The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-04-09
THE OLD YELLOW RIVER.
Romance Of the Wreck and Recovery Of
the Twilight's Cargo.

Romance Of the Wreck and Recovery Of
the Twilight's Cargo.
One foggy morning Just about dawnin
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 her jackstaff 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 a jar. The hog chains
snapped with,a 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 the channel in the fog.
The passengers We're cared for by
the farmers in the vicinity and taken To"
Kansas City. 20 miles distant, by a, boat
that came up the river that night. The
cargo, of the Twilight was very rich. 1t
was COlll pOStu VI 0OU DdTTelS VI WHISKY.
hundreds, of: cases of wines, liquors and
canned goods and large stock of gem
eral merchandise.
For several years she lay on the log
in the river, visible when. the water was
| low and again covered. She was u
| thing of fascination to country boys,
who dreamed of all sortseof exploits, to
oct he 4 ~ ont of hAt. Thorn
an air of mystery about her that thrilled
the farm lads like the tales, of Capt.
Kidd or the stories of the adventures of
| wreckers.
Four years after shewas sunk an I'M
successful attempt was made to getthe
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 notrbe found. The
treacherous river, had shifted and she
was buried in sand bank. Then the
river cut in along the south bank close
under the bluff and the great rise of
1887 made a sand bar on top of her.
buried her deep and left her far inland
under 80 feet of sand, 100 yards from
the bank of the river at high water and
half a mile from shore when the river
was down.
Last year a, number of Kansas City
gentlemen organized company to re-
cover the sunken cargo, BY seri&s-Ofi
ingenious mechanical devices they lo-,
Gated the wreck in. SO 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 a perfect state of preservation!
One of them was tapped and the whisky
aSSfound to be beyond compare. A.
glass of is, which was poured out before
company of men in the Kansas, City
club, filled the entire, floor with it's
aroma. it was thick and oily, almost
of the consistency of New Orleans mo-
lasses, and after the glass was emptied
itclung to,the sides as sirup would.
| The whisky will not be- taken our
until the government officials shall be-
come satisfied that it is~taN free. The.
taxes We're paid at the'distillery where.
the stuff was made more than 80 years
ago.
There is rumor that abaft ofewhere
the whisky was found is the purser'ss
cabin, and in it is a safe containing 4
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
the finding of the whisky. Speculation
is, rife as to what will be the profits &C
the wreckers. Experienced dealers say
that the whisky will sell readily for at
| least $500 a barrel!-St. louis Globe
Democrat.