Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1896-05-10
ELKO NEVADA, SUNDAY, MAY 10 1896
THE OLD YELLOW RIVER.
Romance Of the Wreck and Recovery q
the TwIlIEht's Cargo.

the Twiilshts Cargo.
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
man:
Keep hey jackstufr 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
ly there was Il jar. The hog chains
snapped with II report like cannon and
the boat, heavily ''hoggcd" 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.
The passengers were cared for by
the farmers in the vicinity and taken to
Kansas City, 20 miles distant, by boa
that came up the river that night. The
| cargo OF the Twilight was very rich. II
was composed of coo barrels of whisky,
hundreds of cases of wines. liquors and
canned goods and large stock OF gen.
| eral merchandise.
For several years she lay on the log
| i'll the river, visible when the water was
low and again covered. She was Il
thing of fascination to country boys.
who dreamed of all sorts of exploits TO
get the treasure out of her. There was
an mir OF mystery about her that thrilled
the farm lads like the tales OF Capt.
Kidd or the stories of the adventures CT
wrcckcrs.
Four years after she was sunk an I'M
successful attempt was made To get the
cargo. Several years after that farmers
in the vicinity got two barrels of
whisky out of her and when they went
for more she could not be found. The
trrachcrous river had shifted and she
was buried in a sand bank. Then the
river cut in along the south bank close
under the bluff and the great rise OF
lsS7 made a sand bar on top OF her.
buried her deep and left her far inland
under 30 feet of sand. 100 yards from
the bank OF the river at high water md
half II mile from shore when the river
was down.
Last year n number of Kansas City
gentlemen organized a company To re-
cover the sunkcn cargo. By series OF
ingenious mechanical devices they lo-
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 II large
part of the merchandise has already
been recovered.
Tho 2Qn l,n, nf icly IN, lp ~
are in perfect state of preservation.
One of them was tapped and the whisky
was found to bc beyond compare. y
glass of is, which was poured out before
u company of men in the Kansas City
club, filled the entire floor with its
aroma. IL wns thick and oily, almost
of the consistency of New Orleans mo-
lasscs, and after the glass was cmpticd
il cluDg to the sides as sirup would.
The whisky will not b. taken out
until the government officials shall be-
come satisfied that IT, is tnX free. The
taxes were paid at the distillcry where
the stuff was made more than 30 years
ago.
! There Is n rumor that abaft of where
the whisky was found In the purscr's
cabin, and in it is safe containing n
large sum of money, which was being
carried from St. Louis to up-rivcr mcr-
chants and army posts. The money
question, however, is forgotten for the
present i'm the joy of the wrcckcrs at
the finding of the whisky. Speculation
is rife as to what will be the profits Cr
the wrcckcrs. Experienced dealers say
that the whisky will sell readily for at
lcast $i00 barrcl.--St. Louis Globe
Democrat.