The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1896-07-03
THE OLD YELLOW RIVER.
Romance of the Wreck and Recovery OF
the Twllight's Cargo.

the Twllight's Cargo.
One foggy morning justaboutdawn in
August, 1865, the side-wheel steamboat
Twilight was making her way cautious
~ up the Missouri river. In the wheel
house the pilot stood, dripping with
the heavy mist, calling to the wheel
man:
keep her jacl1staff on the lone cotton
wood on the starboard shore and swing
her stern around"
The Twilight was chug-chugging
along slowly against the current. Right
ahead was a bend in the river. Sudden
~ there was a jar. The hog chains
snapped with q report like a 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 TIE cha-lncl in Che fog.
The passengers were cared for by
the farmers IL the vicinity and taken to
Kansas City, 90 miles distant, by a. boar
that came up the river that night. Tie
cargo Of the Twilight was very rich. Ii
was composed Of 800 barrels OF whisky,
hundreds Of eases OF wines, liquors ard
canned goods ard large stock Of gen
erai merchandise.
Tor several years she lay on the log
in the river, visible when the water was
low ard again covered. She Yves q
thing OF fascination to country boys.
who dreamed of all sorts Of exploits to
get tie treasure out OF her. There WIS
N az. CT mystery about her that thrilled
de farm lads like the tales CT Capt.
Kidd or the stories Of the adventures Of
wrcc,;eTs.
-Four years after she was sunk an I'M
successful attempt was. made to get the
cargo. Several years after that farmers
il the vicinity got two barrels OF
Whisky out of her and when they went
Tor gno1c Sic could not be found. The
river Lad shifted and she
;T1a3 buried in n sand bank. Then the
river CIT in along the south bank ciosc
under tho bluff and the great rise OF |
1897 made sand bar cn top Of her.
buried hct deep and left her FAR inland |
RAIDER 20 feet Of sand, 100 yards from |
the ba;:li of the river at high water and |
aal4 9 mile from shore when the river !
was down.
Last year a number OF Kansas City |
gcntlcEcn organized company TO re-
over the sunken cargo. Ey d series OF
Z gcsiicus mechanical devices they 10 /
,ated the wlcclt in 90 feet OF water and
Quad tie freight in clETaTatirely
rocG condition. There have beer many
of the work, bat u larg,
art OF the merchandise has already
seen recovered.
The 800 barrels of whisky in the hold
re in a perfect state of pFoscI yatioE.
INC CT thenl VS. tapped and the whisky
ras found to be beyond compare. \
,laaS OF is, which was poured out before
company of men in the Kansas City
rub, filled the entire floor with its
roma. 1t was thick and oily, almost
i the consistency Of New Orleans mo-
asses, and after the glass was enpted
{ chung to the sides as sirup
Tic whisky viii not BE- taken out
nt;l the government officials shall be-
one satisfied that it is tax free. The
axes were paid at the distillery where
he stuff was made more than 80 years
go.
There is a rumor that abaft of where
he whisky was found is the purser's
Ibin, and in it is q safe containing a
lrge sum of money, which was being
lrricd from ST. Louis to up-river mer-
hants and army posts. The money
uestion, however, is forgotten for the
resent in the joy Of the wreckers at
lie finding of the whisky. Speculation
rife as to what viii be the profits of
lc wrecllers. Experienced dealers say
nat the whisky viii sell readily for at
asst $500 barrel.-St. Louis Globe