Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-18
MINING FORANCENT WHISKY
Unique Enterprise On the Missouri
River Above Kansas City.
The Famous S a M n Arabia,
Which Sank Forty Years Ago,
Has at Last Been Located-It
Was Loaded With Whisky, and
This Is What the Miners Are
After.

Leavenworth, Kas., November 12.-
Mining for gold, silver and other min
era1 is very common, but the spectacle
of an organized company OF men dig
ging a deep hole into the earth for
whisky is rather extraordinary. Whisky
mining is now under way along the
bank of the Missouri river between
Leavenworth and Kansas City, and an
effort is being made to secure from 200
to 600 barrels of 40-year-old liquor that
is said to have been buried in the sand
since 1856.
On Thursday a trip was made to
Nearman, Missouri Pacific telegraph
station, nine miles north Of Kansas
City. Seven men were at work in dead
earnest sinking large hole in the sand,
about twenty feet square, to reach the
old steamer which they claim to have
positively located The head of the
party was large, good-natured old
man named Gales c. Henson, and call
ed by the rest dad" Another lead
ing member was G. w. Summers, a
merchant of Parksville, who saw the
boat sink forty-one years ago, and is
the possessor of an abundant store OF
"reminiscences. From the members of
the party putting up a~derrick at the
time the story Of the lost boat was
learned
On the list of August, 1856, a large
side-wheel steamer, the Arabia, left st.
Louis for Omaha and Council Bluffs,
loaded with pork queensware and
whisky, the wet goods now estimated
from 200 to 600 barrels. The trip was
made without incident until Parkville
was reached, on August 20. At this
time the channel of the river was
mile west of where it is at present, and
in attempting to get into the Parkville
landing the boat was snagged and be-
gan to take water The pilot lost his
head and swung the boat into the
stream, and after drifting down, as the
engines could not hold her against the
current, she struck on the opposite side
of the river. The water was not very
deep and the pilot house, captains
cabin and the roof Of the upper deck
were out of the water, and while the ex-
citement was great the passengers and
crew were all crowded on to this part
ana afterwards they were taken off in
small beats.
The upper part of the steamer re-
manned out of the water for over
year, and the following spring divers
were put to work and the engines and
part of the other machinery were re-
moved. The whisky and queensware
could not be secured, as they were in
the hold that filled with sand during
the winter. and in time the boat was
lost to sight by sand washing over it.
The spot where it sank was forgotten,
and after a hunt of years it was only
discovered a few days ago.
Dad Henson rugged up a contriv"
ance, of his own invention, whereby
he was able to sink an IRON rod into
the sand for depth of AZ feet, by
using ladders, and many soundings
could be made in a day. Starting at
the edge of the water, over 1000
soundings were made, covering sew
eral square miles,, and a twig was
placed at every spot where the rod had
been sent down. Many logs were
struck and false hopes raised, and the
men were about to give up when they
sounded out among the willows and
underbrush, fully mile from the pres
ent river bed, and at last hit on what
they say is the sheet iron roof of the
boat. The rod was sent down repeat
edly and the outlines of the boat were
located, some parts Of which are I'M
Ger "a feet of sand and the remainder
SO. After finding the boat the brush
was cleared off, so that patch is low