4A • November 30, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Views from the Rock
A Legend
MYSTERY
SOLVED
of unknown ship gives way
T
he legends and lore of the
the Oregon Coast’s mystery
of the Beeswax wreck
gave way to a new identity,
when researchers positively
identified the ship as the Manila
Galleon San Cristo de Burgos.
For almost two centuries,
beachcombers, treasure hunters
and historians have been both
baffled and intrigued by the supply
of beeswax, porcelain, teak and
other objects of the galleon trade
washed onto the North Coast.
Oregon’s shipwreck stories
— and the apocryphal “Bees-
wax” led the way — were filled
with hyperbole and imagination,
reported Scott Williams, princi-
pal investigator for the Beeswax
Wreck Project.
Until science and history
converged in the past decade or
so, the Beeswax shipwreck was
catalogued among those where
information was gathered, literally,
from fiction — for years a 1939
speculative account by William
Lytle Schurz has served as leading
source material. A 1990s mov-
ie,“The Legend of Tillamook’s
Gold” imagines those times — “a
great movie,” Williams comment-
ed, “but not a lot of truth.”
Past accounts tend to rely on
“somebody telling somebody”
something, but eluding verifica-
tion.
This summer, historian Cam-
eron La Follette and a team of
researchers — including Wil-
liams— provided compelling
evidence to identify the vessel as a
Manila galleon known as the San
Cristo de Burgos.
Researchers pored through
local sites, from mountain to sea,
archiving past finds and new ones,
including international docu-
ments chronicling the history of
the Manila galleon trade. Traders
were so careful and the cargo was
so valuable that they kept care-
ful watch on every ship that left
harbor, originating in China with
a final destination of Acapulco,
Mexico, in the New World.
Meticulous records tracked
goods and personnel, providing
modern historians with compelling
links and a startling look at the
Age of the Discovery. The Spanish
kept detailed records for taxes and
insurance, as the cargo could rep-
resent the colony’s income for a
year. Those pieces of information
enabled researchers to identify
the ship as a Spanish galleon, and
from what time.
Ships typically took four
months to get across the Pacific
from the Philippines; sometimes it
took six, and for the most unlucky
CANNON SHOTS
R.J. MARX
VISITORS DISCOVERED
SPANISH COINS
ON THE BEACH
AS RECENTLY AS
MEMORIAL DAY 2017
AND SMALL PIECES OF
CHINESE BLUE-AND-
WHITE PORCELAIN
CONTINUE TO WASH
ASHORE IN THE
NEAHKAHNIE AREA.
a year, when survival was unlikely.
Analysis of cargo provided fur-
ther details. “In that period, there
were only four eastbound galleons
that disappeared without a trace,”
Williams said at the opening lec-
ture for the Cannon Beach History
Center’s new exhibit, “Oregon
Coast Shipwrecks.”
Based on porcelain dating, only
two of those eastbound galleons
fit that period, he said. “That nar-
rowed our search.”
Relying on archeological
and historic evidence, Williams
said he is “99.9 percent certain”
researchers have identified the San
Cristo de Burgos, built and paid
for in 1687 and 1688 at the Royal
shipyard on the island of Bagatao
at the mouth of Solsogon Bay.
After an aborted voyage in 1692,
the San Cristo de Burgos faced
repairs before setting off July 1,
1693 — departing port later than
prudent for avoiding ocean storms.
Passengers included seamen, army
commanders, carpenters, infantry,
soldiers, a surgeon, sail master and
about 20 passengers, among them
six priests.
According to La Follette and
her research team in the Oregon
Historical Quarterly, the ship left
port hastily, lacking key supplies
and crew members. “A fierce
storm is the most likely culprit for
the wreck, perhaps magnified by
the ship’s vulnerabilities.”
As for the passengers, 30 crew
members survived the wreck, but
survivors lived only six months
before they were all killed in local
battles.
Hull, cannon to be found
Meanwhile, the wreckage of
the San Cristo de Burgos lays
tantalizingly close to us today —
maybe even underneath our feet.
Rigging blocks, teak wheels,
holy oil jars, chest handles have
all be unearthed in recent years
— but where is the lower hull of
the ship, 60 to 70 feet long and
likely 1,600-2000 tons? Where
are the 36 cannons known to be
aboard every galleon of this type?
The ship may have hit Neah-
kahnie Mountain before breaking
and scattering, but it could be
buried under the sand or picked
up by the tsunami and dumped
somewhere else. “We may have
a debris field or a cannon here,
there, a ballast scattered all over,”
Williams said.
Those are hard to find,
especially if under the sand, he
added. “But we’re going to keep
looking.”
Visitors discovered Spanish
coins on the beach as recently as
Memorial Day 2017 and small
pieces of Chinese blue-and-white
porcelain continue to wash ashore
in the Neahkahnie area.
Williams and others will con-
tinue the hunt using “offshore ar-
chaeology,” an occupation replete
with its own set of hazards.
Magnetometers — considered
essential to find the wreck — are
expensive and sensitive at best.
Getting boats is an issue, with
the only option to set out from
Garibaldi, 25 miles away.
