The morning call., 1892-12-29
A BEESWAX MINE.
James II. Brette's Bonanza
in Oregon.
A MYSTERIOUS OLD WRECK.
Old Cannons, Welded Copper Chains,
Handmade Nails and Other
CuriOsities Found.
MYSTERIOUS OLD WRECK.

II have beeswax mine in Oregon. said
James Ii. Brette at the Grand Hotel last
might, and am now going up to deyelopit.
You needn't lCok so ineredulous," he
continued. 81 mean just what say. have
beeswax mine from which tons of wax
have already been taken. 1t is of good
quality and sells for fair price. OF course
it is no. refined article, but it is very good,
considering the fact that il has been alter
nately buried in the sands of an ocean beach
and washed by the surf for upward of 100
years.
Some time away back in the dim past an
unknown vessel sailing under an unknown
flag and manned by an unknown people
foundered in a storm upon the rocks of
Tillamook head. When the storm a5ated
the wreck was washed upon the long
stretch of beach just sonth of the rocky
promontGry and the greater part of it lies
buried there to-day.
No one knows how long ago that was,
for The story Of the wreck and the wonder
full tales of the little swarthy men who
manned the vessel were but obscure Indian
traditions when Lewis and Clarke first
reached the coast within few miles of the
scere.
In the records of that bold exploring
party are found references TO Indians who
evidently had white blood in their veins,
and they found one olG SQuaw, 90 wears of
age, who remembered that her father was
white ike Lewis and Clarke, and she re-
called strange stories which he had told her
OF white race far beyond the seas. She
recalled that he had told her how the ship
upon which he sailed had been wrecked and
all but three men had drowned. They were
unable to find their way back to civilization.
and had lived and died among the Indians.
ut must have been very early in the
eighteenth century that the vessel was cast
upon that Storm-beaten coast with its cargo
Of beeSwax.
The vessel must have carried little else
but beeswaX. for tons upon tens have been
taken out of the beach sand and the mine
seems ineXhaustible. In early days the
beeswax candles found there In a good state
OF preservation lighted the frontiersman's
home.
"A great quantity of the wax had been
manufactured into candles, which are yet
occasionally found in good condition.
Wherever exposed to the action of the ele-
ments. however, the wicking has decayed,
and often they are found welded together.
"The sands in which the old wreck is
buried are continually shifting, and some
times it is covered to a depth Of twenty
feet, while again it will be almost entirely
exposed. great deal Of the wax has been
washed out and drifts to and fro with the
waves or is found half buried in the beach
miles away.
Some of the larger pieces have rude
characters engraved upon them. and one
chunk weighing about 100 pounds was found
with the Catholic symbols 4. II. S.
scrawled upon il.
Many other curiosities are found there,
but the most noteworthy discovery was
copper chain about six feet long with six
inch links so firmly welded together that it
is impossible to tell where they are Joined.
This must be of great interest to anti
QuarianS when it is known that the welding
as we'll as the hardening OF copper is among
the lost arts. The chain, believe, Is now
IN the custody of the Academy of Sciences
in this city.
"The vessel was evidently of teakwood,
for pieces OF it are found scattered around
In the sand with an occasional rusty spike
IN them The nails are about six inches
long and the same size on each side, taper
ing gradually to sharp point. They are
very clumsy and were evidently made by
hand.
"a couple of very badly rusted old can
non have been found there, but there was
nothing about them to indicate their manu-
facture.
There is an old tradition among The lu-
dians OF that locality that the vessel lay
| off shore several days before she was
wrecked, and during her stay boatload of
men took box of gold ashore and carried
II up on the promontOry. There they dug
hole, killed black man whom they had
brought along with them and throwing his
body into the hole covered 1t and the gold
uD. The Indians were too superstitious to
venture near the buried treasure, but they
still assume 10 know where it is concealed,
though they can never be induced to tell.
Many parties have been organized to search
for II, but they have never been successful.
THE recent storms have shifted the
sands on the beach so that the beeswax can
now be taken out with little trouble, and
am in hopes of securing several tons within
the next few months. AS beeswax of that
quality sells readily for 90 cents pound.
you hay see that a bees wax mine which Is
worked by the waves is bonanza"