The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-11

and boots filled with stumps, which tn
fishes had been devouring.''
The captain settled himself comfro,
ably in his split bottomed rocker.
THE Lexington and the John "
Richmond were the New York and Bos
ton steam packets. They were sid
wheelers and had only one smokestacl
apiece. The Lexington was the iikelie
craft OF the two. but she burned 10 tn
waters edge and went down with on
shipment that know OF aboard of $50,
600. That was silver. There was an
other IN go!d-how much was neve
known, but it was a fortune.
But the treasure was nothing com
pared with the hundred and thirty soull
| that persisted
The money was being shipped 10 tn.
Merchants Bank, in Boston, and was IL
the care Of the old Harding EXPIRES.
| Company. The gold was in the Hard.
| ing Company safe ard 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 waat 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 boxes stuffed with pine knots. The
caught fire. This was of Old Field
Light and three miles west Of Port JEFF
ferson Inlet, in the Sound.
We'll, those one hundred and thirty
souls made hard fight, but the cotton
took the fire like so much oil. Even
the boxes n which the money was car
RED were broken when there were no
more buckets TO go round. and were used
as scoops to bail water after the bow
had goneu nder. Those not burned
were drowned.
I'VE put a ben down four hours later
to hunt for the money. The Two Fan
MES was the name Of the boat that ten
ded the bell Caleb Nichols was the cap
tain. The bell was six feet square at
the bottom and twelve inches in diane
ter on top. There was glass bulls
eye in the top. and the bellman. or diver,
got enough light through this, even
when sixty feet under water, to easily
read print.
the dead bodies made sorry sight when
the bell dropped onto the charred deck
TT was too qualmish a job. and We
had to give IL up. We could not find
the coin. We tried for the safe with the
gold in it, but we could not locate 1t.
The vessel hai rolled when she sank
and settled down, so the safe was almost
at the bottom Of the hold.
"We found parts of the broken boxes
that had carried the silver. but the loose
money and the loaded chests had gone
down under the port side OF the boat. on
which side she lay. SO the Lexington
and her treasure are still at the bottom
Of the Sound, three miles OF Old Field
Light.
THAT same year did bit Of inland
y alter fishing after treasure. That was
I'D on Lake Champiain. For years
had heard about Burgoyne having filled
five cannon with gold coin and dumping
them into the lake near the mouth OF
Mud Creek, when he thought he was
close pressed. We organized an expe-
iition and put bells down all around the |
mouth of Mud Creek, but We couldn't |
ind the guns.
eff We mad the divers suits of the |
present we'd have been all right, but |
,oing down in bell Is no easy matter. |
You could only work over a space six |
eet square at time, and the oellman !
could not stand the air pressure for any |
ength Of time II he was down very tar.
Fine bellman would have to pull a signal |
inc when ne wanted to be hoisted.
"Once the signal lines got fouled while
We were hunting for Burgoyne's money. |
md. although the two men in the bell
ugged at the ropes until their strength
ave out. we kept at the pumps. never
reaming that anything was wrong.
when it did seem to me that they had
zen down an uncommon long time
hat they be boosted. We pulled them
ut of the bell for dead. and worked
ours before We succeeded in bringing
hem around. They were bleeding at
he nose. These poor fellows always
Uttered from the effects Of that awful
experience.
IT never mad any trouble raising boats
nd oargoes, but 1t seemed my luck
lways turned when it came TO treasure
i the genuine article Of stamped coin.
But I believe I am the only man alive
odsy who can give the exact bearings
f the treasure ship De Braak. she was
ne English brig that went down June 10,
79S, with hundreds Of the crew and
900 in gold"
II should be stated here that, accord
,g 10 most accounts of the sinking Of
re De Braak, as they have come down
ON one generation OF sailors 20 an
mother, she had on board So. 00o. 900 In |
wells and specie. Certain it is she had
easure greatly exceeding a million.
hich she had taken with two hundred
-isoners from 4 Spanish feet which she
al intercepted while on her way TO
alisax. after a successful cruise OF the
Two years after the disaster England
mt two frigases TO this country 20
Use her. They worked of Lewis. Del a
i months. and without success But I
re IL Captain Fox's story OF the wreck S
and what he knows concern {
g il comes direct from the nephew OF
e man who pilo,ed the Inflated brig. y
There was 10 more reason for the De
-aak going down when she did than for I
e john Brooks sinking at her mornings {
II yonder I make the boast tina; D
TOW the spot where the De Brssk lies. a
cause go; IL from Captain John San
rs. whose uncle was the pilot who c
ardei her 20 take her through the ship K
.annel o
The pilot was the one man who de- 7
) rash Captain James Drew. the COM G
ande-. While the captain was be- a