The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1880-09-25
A Colorado Yarn.

| The Leadville Chroaicie publishes an
account of the most marvellous discovery
yet made by mortal man, provided that
1t Is true, which is more than doubtful.
Two miners, while sinking shaft near
he'd Cliff, are represented to have found
deep subterranean chamber without
apparent communication with the open
air. What they claim to have seen is
thus described:
The cave seemed at first empty, but as
their eyes gradually became accustomed
TO the deep gloom, the men saw in the
further extremity huge black object,
which, not without some trepidation,
they approached. AS they neared it,
TO their unbounded amazement. they
made out the lines of some sort OF
sailing craft. It was, as nearly as they
could Judge about sixty feet long by
some thirty feet wide, and lay tilted at
an angle of about fifteen degrees over q
rough pile of stone. The body of the
craft was built of short lengths of some
dark and very porous wood, resembling
our black walnut if it could be fnagiued
with the grain pulled apart like sponge
or piece of bread, and made perfectly
square. Both ends lit was evidently in
tended for sailing either way), were
turned abruptly up like the toe of a
peaked Moorish slipper. The planking
was apparently double riveted on the
nails of extremely hard copper, only
slightly rust eaten, and with the heads
cnt or filed in an octagonal shape, while
along the upper edge Of the ship eleven
large rings of the same metal, and
evidently for the securing of rigging,
were counted. At the bottom edges Of
the craft, and running its entire length,
were two keels some four and half feet
deep and six inches thick, hung On
metallic hinges, and at the ends were fas-
tened rough copper rods, extending up
ward and bent over so as to attach to two
masts rising from the upper edges. II
the cross of an inverted letter v be con-
ceived to represent the deck lines, the two
stems are at about the angle and position
of the masts. These were upward of 40 feet
long; and, as evidence that sail was al
one time stretched across, some ragged
remnants of what appeared to be cording
were found clinging to the inner edges.
The ends of the masts were secured in
pivots, and it was evident that in tacking
one could be moved forward and the
other back, thus bringing the sail at ar
| angle with the body of the ship-an idea
which 1t might not be bad for our mod
ern navigators to emulate. This, it il
believed, also explains the copper rods
which moved the keels so as to recipro
| cate the position of the masts. While the
| whole ship was intact, the wood crum
bled like dust beneath the finger touch
and fearful OF trapfalls the two prospect
ors did not venture to explore the in
terror. Lying on the ground near by
however, was discovered a gold instru
| ment bearing rude resemblance to ths
| sextant of the present day, and possibly
used to calculate the longitude. NJ
trace of any writing was found save a
one end of the ship, where about midway
on the bow of the ship, inclosed in (
medal ring, were 26 copper character
riveted to the wood and bearing much re
| semblance to the Chinese hierog1yphicl
of the present day. No human remains
of any sort were found, although it il
possible that search in the hold will re
veal something of this sort
Without pushing their investigation
further, the two miners, lost in wonder
ment, retraced their steps to the uppe,
air, leaving the CHASTITY ship once more il
the gloom and silence.
| BY this time it hsd grown quite darl
above, and with that tacit understanding
existing among men who had seen thai
which borders upon the supernatural
| they spoke but little between themselves
of the discovery, but sought rest by thei
/ kindling camp fire. In the morning tn,
whole thing seemed 30 much like dream
that they were seriously inclined Il
regard it as some morbid phantasy, SOM
disordersd vision of the brain alone
having no substance in reality, ant
eagerly. yet with strange dread, the,
descended the rope again. Assuring
themselves, by short survey of tn
facts they had learned the night before
the prospeetors hurriedly ascended tn
shaft and spent the rest of the day il
concealing, as well as possible, the trace
OF their excavation. This done, the,
went to the cabin of well-to-do mine
living some thirty miles down the gulch
and to him first told their extraor
dinary story. This gentleman is per
fectly reliable, and, together with
well known mining expert residing il
this city, has seen and examined the ship
and will take steps to preserve the won
derful discovery to the world in all it
possibly great historical value. Tn
minute particulars as to locality are a
present withheld for very obvious res
son-they would attract hsrde of van
dal sight-seers who would soon destro
the mouldering dust beyond hope G
restoration, and until the proper authori
ties can be sent for they will not be pub
lished..
The discovery of tho junk-like shi
with its unknown architecture, hermet
ically sealed in cavern fifty feet belo,
the surface of the earth, gives scope t
indefinite speculation. The only poss
bic explanation seems, however, tha
ages, or eons, perhaps, agone, ves
sci bearing crew of bold di'
coverers, tossed by the waves
sought a harbor in cav
within cliff. The waves then recedin
left it stranded there, and the great col
tinental divide, the awful upheavals an
conyulsions of nature, which we kno
so little of and can only blinkly specr
late on, pressed the face of the earth t,
gether and sealed it in q living grave.