware that English Commodore Charles Wager was “patiently and with excellent seamanship patrolling the area." Fernández dismissed the threat, observing that the sea was wide and her routes diverse." On June 8 the English intercepted the Spanish convoy, and sometime that evening the San José was sunk. More than 600 men—and the treasure—went down. |
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| In 1983 Colombian Minister of Public Works Rodolfo Segovia convinced his president that the San José belonged to the nation rather than to "venture capital treasure hunters,” The Colombian government believes it has located the ship, but until recently, the depth at which it lay made salvage impossible. This year Colombian divers may make an attempt—at a cost of $30 million. But the return will be high; the spoils are conservatively estimated to be worth $1 billion. |
 For fighting the Spanish, Commodore Wager was knighted by Queen Anne. |
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