Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-04-26
SOUGHT TREASURER THE SEA
The Late Cnpt. Enoch Townsend's
HINTS for Famous Wrecks.

Hunts for Famous Wrecks.
Capt Enoch Townsend Of Somers
Point. \. j., who was drowned by the
capsizing of his boat in Great Egg
Harhor Bay, recently, probably knew
more about wrecks than amy other man
along the Atlantic soaboard.
He and his brother Japhet organized
the Atlantic and Gulf Wreeking Conn
pany. Their steamers. for years, pa
trolled the coast from Hatteras to SANDY
Hook and saved many vessels and as
sisted in pulling scores of big steamships
OF sandhars.
They were known among Seafarins
men as the treasure hunting captains
They made a lot of money by recovering
the cargoes Of abandoned wrecks.
In 1884, when the big English tramp
steamer Nuphur went ashore on the low
er point Of Ludlam's island and was
abandoned by her owners and the under
writer's, the ToWnsends went to work Oh
her and before The summer was over had
taken from her submerged hold more
tran 1000 tons of pig iron.
IN the spring OF 1887. they located the
wreck ~ the Merrimac, which WenT
down IN 1860. of Seven Mile beach
From her hold there is said to have been
taken 400 tons of pig lead. Ia the sum
mer, when the wrecking business was
dull. the TownsendS spent their time IN
locating sunken wrecks.
Can't En0ch Townsend at last got the
idea that he could find the wrecks of
iae sHnken treasure ships DeBraaks and
Montczuma. which are said TO have gone
To the seas bottom within few miles
OF the Delaware canes more than cen
tury ago. This idea grew 10 be a mania
with him.
In the summer Of 1890, he began a Wig
orouS and systematic search for these
xyen He sailpl and fOAtrn TIM
lower Cape May county coast and
dragged the bottom Of the sea thorough
| IT, His dredges encountered many sab
merged wrecks, but when the divers de-
sceuded they found either sunken coal
| laden schooners or old waterogged lun-
| Der vessels
For two seasons Capt. Townsend kept
up the search and mt one time it was
| reported tl' q he had found the Spanish
| Inlleon Muutezuma and had lost her the
same day through the coming mp of n ter
| rife northeast gale. The captain denied
| the report, hut members of the crew de-
/ clared that the diver who had gone down
/ to the wreck told a story of the strange
and peculiar construction Of the sunken
ship, part of which prolruded above the
sandy bottom.
| When the storm subsidized Capt Town
send sailed back 20 the locality and
| dragged ths seas bottom for an entire
day, but the hooks failed 10 fasten Ia
anything, II Is believed that the storm
coy cred the wreck with sand
AT one time Capt. Townsend worked
on j wreck sunk hiinder yards from
the shore Of Seven Mile beach. She was
believed to be fhe hull Of the Guatemot.
Tin. Spanish galleon, which tradition
says went down with more than 100000
| IN silver bullion on board syndicate
! Of llhiladelphians, who owned the island
and the riparian rights, ordered him 20
stop work and he Abandoned the wreck
Capt Townsend was fairly well off in
this worlds goods when he died aud he
would gladly have spent his all could he
have realized the one ambition Of his
lift the finding Of the treasure ships