Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1883-05-24
Searching for a Treasure.

An old man named Thomas Caswell
spent greater part of the day at the
Union Depot yesterday, having come in
from st. Louis by the Chicago and AL
ton in the morning. He took the Coun-
Gil Bluffs for Sioux City, Ia., last even
ing, and yesterday afternoon related to
the Times on account of a matter that
occurred many years ago, but which has
not been forgotten, and the conse-
quences are yet of interest, because the
result may be manipulated so as yet to
De source of gain to some one. Cas-
we'll is an old steem5oatman, and ran
upon the Missouri in q subordinate
capacity as far back as 194O, although he
did not run regularly upon this river,
but tried it for part of season. He ran
season after season on the Lower Missis-
sippi. The matter he spoke of in par.
tlcular was the sinking of the steamer
John Gollong, near the mouth of the
Lamine, about six miles above Boom
vile and 2l6 miles below Kansas City,
about forty years ago, with about $50, 600
IN gold IN two iron safes or boxes. MIR.
Caswell says he was then employed on
the steamer lone, in q position similar
to that of second mate, and that his boat
passed the wreck of the Gollong the
next morning after the accident, landing
below the nken. steamer, and taking
away some things deposited upon the
bank. The money, he said, belonged to
paymaster in the army, and that the
paymaster was Oh his way to an up-river
fort when the boat sunk, and the acci-
dent happened in such q manner that it
was impossible to remove the heavy.
cumbrous iron receptacles of the valn-
able metal. The Gollong was narrow
and not very long boat, and when she
struck the snag she caught upon it,
swung around almost broadslde 10 the
current still held fast by the snag, and
In this position careened on her larboard
side and became total wreck. AS no
wrecking boat could be procured, the
gold was not recovered, and in time the
wreck formed bar. When Caswell
saw the place for the last time,
he was on the steamer Lady Lee,
IN April, 1881, and the spot
where the Gollong lies buried
is now some distance inland, on
the Cooper County side, probably sixty
feet, and BoonvilIe party had been
making some excavations in the attempt
to get the gold. The man who showed
the Boonville people where the boat lay
was an old man named Scott, who was
living at Boonville when the Gollong
sunk. Caswell watched with interest
the developments Of the workers, and he
says that he thinks they struck part OF
the steamers upper works, but the high
water of 1881 came on. Scott died and
nothing farther was done Wishing to
know for a certainty about the case,
Casweli caused Memphis lawyer, a
friend of his to communicate with the
army authorities at Washington, and af.
ter some time it was established beyond
doubt that the gold had really been lost
In the way stated and had never been
recovered. He is now endeavoring
procure means to further prosecute
search, and he hopes that he will b
success, although as yet there is moth
definite. The money, he says, was
the forward part of the boat on the st,
board side when the steamer careen,
and as she lurched to the larboard
thinks that the cases may have be,
considerably disturbed. He hopes to
be able to begin operations during the
low water season in August, aud will
continue till the frost comes, or till he
reaches the treasure sought.