The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-01-08
SITTING OF ,iSANDS.
When a storm is Coming "Beaeh
"Combers" Get to Work.
LOST yALUABLES OF BATHERS.
One Sian picked Up Thlrty-twO DOllHr'
in Que Dsy-A story ofTvO Double
EagIss-Rleh Place, that Have Not Been
E1plOrsd-soms Lueisy ElnH'.

A storm is just as good as a fre'
though. When the beach combers'
see one coming across the waters they
null on their rubber boots and oilsfins
and forth they sally. ayS4the New York
Post. The first wind picks up the light
dry sand and blows It away in little
swirls. That takes of opes;layer. the
.eember" hurrles around after the
swlrls and picks up whatAYer Is exposeu
to sight. Layer after layer Of sand %
removed. uncovering more and more
coins and trlnkets for the scavensers OF
tho seashore. on the day OF che last
great storm one man picked up So-'
which is the best days work remember
ed by any of the men talked with rms
storn-chaslng is pretty hard labor
The mon have to run around from place
to nlaos after the blows Of sand" and
the wind soon begins 10 lift and throw
in big waves, which, with the dde'
nour IN shore and cover the beach. 80
profitable Is It, however, that the COMP
crs search till the water is over tiielF
boot tops. s,,,, .,o
The most profitable work OF all 10 tile
hardest That is digging erouhu nv NJ
base OF the piles OF the iron pier LnS
pier in summer Is a protnen1GIe Us Ms 81
1s waiting room. From ~ an sorts VI
things drop, and sinking In the water
ara given up by the ownera lost; me
,,,rtber knows otherwise. He has learn
ed that the ebb and flow OF the toe
Washes little eddy holes around every
nile and. that everything that comes
an,,vybere near the holes is deposited IN
,ber He IA aware, moreover that even
baavy objects are borne Backward and
harvard by the waves, and that conse-
quently the chances are In FAVOR OF tne
nile hole receiving, on some IN ana OUT
flow of the tide. all things worth recoy-
crlng. So when the beaches are iert ~
the summer crowds and the hncksteIs'
the combers go out with their DIG shoV-
OILS and selves and dig up the sand in the
holes They saw that the finds are OF
GOOD value and very miscellaneous.
Most numerous are the pickings from
the surface OF the hard pan from Two
OF three feet down through the surface
sand, Ipon this hard flood The coins
stand on edge in a position 60 penetrate
m the safe regions below. But the
cnmber. understanding this, shoyels
down three or four feet further, and
though Il Is heavy work and exhaust
ing afterward when the Ceive has 10 DE
used TO release the sand the patient
placer miner makes sure he has reaped
the summer harvest before ne leaves
on his task. lao
There are two rich places which have
not been explored. one is defended by
a, man and his wife who own the ground.
1t Is line of poles set up for the bath
ing patrons. -Four years ago a young
man went into the water there with two
$50 gold pieces around his neck. He was
about 10 be married and was saving
up the money for the event. IT was tao
precious Ia be left in the bath-house
keepers safe, so he kept 1t iii the little
leather bag at his neck. Wien he
came out OF the water the baS and the
gold were gone. He wept and cursed
and made such a noiseabout hisloss
that everybody ION Coney' knew OF IL.
The combers were not alone in the
search for II. but It was not found dur
ing the season. and IN the fall the win
Ter men prepared to dig around the life
line poles. Gebblrd was afraid they
would dig up the poles or loosen them
and he forbade them to work there. The
/ police assisted him when they we've
within call. but whenever they an Geb-
bard We're away down swOoped the
combers to search for the gold. The
owner found IL necessary TO leave his
wife to watch while he was away and
the cOmbers have bceen kept on ever
since. But they mean 20 have those
double eagles yet; they know they are
In the pole holes and Dave Stewart, the
negro cOmber. said recently:
Use goin to have them gold-bugs II It
takes till Gabriel blows"
The other untouched spots are also
lifeline poles. those Ghat once carried a
line from the pier to the Scenic rail-
road. When the bathing houses there
were torn down the poles We're 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 the
sand-drift are graduallv rising over the
Tops II the poles. They win soon be
buried and their location Will be forgot
ten unless some energetic comber at
lacks them.
"Oh, well get around to 'em yet"
said nj. but the cam smiled. and
when GIL was gone said: They never
work long after they've got enough f0r
p beet-stew. II II wasn't for my back
md being comfortable. I'd7but after
al. I've taken out enough a-sifting OF