Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-07-31
A Wonderful Discovery.

We are informed by the most trust
worthy authority possible OF the discov-
cry of marvellous amount of gold, found
by respected citizen of this city last
night, while digging drain to carry off
some water that had collected in his
woodshed, near the river bank. While
busily engaged in his unpOetlcal occupa-
ton, his spade struck something hard,
which he soon ascertained to be stone,
the stone lying on the path Of his drain.
1t being somewhat dark, he repaired to
the house for lantern. Returning to the
| woodshed, he continued his la5ors, find
ing the stone very. large and deep in the
ground. To be brief, while prying with
the spade, the stone apparently separated;
but on looking at it closely with the aid
of his lantern, he saw the apparently solid
rock was hollow, and filled with some
thing which, upon examination, he found
to be pieces of gold, varying in size from
quarter to half of an inch in diameter,
and which, upon scrutiniZing, he ascer
tanned to be Of curious inscription, APP
parently Ph9nician. Upon looking again
at the large lid or cover, our fortunate
friend, who is gentleman of great and
varied learning, discovered it to be COW
cred with Ph9nician letters and hero
wOndrous tales of former navigatOrs who
claimed to have sailed around Africa, and
found lands overlooking with gold, nav
igator in the time of Cambyses who was
ordered to proceed against Carthage
(which was Phenician colony) secretly
embarked for the Phnnician coast, having
collected the wealth of himself and
friends, and sailed past Carthage, pre-
ferring flight to an unknown country in
an unknown sea than make war upon
their own countrymen. The route pur-
sued is briefly told Passing the pillars
of Hercules they sailed close to the Afri-
can coast and having sailed many moons,
they steered to the shore, where they
stocked with provisions. After this they
were met by most adverse winds, which,
giving way to, they, after many weeks,
found themselves upon some new
coast. Being inundated by dark, curl
Gus people, they again betook themselves
to their ship, and sailing with the wind
and stream, soon found a new and large
land. A disaster to their ship compelled
them to seak the shore, where they were
first received as gods, but some of their
own cruelties made their flight necessary,
and after fleeing over hills and streams,
sailing over lakes they came to the river
where they then were. The coins were
carefully preserved as the images of the
gods of the Ph9nicians were engraved on
their coins, and their other images were
too heavy to carry in their flight. Having
recourse to late reading of the late Lieu
tenant Maury's trade winds and ocean cur
rents, he remembered that from the Cape
of Good Hope to the coast of Brazil a
strong and vigorous wind is constantly
blowing, which was the adverse wind
spoken Of which drove them on the I'M
known shore. The wind and stream
which still carried them on was probably
the Caribbean and Gulf stream AS they
were navigators, they probably hastily
constructed boats and sailed along the
SO lth shore of Lake Erie, our magnificent
bay and harbor inviting them to rest, re
sembling probably the spacious Ravens of
their own Egean Sea. A further inscrip-
ton, stating the terror of the sailors at
first beholding the sun shining to the
north of them, is also recorded with sin
gular Phenician brevity. But casting
aside the reflections of the scholar for the
practical energies of the treasure seeker,
he turned from the inscription to the
coins, when our friend found himself in
possession Of a princely fortune, which
Monte Christie could not but covet, which,
after having with great labor dug up, he
proceeded with levers and rollers to carry
his wealth into the house, when juSt as he
reached the dOor-he woke up-TOZedo
Blade