The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-06
THE WRECK OF THE HUSSAR.
ATS GOLD rs LIKE THE Por At THE
roof OF THE RAINBOW


DIsnppointcd-TheN Motion OF Lost Cole q.
liiusion-How u Aroso-Previous Search
inss for Riches at tho Bottom OF Hell
Gate-A Few Historical Facts.
Oliver Goldsmith. who knew human nature
In all its phases. in ono OF his most charming
sketches EXPOSED the credulty OF mankind.
Who can ever forget the story OF Moses and
the green spectacles in Tho Vicar OF Wake
field 2" But 1t is to be supposed that tho youth
full victim OF tho reddling Israelite did not for
get his experience Experience ia certainly
sure t.acher but apparently each generation
must pass through its own. taking to heart
nothing OF that Of its predecessors
Among tho crazes which from time TO time
seiZc tho popular mind is the search for lost
treasure. In tho early days OF the century
the raging foyer OF this type was tho hunt for
the ingots supposed to have been buried BY
Can't Kidd. This has been pursued in various
places and in many ATTITUDES. and there is q
reasonable probability that the famous pirate
may have somewhere concealed something
and perhaps something OF value.
Next in interest to this somewhat vague en-
'terpriso comes again. for tho third time in our
knowledge tho search for tho lost gulneas of
tho British frigate Hussar. supposed to have
como down and still to remain In the hulk OF
that vessel in New York waters. Tho precise
amount supposed to be now buried beneath
the sand OF Long Island Sound was stated by
THE sun In the autumn Of 1876 at the modest
sum OF 100000.
Here is all that Is known OF this vessel and
OF this treasure;
The Hussar frignte was the second OF her
name in tho royal navy. Her predecessor OF
twenty-eight guns. built in 1917. was lost OH
the coast of Cuba in 1862. The second Hussar
frigate. the remains of which are tho subject
OF present interest. was built in 1863. Char
s,ock's Marine Arctitcc'Hrt gives her dinen-
sons as: Gun deck. III feet inches: keel.
lO2 feet inches: beam. 33 feet = inches:
hold. IL feet; tonnage. Gl9: crew. 200: and
records her MS lost in Brothers Bay.
On Aug ID. l7so. his Maiesty's ships Bien-
faisant. Capt Mcbride: Charon. Capt. Sum-
mer: Hussar. Capt. Poole. and Licorne. Capt
Cardigan. with ninety eiGht sail OF merchant
ships and transports for New York and one Of
the Leeward Islands. sailed from Cork. New
York was then in the occupation OF the British
and the central point Of the army and navy
operations for the subjugation Of tho revolted
colonies. 1t was also the British army head
quarters. The patriotism Of the population in
the driving off the supplies OF cattle beyond
the reach OF army foragers forced the COM
manders to depend almost wholly for their
supplies upon Great Britain. while the enter
prise OF inc AmCTlcuu pTlNdlecIS anu uuUodtS
which patrolled the coast made it indispensa-
BILE to protect the conveys by n strong escort
Besides. the French marine which. notwith-
standing the chat and jeers OF John Bull. was
venturesome and gallant enough to worry tho
sides OF the complacent animal often mado
havoc with the estrays OF the transport leets
The day after the royal fleet left Cork the Bien.
fasant. or Benelcent as she was termed In
common parlancc. fell in with and captured a
French siNty-four-gun ship. the Due d'Artois.
which was cruising in their quest. The course
of the British conveys was laid for Charleston.
where they came to anchor Off the bar. On
Oct 10. in severe storm. several OF the fleet
were driven from anchorage and scattered.
One Of these vessels. the brig Fly. Capt. Hmm
lton. from London. was captured by a patriot
from New London. which had vcntured thus
far to the southward. with the usual daring
soon afterward both the Adventure and her
pbs the the Fly Tsp' sS by h
where they arrived in November.
York c;azete Of the 1ath, the fleet from Cork
Charleston. where they left twenty odd sail"
Here we leave all authoritative record the
tas Arrival or p nth the Husssr Tha.
this vessel came in with the fleet is apparent
- OF the same year. 1850. she, struck on Pot
Rock in the Hell Gate pass on the afternoon OF
opposite Port Port Morris. where the curious may
TO-DAY See large derrick riSgsd with al
anchored over hcr remains
On what errani was she bound up the East
River and through the sound? And on what
ure. the millions. all gold. she Ia now supposed
to hide within her strong oaken sides Let
ea Of u * isis gives from The
Columbian the first notice We have met with OF
any treasure. Here 1t IS:
COmpIny OF auypnturarS arc now ODoTAt-
ing with the diving bell on the wreck Of tho
hs ,rai ms wa asnf Two
or three years ago i, part OF the same company
laboret with cpnslderablo success. and raised
The insssris known to havo had a quantity
81 specie, on board when she sank. which is
position Of tho wrecl; has hitherto prevented
the bell from dropping within the hulk. but.
are sawed out. and olated with hope. tho per-
severing adventurcrs are approaching the
golden prize. Tho bell dcsccnds about sixty
The patience Of these dvors seems to have
worn cut ana we hsnr NO more o, them Tn fta
more consistency. and the sum supposed to DO
beneath the waters takes tho definite amount
Dec. 1. 1919 as tho amount thought to be- on
hoard. This notice speaks Of some guns and
Sonrh 5nn and a W NJ a success tn
tho project. In those specie wanting times it
eireaation These sew words we're re Written after
thu suspen, ion of si.cco payments in 1919
Tho project to which Niles allulsa III pears
to have originated with ono samuel Davis.
who organized u company about that period.
The tp,umsrridl ldrOfiSp, OF Dec -. 1919.
gives the first notice under the heading:
"HussAR FRrG,Th AND SIoop MEn'URy.-A
Mr.. Samuel Dnvi- advcrtises in tho Baltimore
papers project for raising those British YES
seis which woro sunk near this city during tho
Revolutionary war one in tho East and tho
other i'll tho North River. lie states that ono
Of tho vessels had, when She sank. nearly
sl,oOoooo. that 10 hpl been informed
and another respectable gentleman that
there is no doubt. from the cNamlnati ion
given to tho vessels by means Of II
Giving bell. that both, can be raised, that he
has invented Il machine by which he has
already raised two schooners which were
sunk In the harbor Of la ltimore. as well AS
large rocks. !lftocn ieet under water. and that
he has not tho means I" erect machinery
sufficiently strong and powful for tho object
In view. lIo therefore proposes. by and with
the advice Of his friends to create stock and
raise the money by subscriptions. on the prin-
cpe that. If successful. the profits shall DO
divided among the subscribers in proportion
to tho sums respectively subscribed. Tho
70 shares he has ilyod ut Sl5 each. that any per-
Gl,a tIn Inv.