Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-20
WILL PUMP FOR GUINEAS.
Syndicate of v elthy Men to Sift the
Sounds Bottom for tie Hussar's
Treasure.

There is a new plan afoot to raise
the treasure that went down with the
British man-Of-War Hussar, when she
| fOundered off Port Morris, in 1850, and
carried to the bottom seventy prison
ers who were manacled on her gun
| deck and British guineas to the
amount of $4,S00,000.
! There have been many attempts to
recover the sunken treasure by the use
of dynamite, and the work of divers,
but, as far as is known, all have been
! fruitleSS.
The plan which is to be put in
operation in a few days is the most
novel yet devised. George W. Thomas,
of Orange, n. j., who is said to repre-
| sent a syndicate, with a capital Of
| $750,O0O, has chartered the tug Ches-
ter, owned by E. R. Lowe, a Coenties
! slip wrecker, and fitted her out with
wreclling appliances of the latest pat
| tern. The boat has been undergoing
repairs in Hallet's Cove for some
weeks and is now about ready for her
work.
The Chester will be moOred exactly
above the spot where the wreck lies,
and so moored that it will remain sta
! tiOnary regardless of the tides. This
| in itself will be a feat attended by
no little difficulty, for it will be neces-
Sary to carry two stout haWSers
| ashore in addition to the four anchors
which will be got down to seward
! and from the bow and stern.
The work of previous explorers of
the bottom has been interrupted by
the rapidity with which the current
| filled up their submarine excavations.
The plan upon which Mr.. Thomas will
! proceed will avoid trouble of this
kind.
The wreck is almost completely uur-
led, and the sand is packed compactly
about the hull. Divers will be sent
down to loosen the sand and earth
that hides the wreck at a given point.
At that point a big tube, connected
with a powerful suction pump on
board the Chester will be applied. The
lOOsened material will thus be pumped
to the surface, and then shot through
NIT the passage Of anything as large
as a guinea.
That is the general plan. The wreck
ers and divers will dig and pump IN
til they have filled the sieve with
British gold or are satisfied that they
have worked over an area so large
that the story of the Hussar's treas
ure has proven a myth.
The men who have attempted to
reach the Golfers Of the Hussar since
1850 have failed in every instance, if
they are to be believed, but the story
of sunllen gold has just as many be-
levers today as it ever had. No later
than June last a Connecticut syndicate
was digging up the bottom of the
sound off Port Norris and many SINH
lar attempts have been made between
that point and He'll Gate.
It is believed now that he hull of
the wrecked war ship has been 10
Gated to a nicely, and that by eX-
aiming with care an area of about
two hundred square feet the treasure
story may be settled definitely at last.
Anu II II proves IIue-lAlS SloIy VI
British guineas-the spectators will
be richly rewarded. The Hussar was
a thirty-two gun ship, about two hun
dred feet long. She arrived kSTTe in
November 1870, in company with the
man-of-war Mercury. Together they
carried S4,SOO,OOO, which was intended
TO pay off the British troops in Amer
ira The Mercury remained here and
the Hussar, taking on board the treas
ure of her sister ship set sail for New
London.
Although the pilot was not very ia
miliar with the channel the captain |