The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-08
THE WOMEN ARRESTED.
SITTING THE SANDS,
COmbing the Beach for Lost VaIu-
nbles at COney Island.

Rbies at COney Island.
A storm Is just as good as a tirs
though. When the beach cornpers''
see one coming across the water. they
pull on their rubber boots and oil skins
and forth they sally, says the New
York Post. The first wind picks up the
light dry sand and blows 1t away III
little sw1rls. That takes off one layer.
The "comber'' hurries around after the
sWdr1S and picks UP whatever is eX-
posed tN sight. Layer after layer of
sand Is removed, uDcovering more and
more coins and trinkets for the scaven-
gers Of the seaShore. On the day Of
the last great storm one man picked
up 1872, which is the best days work
remembered by any Of the men talked
with. This storm chasing is pretty
hard labor. The men have to run
around from place to place after the
blows of sand" and the wind soon
begins to lift and throw in big waves
which with the tide pour in shore and
cover the beach. SO profitable is it,
however, that the comIbers search I'M
til the water Is over their boot tops.
The most profitable work Of all Is
the hardest. That is digging around
the base of the piles of the iron pisr.
The pier In summer Is a promenade
as we'll as waiting room. From 1t all
sorts Of things drop, and, sinking in
the water, are given UP by the owner
as lost. The comber knows otherwise.
He has learned that the ebb and flow
Of the tide washes little eddyholes
around every pile, and that everything
that comes anywhere near these holes
is deposited in them. He is aware,
moreover, that even heavy objects are
borne backward and forward by the
waves, and that consequently the
chances are In favor Of the pile hole
receiving, on some in and out flow OF
the tide, all things worth recovering.
So when the beaches are left by the
summer crowds and the hucksters the
ccmbers go out with their big shovels
and sleeves and dig up the sand in the
holes. They say that the finds are
of good value and very miscellaneous.
Most numerous are the pickings from
the surface Of the hard pan" from two
to three feet down through the surface
sand. Upon this hard floor the coins
stand on edge in a position to pene-
trate to the safe regions below. But
the comber, understanding this,
shovels down three or four feet fur
Their and though 1t is heavy work and
exhausting afterward when the sieve
has to be used to release the sand the
patient placer miner makes sure he
has reaped the summr harvest before
he leaves off his task
not been explored. One is defended by
a man and his wife who own the
grounds It is a line Of poles set
up for bathing patrons of Gebbard's
-Four years ago young man went into
the water there with two $50 gold
pieces around his neck. He was about
to be married and was saving UP the
money for the event. 1t was too pre-
cious to be left in the bath house
keepers safe, so he kept 1t in the lit
tie leather bag at his neck. When he
ca me out of the water the bag and the
gold were gone. He Wept and cursed
and made such a noise about his loss
that everybody ION Coney" knew of 1t.
The combers were not alone in the
search for it, but it was not found
during the season, and in the fall and
winter men prepared to dig around
Gebbard's life line poles. Gebbard was
afraid they would dig up the poles or
loosen them, and he forbade them to
work there. The police assisted him
when they were within call, but when
ever they and Gebbard were away
down swOOped the cOmbers to search
for the gold. The owner found it nee
| essary to leave his wife to watch while
he was away, and the combers have
| been kept off ever since. But they
mean to have those double eagles yet;
they know they are in the pole holes,
anu DciVlO stewart, une negro COmDer,
said yesterday:
Use goin' to have them gold-bugs
if 1t takes till Gabriel blows
The other untouched spots are also
| lifeline poles those that on.- carried
line from the pier to the Scenic Rail-
road. When the bathing houses there
| were torn down, the poles were left,
| and the combers are welcome to delve
beside them. But every year they have
| been passed over because there were
enough other places equally rich to last
| through the winter, and now the tide
| and sand drift are gradually rising over
the tops Of the poles. They will soon
be buried and their location will be
| forgotten unless some energetic COM
| Der attacks them.
ooh. We'll get around to 'em yet"
said Gill yesterday, but the capn
smiled and when Gill was gone said:
"They never work long after they've
got enough for beef stew. If it WASH t
for my back and being comfortable,
| I'd-but, after all, I've taken out
enough a-sifting Of the sand"