The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-07
CAPT. KIDD'S MILLIONS
NEW COMPANY WITH 100000 NOW
DIGGING FOR THE TREASURE.
Efforts to Uncover the Wealth During
the Past Century on Oak ISL
and, Nova Scotia.


New York Herald.
A short dispatch under Halifax date.
printed in the Herald early last week. prob
ably interested all who read it. 1t stated
in substance that on Oak island. off the
village of Chester. Nova Scotia, a regularly
Incorporated company with capital OF $780,
900 had been digging for maSy years for
the buried treasures OF Captain Kidd; that
at last a strong oaken chest had been UNI
earthed at the bottom of a deep pit and
that. alas! as the workmen about to
pry it open the sea rushed in and filled the
pit. That is all there was TO the news story,
but to the few New Workers who spend
their summers in Chester it had special
interest. Adams A. Topper was the super
intendent a few years ago. l had been TAX
ing look at the pits and Mr. Topper and I
were seated in front of his ''shanty," and
1 said to him: Mr.. Topper, do you conf
IDENTIFY expect 10 find Captain Kids buried
millions?"
For moment he puffed his pipe. Then
he said in a measured way: THAT requires
qualified answer. You see, l am not 60
ing to say that it was Captain Kids treas
ure that is buried here He was not the
only pirate in the business in those days.
What the company believes-and honestly
believes-is that certain pirates presumably
Captain Kidd and his associates did bury
a vast sum of money and jewels on this
island. We believe that il is still here and
we intend TO get 1t. I'll tell you why this is
not an idle dream.
The story takes us back to 1895. AT that
time as you can we'll imagine the country
nereaboutS was very sparSeiy settled.
There were a few English French and
Dutch colonists and quite a number of roy
alists who had left the States at the close
OF the revolution. Three OF these settlers
come into the story at this point. Their
names were Smith, Maginnis and Vaughn.
one day they visited Oak island, and While
rambling over the eastern end came to a
spot which held their attention. Vaughn
was lad of sixteen. He described the
events later in life to Robert Creelman.
Mr.. Creelman lives in Upper Stewiacke,
Nova Scotia, to-day. He is a reliable citi-
zen and so we do not have to depend upon
fiction for this part-the beginning of the
smith, Maginnis and Vaughn were at
tracted by a depressed spot in the eastern
end of the island, that had been, apparent
ly, cleared OF timber years before. Nearby
was an oak. on this oak We're peculiar
marks and figures. One of the lower and
larger branches extended over the circular
depression in the land. The men returned
the next day and began digging:
"A few feet below the surface of the
earth was Well-defned shaft, with hard
solid walls, and in these walls could be
seen the marks of picks, while within the
space between the walls the earth was
loose and easily shoveled AT a depth of
ten feet they came to a covering of oak
the thirty-foot depth was reached and at
each ten feet they found markings. AT this
point they abandoned the work. There
were two reasons for this-the first that
the work proved too heavy for them, and
the second that they were unable to procure
assistance owing to the superstitious be-
lefs of that day.
Six or seven years later Dr. Lynds, a
young physician of Truro, met Smith, Ma
ginnlS and Vaughn. They told him of their
search for the treasure and he became en-
thuslastlc Returning to Truro, the doctor
organized company and raised funds to
prosecute the search. "A gang of men went
to work. 1t would take too mucL time to
go into the details of their PROJECTING but
in word it was this: They eXcavated a
shaft to depth of ninety-fve feet finding
marks at every ten feet, as before. AT the
ninety-foot point they struck fiat stone
about three feet long and sixteen inches
wide. On this there were engraved certain
characters. An expert from Halifax de-
clpher6d those characters, and his reading
OF the inscription was; Ten feet below are
&2,0QO000 buried
been questioned. On a Saturday evening
five feet On Monday they eypi ret1rne nng aSd
the shaft was full of water. This was the
hrst setback An effort was made to pump
out the pit but it proved fruitless, and it
was decided to sink another shaft and tun-
mel under the money pit-aS it
called. Work was begun but after getting
thirty or forty feet down the water burst in
and the workmen had to give 1t up. Thus
ended the operations of the first company.
treasure was made in 1S49, when another
company was organized, in which DIR.
LyndS and Vaughn, although well along in
years. were interested. A force of men
was put at work. What they accomplished
can be vouched for by ]. B. McCully, their
manager, who is now living in Truro. The
old money pit tackled. 1t had in the
course of years filled up. At depth Of
eighty-siX feet the water was encountered
and a boring apparatus was utilized. The
platform was struck at ninety-eight feet
After going. through this platform and
through sections of spruce and oak two
feet below 1t, the auger dropped twelve
inches and then went through twenty-five
inches of pieces of metal. The auger failed
to take any of 1t except three silver links
apparently parts of an old watch chain.
Eventually in the boring at a depth OF
ninety-nine and half feet the auger came
in contact with chest or cask. Pieces OF
oak, metal and a fibre resembling cocoanut
fibre were brought to the surface. James
Pitblado was foreman of a gang of the
Workmen at the time. John Gammell, of
Upper Stentacke, who was present at the
boring and who was a large stOckholder in
the company, said tx at he Pitblado
take something from the auger, wash IL,
examine 1t closely and put it in his pocket.
He declined to say what 1t was, and as he
was killed in a gold mine not long after
the secret never came out. At last the old
enemy, the inrushing water, put an end to
the work of this company.
The next year work was resumed, and
then for the first time 1t was observed that
the water was salt, and rose and fell with
the tide. This was important, for 1t led to
the discovery of a subterranean channel
connecting with the pit, and having its out
let to the sea at Smiths cove, on the east
ern side Of the island. During the ensuing
years up to the present time the work was
continued along the line of the neWly-tound
tunnel. The pits in the island have been
the scenes of the greatest activity, and the
effort now is to pump them out. l think
Wen do it, and when we reach that oak
chest-Wel just wait.