The record-union., 1899-07-21
. 10 - = = 7f<
A WHISKY MINE.
A Strange Tale From the SunAower
State.

Among the many curious things in
Kansas is a whisky mine. 1t is the
real thing. as you will peroeive when
you read this story, and it is the lat.
est evidence Of the boundless resources
Of the State.
In 1856 the steamboat Arabia, a large
sidewheeler 125 feet long, left st: Louis
for Leavenworth with a cargo of 400
barrels of whisky. 1t reached Park
vile without incident, but as-it neared
the landing it snagged, whirled around,
drifted to the Parkville side and sank
in shallow water. The Captains cabin
and upper deck stood above the sur
face, and from these places the pas
sengers were taken in small boats.
The early approach of winter pre-
vented an immediate recovery of the
cargo, and during the winter the boat
filled with mud, and sand, so that ly
the following spring the whisky, which
was then worth only Is cents a gallon,
would not recompense the work re-
quired for it's removal. During the
next five years the river changed it's
course, the boat was completely hid
den and it's exact location lost. lsut
after the war, when the price of whisky
had risen materially, many wild and
fanciful stories were waited uo and
down the Missouri about the great
stake that awaited the man game
enough to prospect for and find the
Arabia. Many times the boat was
sought for, but unsuccessfully
Finally Gale Henson, once known IS
"the boss gambler of the valley" but
now modest lumberman of Holt, Mo-,
went to Parkville, and standing on
hill overlooking the Missouri, on the
very rock from which he had viewed
the Arabia's cabin forty years before.
satisfied himself that the boat lay Gn
der certain Kansas cornfield opposite
him. He hired Kansas City man
who claimed he could locate by means
of a magnetic needle various substances
hidden in the earth.
Several months were spent going over
the bottoms south of Parkville, through
willow thickets, cornfields, briers and
mud, but the needle would not dip, and
the man was dismissed. Henson then
devised a machine for sinking an iron
rod forty or fifty feet into the ground,
and began the search himself. Fol-
lowing carefully surveyed lines, he
punctured the surface every thirty feet
until over two thousand punctures were
made, when, on November 16, 1897, he
struck the boat about -thirty-two feet
below the surface beneath dense viii
low cOpse. A six-foot caisson was
sunk to- the boat, and box of boots,
an old stage coach and several dozen
felt hats were found on the deck.
Breaking through the deck the work.
men found themselves on pile of lum-
ber, so the caisson was withdrawn and
sunk in a new place. This time they
got inside the hold, but the engine in
use was too small to force back the
sand, and before another could be pro-
cured high water prevented the con-
tinuance of the work.
MI. Henson was in Kansas City last
week, where he completed arrange
ments with an engineer for the removal
of the cargo as soon as the Missouri
River lowers sufficiently. He spoke
very interestingly of the work, and is
confident of success. He said:
81, have already sunk So, 500 in the
Arabia, and have no intention Of stop
ping now with all that whisky in sight.
A New York Club has offered me $50
for every gallon taken from the boat,
and I am certainly going after it. -
Kansas City correspondence of the Gin
cinnati Enquirer.