The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-31
THE w HEN
TREASURES OF THE SEA.
Progress of the Work of Urcovering the Wreck
Of Ship that Was Sunk in 1898.

morning publishes the following report of the
operations Of the steamship City Of Long
Branch which is now anchored of Cape Hen
lopen, outside the breakwater, searching for the
treasure which went down on the British sloop
of war, DeBraak, in May 1893. The work is
being done under the direction Of DR.. Seth Pan
coast and Captain Charles A. Adams, U. S.
navy. who has been detailed by the government
steamship is very strict and everything is done
ocean has been dredgad and explored by the
divers for considerable distance, and every
elevation carefully noted on the chart After
going over the bottom for mile square from
the point at which pilot McCrackens notes said
the De Braak sank, q mound fve feet high 100
feet long aud forty feet in width, was found
in sixty feet or water. No other marked eleva-
tion was discovered within q radius or one mile.
This mound Is about 700 feet south OF the loca-
tion named by McCraeken. When the graphing
irons caught this mound the points showed o
slight trace of yerdiers. This YVES considered q
favorable sign, as verdiRris is due 20 copper.
An anchor was put out, and buoy marks tho
spot Diver Charles +. Fredrick was sent down
TO make an examination, aud probe whcn he
drove into the mound was brought up with Its
point covered with verdiRris. The records show
that, besides the treasure, the De Brsak had
seventy tons of copper IN her hold when she
sank, and was copperec above tho water line.
This was something unusual in shipso of her day.
The City Of Long Branch Is now anchored di-
rectly over this spot. The steamboat Is fitted
out with all the modern machinery for raising
sunken vessels. A large Bush wrecking pump,
which makes GOO revolutions a minute and can
discharge from eight to ten tons of solid
matter per hour, is placed amid.
ships. and is under the special
charge of submarine engineer Charles
+. Pike and bis assistant, Lewis Pike twen-
ty-horsepower engine is used to run the pump.
whLe another engine supplies the divers vito
air. The od-style hand si--pump has been en-
tirely discarded. The air is forced through
water into a receiving tank, and regular press
sure OF sixty pounds 70 the square inch Is kept
up. AL sorts OF grapples, drags and probes
have been provided. aud the outfit OF the expe.
dition ia said to be the most complete ever sent
out Diver Pedrick, while exploring the mound
found his probe imbedded in o small piece OF
wood. He signaled for a rope. and while wait
ing for il to be lowered sat down on the mound.
His hand came in contact with another piece OF
wood, about five feet long. These pieces were
sent 10 the surface and dried. In the larger
piece several bolts of the style used by ship
builders OF 100 years ago were found. The
mained 10 show they were made by hand
chemical analysis OF these bolts
showed the presence OF oopperas. which is
thought to be due to the galvanic action OF the
salt water, iron and cooper somewhere In the
immediate vicinity The wood experts say, IS
oak aud lockwood. OF which the De Brsak was
built. A sounding pipe which was lost during
the preliminary soundines, was recovered In the
mound by diver Pedrick Monday. The big
suction WAS run down and the work OF pumping
the mound out was commenced. AS the tide
runs very strong between the cspes, and diver
must direct the big suction at The bottom, the
work can only be done at slack water. and 10
necessarily slow. Diver Edward Hickman
agrees with his colleague Pedrick, who says the
mound could be pumped out IN five days IL they
could work at 10 steadily, but, as they can only
work for about three hours q day, IL will proba-
bly, take week TO find out just what Is there
Both Captain Adams and the divers feel satis-
fed there is a wreck OF a vessel lying under the
mound. In speaking OF the matter, yesterday,
Captain Adams said:
I'VE are all satisfied that the De Braak was
sunk on May 20. lI96, with its prisoners and
treasure, and, while many vessels have gone
down near there, know of no large vessel
except the De Braak anywhere nosr Csrthers
Mound 1t IS established fact that wreck
or any obstruction will. in the course Of time,
become covered mp by the wash of the tide back
and forth, and q bar Is formed ThsrN is sixty
feet of water over the mound, and Of course, it
iS too deep TO form q bar, but the tide has
washed back and forth until the wreck has
been covered and the mound formed. The
wreck itself may be found some distance be-
tween the levels. I cannot swear that this yes
sci is the De Braak until we bring up something
marked with the broad arrow, but everything
leads up to that belief. We know she had
large amount of copper on board and copper
bottom. Everything brought to the surface 40
far shows the presence OF copper. Although We
have carefully examined every foot OF the bot
tom within radius OF a mile from the bearings
taken by pilot McCracken. no trace Of copper Is
found st any other point, and We therefore
think we are now over the right spot III we
are, there is no doubt of our getting everything
that was in her when she wentdown."
Yesterday the big suction was sent down again
and the pump started. Diver Hickman directed
IL at the bottom OF the ocean. Soon immense
volumes Of water came out of the six-iuch dis
charge pipe and was caught IN q screen, which
allowed the smaller PARTICLES to run through.
When Hickman jammed the suction into the
mound great quantities of SHELLS were brought
MP and deposited in the screen. The visitors
stood near watching mud and water. Two OK
the crew, armed with big scoops, were kept busy
shovelipg the shells from the screen to the
wood" In an instant everyone was excited.
The man picked piece OF black substance
which looked like mud from his shovel and
handed 1t to engineer Pike, who turned 10 over
he broke piece off and said, "Yes, gentlemen,
that is wood. Perhaps it Is q piece OF the
Brask.' The lump brought up was about
the size Of mans fist. Under the
psd ss Ss. sSn1 sS
wood. As the tide was running very
strong. Diver Hickman had to como up
and tho pump was stopped. Engineer Pike esti-
mateu tnht oetween four ana hve tons OF Solo
matter had been discharged through the pipe
during the halfhour 1t was At work, aud said 10
WAS working satisfactorily. about 40 per cent Of
the discharge being solid matter After diver
Hickman had pu, on his everyday clothes and
solaeed himself with bis pipe. be said: AZ think
| If could have stayed down at the bottom for
another hour would have found something.
| I've got hole in the edge Of the mound FIVE feet
| deep, and think will soon find out what's down
there. TX We only have good weather for week
| IL something TN IN for
all our trouble. II we get the treasure. and J
think we are pretty close to 1t row, both Pedrick
and myself will be rich men. 1t was INN ble
for me TO stay down any longer, as the tide was
| so strong IL carried my feet from under me. I
think 10 o very short time will be hoist.
| inc up old brass canpops. and then gold will