The morning call., 1893-09-19

confessed themselves, and frankly told
the history of their Investigations.
But more light has also been thrown on
the origin of the 'den" itself for its
builder is known, and at least one citizen
of Oakland has been found who knew and
visited the humble Frenchman who built
there the first brick kiln on that side of
the bay, and nothing could have been
further from his intention than to con-
struct something which over forty years
after would mystify the inhabitants of a
whole city, and be the foundation of a
score of legends.
George T, Lafleche, who has lived on the
Oakland peninsula since the early '40S,
remembers the place very we'll. and while
the proprietor of the ruins was engaged in
burning plain, everyday brick, ne visited
there frequently. LaflPChe is now the pro-
priet0r OF the Capital House at the foot of
Broadway, and when seen at his place of
business last night he told the story.
1T is only primitive brick-kiln that
has caused so much talk" said he. at
was built in 1850 and was used In that and
the following year, when the owner aban-
dOned it. He was a Frenchman named
ROmby and | knew him well. | have been
there often and know exactly how the
place was constructed.
"ROmby had just come over from France
and he built the kiln In the same way we
used to do at home. Instead of building
up the kiln we always used to dig into the
side of a hill or bank where it was steep,
and by cutting this out we had the two
sides and the back already built for us.
Then we built our furnace in the edge
of the bottom and run fiues along the CEN
ter. and all we had to do was to set the
bricks on edge over the flues, and in that
way we burned them. ROmDy made a very
good quality of tile there. They were
octagonal in shape and 12x12 inches. and
two inches thick. There are plenty of
some OF them in the walk in front of
Auditfred d Co.'S place. at the corner of
Fourth and Jefferson streets.
The next year ROmby came across to
THIS side OF the estuary and built another
Kiln on the ground now occupied by the
Sacred Heart Convent on Webster street.
de found the clay better there, and the
old place over on what Is now known as
Adams Point was abandoned.
The rain of the seasons following soon
caused the walls 10 cTumble, and by the
time that Boselle came there in 1860 or '61
1t was we'll covered up. Boselle began to
plow the land at once, and it has been
used for agricultural purposes ever since.
In 1865 Edison Adams bought the place
and he continued TO farm il, aud during all
these years the plow has been at work
leveling the soil above Romby's brick kiln
until 1t was so many feet under ground
that it was forgotten. and but few people,
If any, are now living who knew Romby.
He employed, or rather supported,
lot of shipwrecked French sailors there.
and fed them on beef which he stole from
PeTalta's herds. And he brought the men
with him when he came on to this side of
the lake"
The men who have been doing the mys-
FERROUS excavating on the site of the OLD
kiln are John w. Hobart and his nephew.
). ii. Robinson. both residents of Oakland
Hobart is miner. and has spent much of
the time Of late years in the mountains,
prospecting for mineral, and when it was
suggested to him that there was a vast
amount of treasure hidden on the shore of
Lake Merritt. he was almost at home when
he hogan to dig for it.
1t was about Two months ago that Mrs.
Titzell. a medium, who is a friend of mine
toid me that there were furnaces and piles
ot brick concraled beneath the banks of
Lake Merritt" said the gold hunter, land
mat treasure was hidden there, about
65OO0. she said. l laughed at her. but a
l. W days later she spoke to me again about
u and suggested that we would go out to
the lake We did so and she picked out
spot aud told me TO dig there and would
hid brick wall and arched ways and be-
yoDd that the treasure. She described il
perfectly, as afterward found, and if she
han oeen all through, as l have boen, she
could not have been truer to details.
AFTER We returned to the city | remem-
Dered OF bank robbery in San Francisco
aooul lhIty-nVr years ago, and as She said
MS treasure was in gold bars | thoupht
something of it and finally told her tnat
would 10 out there and do some digging
1ust 10 show that she was mistaken. It
was nve weeks ago next Wednesday that
we began work and just al daybreak of