Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-08
ENGULFED BY THE LAKE
1t Was Evidently Not Founded ON
Rock-The Waves Came and
1t Was No More.

Within sound OF the footballs OF Fort
Sheridan's sentinels and almost within the
shadow of the 1uttering flag when the sun
sinks westward is the site of deserted vii
lage. Two apple trees. a cellar within clos
ing foundation walls crumbling inward and
long tortuous embankment showing
where a railroad once ran. are now all that
is left to show that on this spot Of Lake
Michigan's bluff a once thriving hamlet
stood.
In name the village lives only in thor
oughfare-St. Johns avenue, which, run
ming south from the government reserva-
ton, perces the hamlet Of Highland Park.
The village of St John was established
some time In the forties by a man named
Hettinger. who long since was called to a
place OF which the St. John for whom the
village was named once had vision. Het-
fingers first neighbor in the village was
Frank Mitch, who is probably the only sur
vivor of the original inhabitants of the lake
blun town. Others came later. The resi-
dents of st. John soon increased in num-
Der, until 100 persons were gathered in the
place. 1t ran Half Day and Little Fort,
now Waukegan. race for honors 1t was
the direct line of stage communication be
tween Chicago and Milwaukee, Only a lit
tie ways removed from the blacksnith's
shop was a tavern, where the stage changed
horses and where travellers alighted for a
dram and dinner. Realty began to boom
In the town. but one dark night the inhab-
tants were awakened to a danger of which
they had never before dreamed. There was
storm on the lake. A northeast gale sent
the waves driving far up the bluff The
calm of the morning showed that what be
fore rad been smooth. straight-faced. har-
dened bluff was now for distance of TWEEN
ty feet inland simply frail upper strata of
turf and dirt overhanging a cayernous
opening. The water had undermined the
foundation of the edge of the town. The
next night the roofing layer gave way. car
hull li,,<x IL
their sorrow, there came within the same
week lawyer, who told the people of St
John that their land titles were faulty
The inhabitants moved back inland, how
ever. told the lawyer to go to-" and then
hey established a backyard.
In the course of time Lake Michigan
again asserted itself. Several Of the build
ings of St. John had to be abandoned. At
tacks 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 at
tack 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 re-
mains only Frank Mitch shoemaker 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 site of the old place
Three-fourths of the ground covered by
the old town had gone into the lake. but
even at that time the erection of break
waters had prevented further encroa CHI
ments of the waves. Mowers went to the
sandy beach underneath the bluff. Rustiing
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 a spot above which
years before the blacksmith 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. Mowers has q
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 American money of
about STA In addition to this there were
two or three copper or bronze coins found
One OF them was an old Roman piece bear
ing date corresponding to the second CEN
fury OF the Christian era. When asked last
week how he accounted for the metal under
the bluff Mr.. Mowers said that 1t had orig
inaliy 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 all foreign made this
theory untenabie." 1t is his belief now
that some time in the early days a trading
schooner went down off the shore and that
Lake Michigan is even yet occasionally
washing up part Of its cargo.