Gold, 1715 treasures found
By staff report
June 16, 2004
SEBASTIAN ? June has turned into another golden month for the Sebastian-based Mel Fisher Center and Museum.
"Today's the day," reportedly yelled shipmates Chaz Francovigilla and Jeff Croy as Gold Hound captain Greg Bounds notified center officials Sunday he had found an ornate gold cross and medallion.
Bounds and his crew are working the 1715 Spanish Silver Plate Fleet shipwrecks under a contract with the center, which is authorized by the state to conduct the salvage operation. The cross and medallion were found on the Cabin Wreck site, just south of the Sebastian Inlet.
The artifacts later were found to be a missing piece of a rosary recovered 10 years ago in 1994 by Fort Pierce treasure hunter Demostines Molinar. The same area in 1993 and 1994 yielded four intact gold rosaries, 10 pairs of gold cufflinks and other items. Bounds hopes to add to the list this week.
"It's really tough to find it all," said Taffi Fisher Abt, director of the museum and center. "It's a big ocean with a lot of deep sand and Mother Nature makes it difficult."
The new artifacts will be on display at the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum, 1322 U.S. 1, by Friday.
The salvage season began in late May and usually lasts for about 100 days. Last June, the center's first find of a season was a small gold oval, which contained a gold cross studded with seven emeralds, on a 5-foot gold chain, along with two emerald and gold rings.
