The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1866-09-27
EsH,FL OF, PERIIsAR II II H..

ROIINx a |. SEPTEMBER .
! a Centary's Search for Cant. Kidd,U
II M Buried Treasure.
j * cofrespoRdent Of the New Yo,k
4 Herald, writing from, Chester, Malone
Bay, Nova Scotia, gives the following
ssmarakble narrative of Oak Island,
daroupd which there is wraprsd some.
thing oftomance. The island Is small
one on the South side of Nova Scotia.
where !, Is, attn believed by MANY. Der.
sops that. Captain Kidd, the notorious
nirste, bhried the bulk Of his treasure.
The writer states that q. century apo.
i 40 'old map resided 10 tue slfen British
oleAy % New Epglaad. whose lie had
Sbeeh wfhpped n 4. ystefy !, odt he wss
always believed 20 he one Of Captain
k'dd's original rovers. When he died,
the old man admitted that this suspi
eion was well founded : tba: he did be
long to the-greatpi ate's crew, and had
assisted in barying over 100000 of
gold, beneath the soif of secluded is.
land, East Of Boston. the proceeds of
Kids piracies. The settlers along the
New England coast Heard heaory, and
for years maze an unsuccessful search
for tbe subterrauean treasure vault.
About twenty FIVE years ago, three
men named Smith, Qand and McGinns
settled il Nova Scotia. Smith a nd Nc
Ginns took mp baud on Oak Island
During their work In telling the forests,
they were astonished to find traces Of
former civilization, and subsequent dis.
coveries recalled TO their minds the old
sailors story. The secluded situation
Of the island, AND tire mark Of former
hahita,ion appeared in keeping with all
they had heard of kiddS hidden pIuu>
der.
Subsequently. they disco&ered an old
pit that had been flied. The mouth of
il WAS seven feet in diameter, end u.6
earth with which il %ss filled up being
soft and loamy, was REMOVED, and they
descended foot by foot. and pushed tb cir
exploration forward, hut found no sign
of the lost treasure, and finally sban-
Goned the search.
Fifteen years LATER, an old resident
named Lynd. examined the ground, and
becoming infatuated with. the idea that
these Were tho vaults Of Kidd formed
n company, and early in 1hc following
l-r;.-ss sss,.-,.-A 81 -,i-...,.,...-.-
der the. suparsisivh OF the three origin
al discoveters. +, Fifty feet fium tho sur,
ttce, they came 10 tiet of putty. Fur:
ttcr down was fig stone, one zoo, by
1.-Two, with some rudely cut figures and
letters upon it. They hoped fhis in
sctiption would assist ir solving Tho
mystery, but they were unable 20, de-
cipher il. AT a depth Of ninety fre:.
hey teand Indications Of water at
ninety yth'ro feet lie water increased.
Night Coming OF they sunk, crow bar
down five f$et. and struck hard. im>
pene,fatde substance, fonud by The sides
OF tlIe pit. 'S"nfe supposed j, was wood;
Others called II a chest. They Quit
wnIk fur the light and returned home,
confident that With the mornings san
they would possess the long Sought
treasure, and. they discussed the question
Of IT'S division. Morning settled tho
matter, however, for on repairing TO
work they found, ssx,y feet Of walet.in
the shaft.
. To bail out the water WAS impossible :;
tpt main shaft was sunk by thesside
Of the old one, TO be tunneled- AT the
bottom, in hcpes Of striking. the money
chest. When within ten feet Of The
proper depth, the. pit gave way, and the
water ffow sdSin SO rapidly that the men
barely had lhne. to escape with uler
lives. .:
| Fifty years glidod into eternity before
the work was well renewed Yet The
shafts and tunnels still remained full Of
water, which rose and fell with the eb.
bing apd flowing of the tide in the bay,
showing clearly that the island had been
pierced by snbterranea passages. s.I'his
brings us down to period Of fifteen
| years ago. A number Of youug men in
the summer Of IS4s proceeded to the
island and renewed the work. They
followed down the shaft and encounter
ed the same difficully-waterc coming in
i upon them. Bat they pierced the bot.
tom of the pit, and struck hard wood.
en- substance cut through spruce log
Esix inches thick, and finally struck a
sharp metallic substance. But twenty
Inches deeper, they bored into more
wood, and below ii the same mineral
substance. Among other articles taken
ont was Spanish grass and part Of the
hoop Of barrel, with the bark in good
state Of preservation.
! Il was afterwards found that several