The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-09-30
CAPTAIN KIDD'S GOLD.
A MYSTERIOUS VESSEL N THF HUDSON
RIVER, SEEKING THE PIRATES S
ABANDONED TREASURE.

I ABANDONED TREASURE.
New York Times: Great curiosity has
been excited among the people of Peek
skill, Westchester county, concerning the
mission OF a strange schooner that made
| her appe arance in the Hudson, off that
village, on Thursday last. For the first
two or three days she seemed to glide
eimlessly about, as though looking for
something, and finally came to ali an
ehorage off the south end Of Round Is
| land, where she has since been stationed.
| This island is small one in the Hudson,
| only separated from Iona Island, the fa-
nous picnic resort, by marsh-land,
which, at low water, may be waded
across. All the stone now being used on
| the Brooklyn bridge is quarried on
Round Island, and Peter Cooper has
| leased about three acres of rich mining
! territory on the back or western part of
| it. Right across on the east mainland is
| the sand bank that furnished all the ma
terial for making the roads of Central
! Park. 4 little further to the north rises
the great promontory, familiarly known
as Anthony's nose, and just to the south,
/ on the west bank, is the equally high
| Dnnderberg Mountain. A Times re-
porter took a small skif at the Peekskill
pier yesterday afternoon and rowed to
the island, which is three miles and
half from the pier. Arriving at the spot
| he pulled under the schooner's stern and
| found her name to be Mary d. Leach,
stanch vessel. Upon going on board, the
reporter learned that the schooner was
almost directly over the sunken wreck of
| THE FAMOUS CAPT. KIDD's SHIP,
| which had, SO the schooner people said,
untold millions buried with her. Mr.. D.
| D. Chaplin, who is 65 years old, told the
reporter that 35 years ago he and others
had come to the Dunderberg point,
about two miles further down the river,
to search for Capt. Kidd's ship, but they
were mistaken in It's location, and, after
| going to great expense in sinking
caisson, had to give it up and abandon
the project. Mr.. Chapin had then in
vented what he calls marine compass,
for discovering metals under water. 1t
was shown the reporter, and is in shape
very much like the end Of a sky-rocket,
and about two inches in diameter With
this compass he found that the buried
treasure was little further north, and
finally. upon further investigation, he
found the bows of large ship, at low
water, off this spot On Round Island. He
| ascertained her length to be 160 feet.
Having naarked the spot woll, intending
to return, he left, giving directions to the
tenants of the island, which he had pur-
chased, not to permit any dumping on
| this spot. He then went away, and was
since, he says, SO epgrossed with mining
business that he haG no time, till about
! two years ago, 10 return to Round Island,
when he found that the wreck had sunk
out of sight, and was far under the mud
which the passing steamers had thrown
over it. His compass, however told him
the same story as it had done 33 years
previous. He took bag
CONTAINING FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS
IN GOLD
mile away from the old wreck, SO as to
give his compass fair chance. He then
adjusted the compass on the reed used
| for the purpose; and, although SO near to
the bag OF gold, it pointed directly to the
| wreck, and from that and subsequent
tests, which he will not fully explain, he
is confident there is at least 100000 in
| gold in the vessel, and many times that
amount in silver. He is now engaged
| by the International Submarine Com
pany, of Connecticut, in this enterprise.
They find the bow of the vessel is about
100 feet from the shore, and. by means
| of their hydraulic force pumps, capable
of pumping 1000 gallons per minute,
have cleared portion of the deck II by
feet in diamensions. To do this they
have had to clear away mud which was
| over it to the depth of II feet, and on
| top of this is % feet of water at high tide.
He says he is positive Kidd's ship has
at last been struck, and when this por-
| ton Of the deck was cleared some of the
woodwork foated to the surface, but it
was very rotten. He told the reporter
| that while on visit once to GARDENERS
| Island he was shown book that contain
ed statement of the first mate of Capt.
| kidd's ship, to the effect that when they
| discovered they were being hotly pursued
THEY SAILED UP THE HUDSON.
not the Souud, as is generally supposed.
They supposed they were in the channel
in the centre of the river, and they ran
| into an island and were sunk From the
! description given of the location of this
island he is sure it is Round Island
He also said that an old cannon, such as
was used formerly on war vessels, was
found on this island, which would tend
to corroborate his theory. BY means of
his compass, the Lexington, which sunk
in the Sound near Bridgeport, Conn, in
1910, and the Erie, which also sank in
the Sound, in 1916, were discovered and
raised after all other means had failed
He has never had the compass patented,
but has been offered, he says, as much
as $500, 900 for the secret, which be will
not divulge. The schooner on which he
now is, is fitted up in the best style for
its business. 1t has two powerful engin-
es, diving armor, and all the most ap-
proved appliances for submarine work.
Mr.. Charles f. Pike is the superinterd-
ent in charge of the work. He is an in
telligent man, and is sanguine of success
IN his enterprise.