“To get out in the ocean we
need the perfect combination of
no wind, no swell, no fog and the
right tide — and we need to have
both boat owners available and all
the volunteers available. Getting
those six things together on the
same day is incredibly difficult.”
Williams figures it will cost
about $100,000 for gear and
research equipment.
“I think what it will take is
for us to get really lucky or a big
storm,”
While the hunt continues, for
treasure hunters, it will be a bit of
“catch and release.”
The ships are archaeological
and historical sites, protected by
state law.
“Even if it had gold, we
wouldn’t get to keep it,” Williams
said.
First it would be offered to
the government of Spain, then
the state of Oregon. “They would
probably work it out,” Williams
said. “We don’t get to keep any
of it.”
The Oregon Coast Shipwrecks
exhibit will be on display at the
Cannon Beach History Center
and Museum through November
2019.
At one point, these Spanish shipping symbols were erro-
neously identified as mysterious in origin, spurring myths
about the wreck of the Beeswax.
BEESWAX WRECK PROJECT GROUP
In an undated photo, a man holds a largish block of beeswax
collected near the site of the Beeswax Wreck at Nehalem.
R.J. MARX
IMDB
“Tillamook’s Tr
Lead beeswax wreck in-
easure,” also
re
le
as
s.
ed
liam
as “The Le
vestigator Scott Wil
lamook’s Treasu gend of Til-
re,” in 2006.
Consider holiday shopping close to home
T
hanksgiving is over and the
fever to holiday shop has
begun. It’s been my policy
for decades to only give what I love
myself, so here is an abbreviated list
of gifts I would love to give others
and definitely would love receiving
myself. Being a “shop local”
person, all gifts are available in our
neighborhood realm.
Winter dry skin being a thing,
I can’t stock up enough unguents
by the company Tokyo Milk. I’m
addicted to their shea butter crème
that comes in a squeezable metal
tube. It’s perfect for sliding into
my capacious handbag for instant
moisturizing anywhere, anytime and
the tube never leaks. Right now I’m
head over heels with No. 60, Ka-
buki, a lychee, sugared grapefruit,
sweet jasmine and warm vanilla
blend. My husband finds it for me at
Sesame and Lilies.
Were someone to gift me with a
small, almost fit in your hand, bronze
wolf from the Bronze Coast Gallery,
I would treasure it for the rest of
Publisher
Kari Borgen
Editor
R.J. Marx
Circulation
Manager
Jeremy Feldman
Production
Manager
John D. Bruijn
VIEW FROM
THE PORCH
EVE MARX
YULETIDES CHRISTMAS SHOP
Consider holiday shopping in Cannon Beach. Yuletides Christmas Shop
offers ornaments, figurines and more.
my life. This is a rather spendy gift,
however, albeit well worth it. If your
budget is more in the hundreds than
the thousands, check out the bronze-
based jewelry, in particular the
necklaces and earrings. Each piece is
a work of art, guaranteed.
It’s hard to go wrong in the Can-
non Beach Book Company where
Advertising Sales
Holly Larkins
Classified Sales
Danielle Fisher
Staff writer
Brenna Visser
Contributing
writers
Katherine Lacaze
Eve Marx
Nancy McCarthy
they have the best selection of new
books, as well as art supplies and
cards. Lately I’ve taken to carrying
a tiny sketchbook around in my bag
to wean me off my obsession with
Instagram. Both to jot down import-
ant notes as well as to sketch, the
store also carries my favorite brand
of pen, the Uni-ball Vision Elite.
CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
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OR 97110
If you have a friend who has a pen
fetish, trust me, this is a great pen.
Last year a week or so before
Christmas I darted into Dena’s Shop
on the Corner and grabbed a pair of
Liverpool brand jeans. They were
on sale; I didn’t even try them on.
I swear, they are my most comfort-
able jeans.
Both my dogs are a bit mad for
the scoop-your-own treats at Dogs
Allowed where they carry every-
thing you’ll ever need to camp or
hike with your canine. Being of the
wimpy toy variety, my own dogs
prefer relaxing by the fire. That said,
they love Puppy Love by the Sea
which carries pet food, pet toys, pet
beds and possibly the most ador-
able selection of dog clothing in
Cannon Beach. We never forget our
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Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210,
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the owners.
fur family on the holidays and you
shouldn’t either.
The Wine Shack is anything but
a shack but they do have very nice
wine and a good selection of it.
Supplies are limited, but if you can
get your hands on a bottle of their
Puffin Oregon Pinot Noir, that is a
splendid gift. Is there a leather lover
on your holiday shopping list? The
belts, jackets, and handbags at Can-
non Beach Leather are of the best
quality. Thirty-six years in busi-
ness, they have all the best brands
including Andrew Marc, Brighton,
and Remy.
No doubt due to all the stress in
the world, not the least of it being
holiday shopping, more people have
turned to knitting. Give your favor-
ite knitter a nice big fat gift certifi-
cate to Coastal Yarns where not only
do they have premier wool but are
also offer a relaxing respite from
holiday clamor. On Dec. 5, 7, and
12 the shop is offering afternoon
and evening knitting groups. Log on
to coastalyarns.com for details.
THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING