The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-25
ENGULFED BY THE LAKE.

IFrom the Chicago Inter-Ocean-1
Within sounds Of the footballs Of Fort
Sheridan's SentinelS and almost within
the shadow of the fiuttering flag when
the sun sinks westward is the site of a
deserted village Two apple trees a eel
lar within closing foundation VANS
crumbling inward and long IoTLuOuS
eunbankment showing where q rallLOau
once ran are now all that is left to snow
that on this spot of Lake Mlchisah
bluff a once thriving hamlet stood
In name the village lives only IN d
thOrOughfare-St Johns avenue, when
running south from the government
reservation. pierces the hamlet Of High
land Park The village of st. John was
established some time in the fortes by
a man named Hettinger, who long since
was called to a place of which the 81,
John for whom the village was named
once had a vision Hettlnger mrs.
neighbor in the village was FRANK
Mitch, who is probably the only sur
vivOr of the original inha bitants of the
lake bluff town. Others came later The
residents of St John soon increased IN
number, until 100 persons were gathered
in the place. It ran Half Day ana LII
tie Fort now Waukegan, a race Tor
bonOrs Tt was the direct line of stage
communication between Chicago ana
Milwaukee. Only a little ways removed
from the blacksmith's shop was
tavern, where the stage changed nOrSes
and where travellers altghted for dram
and a dinner. Realty began to boom IN
the town, but one dark night the IN
of which they had never before dreamed
There was a storm on the lake. A north
east gale sent the waves driving far up
the bluff The calm of the morning
showed that what before had been a
smooth straight-faced, hardened BLUR
was now for d distance of twenty feet
inland simply a fral upper strata of
turf and dirt OVerhanglng a caNernOus
opening. The water had undermined
the foundation of the edge of the town.
The next night the roofing layer gave
IT, IL "a n
To add to their sorrow, there came
within the same week a lawyer, who
told the people of st. John that their
land titles were faulty. The inha bitantS
moved back inland however. told the
lawyer to go to-" and then they estab-
1ished a brickyard.
In the course of time Lake Michigan
again asserted itself Several Of the
buildings of St. John had to be aban-
dOned. Attacks from the land side were
renewed. the weapons being claims of
faulty titles st. John people thought
they might be able to Withstand the
legal assaults. but the attack of the
waves was TOO much for them They
left their houses and their stores. and
the name of St. John became IChabOd.
for its glory was departed. And now of
those early days and early struggles
there remains only Frank Mitch, shoe
maker of Waukegan to tell the tale.
More than twenty years after St. John
had become a second Auburn. curiosity
led Carpenter to an examination of the
4
the ground covered by the old town had
gone into the lake, but even at that time
the erection of breakWaters had pre-
vented further encrOachments of the
waves. Mowers went to the sandy beach
underneath the bluff. Rustling above
the edge far above him he could see
the tips OF the apple tree branches, the
last of the old St John orchard. The
carpenter was standing upon spot
above which years before the black
smiths shop had stood CHANGING up
and down the bank something glittering
caught his eye. The sun was striking
the particular spot in the bank at which
his eye was directed, and his first
thought was gold. He went to the place
and found half-buried in the sand at
the foot of the clay an ingOt of pure
copper weighing eighteen pounds. Now
ers has a reputation in the place where
he still lives of never allowing himself
to be surprised at anything. He had
seen the shining face of the copper in
the sun and it had sent the idea of gold
into his mind. 1t was gold, therefore,
that he was after.
He dislodged the chunk Of copper. dug
about the place. and after two hours
work had unearthed gold and silver
Spanish and French pieces. minted upon
one side only and to the value in Amer
to this there were two or three copper
or bronze coins found. One of them
was an old Roman piece, bearing date
corresponding to the second century of
the Christian era. When asked last
week how he accounted for the metal
under the bluff, Mr.. Mowers said that
1t had originally been supposed that a
cOunterfeiter's den had been located in
the old village of St John. THE fact
however, he said. that the coins were
Al foreign made this theory untenable."