Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-07

lately returned from sea with a chest ful
of English and Spanish copper coins, went
out and threw a handful of his wealth into
every open skunk hole he could hnd
Three weeks later his house was full OF
boarders who had come on to dig out the
wealth which Captain Kidd had buried be
fore he went to Boston and gave himself
up to the hangman. BY throwing away
about 81 worth of copper currency Captain
Boyd was enabled to make nearly Sloo TAX
ing boarders.
Men with witch-haZel and sweet-apple
limbs came every year after this, boarding
at Captain Boyd's and plying the pick ana
spade until their hands were sore and their
money was gone. During the civil war the
innocent and much vexed hill mad snort
respite but the labor was renewed Win
vigor in 1865 the miners getting plenty or
skunk pelts, but never finding the coin
which they sought.
The spring of 1872 was very stormy and
wet. The waters of Half Moon Pond,
which find their way to the sea, emerge
from this pond between two steep NILS.
While the slopes were wooded no freshet
could disturb them, but when the trees had
been cut off for timber. and the stumps
had rotted away, the spring rams oitei,
made landslides that came down ana
clogeed the outlets, causing the water in
the pond to flow back until the outflow aug
a new channel On the night OF May II:
1872, the side Of the hill to the south OF
the outlet let go near the summit aic
valley ffty feet deep with a mass OF earth
and boulders The pond emitted no water
for four days. The floods Whlch poured III
were held back by the dam or art ana
swelled constantly until the farmers ai't ~
the shores Of the pond were compelled to
move out. and houses and barns were h1t,
ed from their foundations and went to call
on their neighbors across the pond. st,,,
On the morning OF May ~ huuuy
little stream began to trickle over the earth
which had come down from the hill IL
flowed gently and without noise for re"
minutes. digging channel for itself in the
mud The stream grew bigger every min.
ute. At first it was no more than Jet
from a faucet Five minutes later it was
as big around as water pail. In another
minute it was larger than hogshead and
then the great mass of mud gave way as
if it had been fog, and looVoo"o cupic
feet of water moved down the channel, up
roofing trees. grinding great stones 10
powder, and roaring so loud that the noise
of the waters was heard ten miles away.
1t kept within high banks for two miles,
and then spread out over the Han moon
marshes sweeping across the grass lands
in pillows fifty feet high. By the time the
flood had reached the lower meadoWs us
fury was spent, and the waters continued
on to the sea without inflicting further
damage.
A week after the stream had got rid of
its congestion three men came up from
Northport and applied to Captain Boyd for
board, saying they were gong 10 dls ior
riches in the Codhead. They went away
with their picks and spades early In the
morning but returned in two hours and
reported that they could not find the hill.
Captain Boyd volunteered to show them
the place but when he reached the inter
vale. he found that the entire hill had been
washed away in the flood. leaving fiat
surface on a level with the marshes. Half
of the residents still believe that more than
81 900, 600 in gold and silver was washed out
to sea by the flood. The other half have
never ceased to lament the killing of so
MANY valuable skunks. Before the flood
the trappers used to take 5000 worth of
pelts every season. Since then not more
than a dozen skunks have been killed in
the neiphborhOod.