The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-06-27
AN ANCIENT MARINER
Capt. Veder Fox Claims to Know Where
the De Braak fOundered In 1898.
MILLIONS WENT DOWN WITH HER
The Captain nlsobcycd the Pilot ana
Was Lost Together with 1870 others
"A search for tho Treasure Proved
Fruttlcss - Tho BurEoyncS Gold
in Ehnmpinin.

In GhnmpiRin.
(New York Icrald)
TugginE at It's moolngs with each
slight breeze. as If 1t chafed ut contine-
ment in Maliner's harbor. is n trim two
masted schooner, whose springhtllness
for half IL century past has been adj
mircd by cnvious seagoing men Of Staten
Island. With dimming but still jealous
eyes her master. who Tor seventy years
mas ridden the seas, observes each shift
or the impatient craft with the chang
ing winds. Captain Vedcr Fox, the
owner Of tho John Brooks. is well
| known us the Ancient Mariner OF
Staten Island" lle lives in Il cottage
whose colonial columns are vine cover
ed. and grass overgrows the walk that
leads from the tilted portico overlook
ing the Kill Won kull. for the burden Of
50 years years makes his trips to the
waters edge less and less frequent Now
the aged skipper sits by his ODcn WIN
dow and communes with his stnunch
old craft.
ooh, you gadabout. So you'd like TO
cut loose without your old captain, eh?
Wen, you'd have a sweet time of It
now, plotting yourself without your
master to take hand We've been to-
gether through many Il gale and
guess Wen stick together for a while
yet"
So he talks to his boat, and the rock
ing bow seems to give answer.
Three generations OF his own flesh
and blood surround Captain Vcder FOX
but even his children are not more dear
10 R1m than the John Brooks that has
obeyed his commands for fifty years
taken scores of desnairing sailors Off,
dcrng ships, and brought It's owner
many 4 rich salvage
The Ancient Mariner Of Staten is
land could quite properly lay claim TO
seventy years Of sea rowing, for he first
shipped on the sloop Washington in
1926. - -
Tut that was only as a cook" says
Captain Fox, and ] don't claim that
cooking is heing:A sailor. II was in 1927
When'l learned how to handle Il tiIler and
how Il sail was furled"
Captain Fox has explored the bottom
or Lake Champlain in Il search for cam
non filled with gold dollars, and sunk
by Burgoyne when he was closely press
ed. He Is the only skipper living to-day
who is credited with knowing the exact
location OF the sunken brig De Braak,
which went down In ten falhoms OF
water, with gold on board valued any
where from 81 400, coo to $50 O0O, 900
'l3ut now | going to tell you about the
wreck Of the Lexington In rs, and how
we went down after her treasure and In
stead, brought up human trunks and
had been deVourlng."
The captain seated himself comforta-
bly, In his split hottomed chair.
The Lexington and the John w Rich
mond were the New York and Boston
steam pa ckets They were side W hcelcrS
and had only one smokcstack apiece
The Lexington was the likelier craft OF
the two but she burned to the waters
edge and went down with one shipment
that ] know OF aboard OF $4,000. That
was in,
sold--how much was never known, but
1t was 4 fortune.
But the tcrasure was nothing cOmpar-
ed with the 100 souls that persisted.
The money was being shipped to the
Merchants Bank OF Boston, and was in
The care OF the old Harding Express COM
pany safe and the silver was packed in
boxes on the upper deck and watched
over by special guard. There was
heavy cargo OF cotton aboard, and that's
what caused the fire
Some Of the bales had been slowed
too close to the smokestack. The captain
was trying TO make time and had the
fire box stuffed with pine knots The
stack got red and the cotton caught
fire. This was off Old Field Light and
three miles west Of Port Jefferson inlet,
in the sound.
We'll. those 100 souls made n. hard
fight, but the cotton took fire like 50
much OIL Even the boxes IN which
the money was carried were broken
when there were no more. buckets to
go round, and were used as scoops 10
bail water after the bow had gone I'M
der. Those not burned were drowned
We put a bell down four years lat
to hunt for the money. The Two Fan
MES was the name of the boat that tend
ed the bell. Caleb Nichols was the cap
tain. The bell was six feet square at
the bottom and twelve inches in dame
ter on top. There was a glass bulls eve
In the top. and the bell man, or diver,
got enough light through this. even
whom sixty feet under water, to easily
read print.
I'VE located the spot all right. and
the dead bodies ma de- sorry sight when
the bell dropped cnto the charred deck.
1T was too qualmish a job, and we had
10 give It UP. We could not find the
coin. We tried for the safe with the
gold in II. blu. we could not locate It.
The vessel had rolled when she sank
and settled down, SO the safe was al
most at the bottom Of the hold.
I'VE found parts OF the broken boxes
that had carried the silver, but tho loose
money and the loaded chests had gone
down under the port side or the boat. and
which side she lay. So the Lexington
and her treasure are still at the bottom
OF the sound, three miles off Old Field
Light
THAT same year did a bit OF inland.
water fishing after treasure. That was
up OH Lake Champlain. For years I had
heard about Burgoyne having filled FIVE
cannon with gold coin and dumping