The Wilmington daily Republican., 1900-01-29
LOOKING FOR
EYRE'S SKIFF.
Chester Authorities Now
Believe It Has Been
Removed.

l bNSh aho"S Su W Silolu VII Liz SpO
where it was first sunk. 1t. i
known that after the Disappearance
Of the Chester man Jim Pierce made
frequent trips across the river t.
tbatFortion of the Jersey coast neal
which the body was found. Ap
parently he had no reason for his
trips. The weather was cold, foggy
rainy.
The failure after repeated efforts
to find the skif leads the authorities
to adopt new theory with regard
to it's disposal. .sChief Berry and the
District Attorney are inclined to be.
lieve that after his midnight talk
| with Mary Cowan, Pierce wished
to remove the boat from the spot
where he is alleged to have told her
it had been sunk. The fact that a
most thorough search of the Raccoon
Islands river front from the bushes
to the creek s mouth has borne no
results seems to lend color to this
latter theory.
The solicitudc of some of "Jim"
Pierce's most intimate friends that
search should be made today
either gives it additional weight or
else shows most wonderfully per-
feet and entire belief in Jim s inno-
ccnce.
Accompanied by Chief Of Police
Berry the graphing expedition left
Chester at noon for Raccoon Creek.
The wind had shifted to the south
east, driving the foe ice to the
Pennsylvania shore. The shore
line OF the island, save for occasion
al hummocks of ice, was clear. But
Raccoon Creek was filled with close
ly packed ice to within one hundred
yards of it's mouth.
At the suggestion OF Chief OF Po-
lice, Captain Golf of the Garrett,
steamed straight to the beginning
of the stone pile from which, it is
alleged, "Pinney" Pierce carried
the stones which weighted Eyre's
body, and which hold the dead
mans skiff firmly to the bottom of
the Delaware. This heap is a few
hundred yards below the big but
tonwood tree at which point the
graphing yesterday ceased.
Beyond couple OF skiffs and
later another graphing party,
following yesterdays lead, there
was no one on the river. The Crap
piers descended into their light
boats and pulled rapidly away from
r4he launch.
Carefully, foot by foot, the river
bed in the vicinity of the stone pile
was examined. The boats would
come together-over would go the
lines. The men would row rapidly
away, and then lines two hundred
and fifty fathoms long would be
Sweeping the river bed. If Eyre's
skitfg,were there the lines would
catch it.
For perhaps 4 fourth of 4 mile
the search continued without result.
Then the two boats came closely to-
gether. Grapplers Smith and Nc
Cullough took the great poles used
III graphing and felt carefully
around the object caught. Sudden
ly one of the men leaped up in the
skiff, waving his cap to the launch.
The anchor was speedily weighed |
and the launch rushed shoreward
TheEhef of Police, usually quiet
and sedate, was certainly not so
then. Neither in fact was anv of
the party. The searchers were
reached.
"We'ye got the skif," cried
Smith.
"The - you say" cried the
chief, just as enthusiastically.
The launch reachedt the boats and
hove to. For some time ithad been
showing heavily. The water was
dark, oily and sullen. The snow
was driven along by brisk east
wind. The air was penetratingly
chill and damp.
The grapples were thrown aboard
the steamer. The object caught
was held in place by the poles.
Then the struggle began to raise it.
It was certainly heavy. After sew
,ral futile efforts the services of all
,ands on board were required at
asst. Even Chief of Police Berry
put his hands to the ropes and
pulled with the others. Pulled
lard too, for the very weight of the
,atch favored the assumption that
t was the murdered mans boat.
"It's all right. boys" he said,
pull hard. The stones would
make it heavy.
Unfortunately it was not the
tones that made it heavy. 1t was
he iron. AT last above the surface
4 the water appeared a great an
hor. This iron leviathian was
'rought aboard among general and
lficial gasps of disappointment.
On the shore was a mysterious
Individual: who for two days has !
watched with field glasses. The
arty, hidden behind bushes and ,
rees and carried on>a general cs- ,
ionage Notwithstanding rain, sleet
nd wind almost fell off the bank
4 his eagerness to find out what
,as going on. Failing in direct
lew he ran down the bank and en-
Favored to see around the corner.
lis curiosity was whetted when
'ithout disclosinn the nature of L
,eir find the graphing party GOV. Z
red it with a tarpaulin and steamed /
little way down the river. n
After this the remainder of the I
ver front along the stone pile was b
,arched. Raccoon Creek was Wis C
ed and the bottom grappled. Miles "
river bed were examined. At 5
clock the snow was coming down ,
heavily that the four men in the "