The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-03

ton of the money pitt Just before
reaching that point the water burst in
and the workmen fed for their lives
IN twenty minutes there was forty-five
feet of water in the new pit The sole
object in view in sinking this shaft was
TO increase the bailing facilities, for
winch purpose preparations had been
made, and bailing was resumed in both
the new and old pits, each being equip
ped with two-horse gins. Work was car
ried on night and day for about a week
but all in vain, the only difference being
that with the doubled appliances the
water could be kept at lower level than
formerly: About this time the discovery
was made that the water was salt, and
that it rose and fell in both shafts about
tides.
1T was considered extremely imnroba-
bic that the flow Of water came through
natural channel and if not through
natural, II must be through an artificial
one, having it's inlet somewhere on the
shore. In support Of the theory that the
water did not enter the money pit
through natural channel, it was argued
that rad 1t done so the original diggers
must have struck 1t, and. If they did, it
Is certain that the workmen would have
been driven from the pit by the great
flow OF water. and the shaft evidently
would necessarily have been abandoned.
This evidently was not the case, as there
Is ample evidence from the fact that the
wooden platforms were carefully placed
IN position at the bottom of the shaft as
well as the fact that the shaft had been
systematically filled up, with marks plac-
ed at every ten feet Acting on this theory
find such an inlet.
Smiths cove, on the eastern end Of the
island and about thirty rods from the
money pitt was first examined by reason
Of its many natural advantages as a
starting point for work of this kind ana
from the fact that at about the center OF
this cove 1t had always been noticed thai,
at low tide water was running out OF m
sand. Investigations were begun at this
point, and the result of a few minutes
shoveliing proved beyond a doubt that
they had struck the place they were look
ing for After removing the sand and
gravel covering the beach, they came to
a covering or bed of brown, hbrous
plant, the fibre very much resembling the
husk Of a cocoanut and when compared
with the plant that was bored out Of the
money pit, no difference in the two could
be detected. HoWevr, il was subsequent
" proved to be a tropical plant in former
times used as 'dunnage' in slowing ship's
cargo. The surface covered by this plant
extended AS feet along the high water
mark, and about two inches in thickness.
Undertaking this and to the same extern
was about four or five inches of decayed
eel grass, and under this was a compact
mass of beach rocks free from sand or
gravel
these rocks and make further investiga-
ton unless the tide was kept back. Ac-
cOrdingly a Golfer dam was built around
this part Of the cove. including the boun-
daries, but an unusually high tide over
flowed the top the dam, and as II had
not been constructed to resist pressure
from the inside, when the tide receded
II was carried away Other pits were
dug, but they. too soon filled with water,
and or the time the work was given up
Not long ago young man found on
the island a copper coin weighing an
ounce and a half, dated 1917, on which
were various strange devices. Some
years ago a bOatswain's stone whistle
was also found on the island Of a very
ancient pattern, but It was accidentally
broken by the finder and was thrown
away
1T is perfectly evident that the great