Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1896-05-07
THE OLD YELLOW RIVER.
Romance Of tho wreck and RSoovery or
tho ZwillGht's Carrp. ~

One foggy morning just about dawn in
August, 1865, the side-wheel steamboat
Twilight was making her way cautious
ly up the Missouri river. In the wheel
house the pilot stood, dripping with
the heavy mist, calling to the wheel
MANI -s.-=.s.
Keep her jackstaff on the lone cotton
wood on the starboard shore and swing
her stern aroind.",''c =. .,l;i;...s
The Twilight was ichugl chugginH
along slowly against the current. Right
ahead was a bend in the river. Sudden
ly there was a jar The hog chains;
snapped with a report like q cannon and
the boat heavily "hogged"' or bulged
up in the middle, began to sink. She
had struck huge submerged sycamore
tree of huge dimensions, having got out
of the channel in the fog.t .H"0e:a -
The passengers were cared for by
the farmers in the vicinity and taken to
Kansas City, 20 miles distant, by boat
that came up the river that night The
cargo of the Twilight was very rich. It
VAS composed of 300 barrels of whisky,
hundreds of cases of wines, liquors and
canned goods and a large stock of gen
eral merchandise. ~ 49,.
For several years she lay on the log
in the river, visible when the water was
low and again covered. She was q
thing of fascination to country bows,
who dreamed of all sorts of exploits to
get the treasure out of her. There was
IN mir of mystery about her that thrilled
the farm lads like the tales of Capt.
Kidd or the stories of the adventures Of
wrec.iers- 49,,
Four years after she was sunk an I'M
successful attempt was made to get the
c?"Go. Several years after that farmers
III the vicinity got two barrels OF
whisky out of her and when they went
for moro she could not be found. The
IaachcTous river had shifted and she
vas Buried in n sand bank. Then the
river cut in along the south bank close
under the bluff and the great rise of
l2T made n sand bar on top Of her.
huriet her deep and left her far inland
under 30 feet of sand, 100 yards from
the I:ark of the river at high water End
half y mile from shore when the river
was down. ....... I-.-.. ~
Last year number of Kansas City
gentlemen organized Il company 10 re-
cover the @unten cargo. BY series of
Ingenious med hnical devices they To-
Gated the wreck in 80 feet of water and
found the freight in comparatively
good condition. There have been many
Interruptions of the work, but large
Part OF the merchandise has already
been recovered. -.'...
The 300 barrels of whisky in the hold
are in perfect state of presci Iation.
One of them was tapped and the whisky
was found to be beyond compare. A
glass Of is, which was poured out before
n company of men in the Kansas City
club, filled the entire floor with it's
aroma. 1t was thick and oily, almost
of the consistency of New Orleans mo-
lasses, aud after the glass was emptied
it chung to the sides as strip would.
The whisky will not b. taken out
until the government officials shall be-
come satisfied that it is tax free. The
taxes were paid at the distillery where
the stuff was made more than 80 years
ago. ..
There is a rumor that abaft of where
the whisky was found is the pufser's
cabin, and in it is q safe containing a
large sum of money, which was being
carried from St. Louis to up-river mer-
chants and army posts. The money
question, however, is forgotten for the
present, in the joy of the wreckers Mt
the finding of the whisky. Speculation
is rife as to what will be the profits c. I
the wreckers. Experienced dealers say s
that the whisky will sell readily for at
least $4oo barrel.-St, Louis Globe .
Democrat.