The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-29
HID GOLD AND DIED.
Old Salts Family Is Having Hard
lime ia Find Il

Golu. OF LIZ wears fortune OF di
most IS, 100000 has been lying-and sti
lies-beneath the turbid waters of He
Gate. Company after company forme
to bring the sunken gold to the surfac
failed, and the poor people in the Eas
who subscribed to the stock lost thei
little ALL There was much sorrow bor
| of these lost guineas which would no
be reclaimed.
| Today a poor old man, who has live
IIong life out on the bosom Of Hell Gate
sits brooding, with an unbalanced mind
of goldi gold! goldl
The frigate Hussar and the war shil
Mercury conveyed a fleet of merchan
vessels into the port of New York oil
November 23.17s0. They carried also none.
sent by the British government 10 PAL
off the troops then in rendezvous at New
London, Conn. The Mercury had eSSOoo
sterling. mostly in British guineas, anC
the Hussar &e60.0D0. After the fleet an
chored in the harbor the gold on the Mer
curry was transferred to the Hussar, and
while the former remained to protect Hi,
Majestys property the latter set sail fol
New London to deliver the money.
The captain was in hurry Instead OF
Long Island he ventured through the mar
row passageway of Hell Gate. Hell Gate
was a different place then from what il
has been since child pressed an electric
button and blew UP the rocks which OBJ
structed the channel. At best it was an
ugly place but the British navigator i'm
/ agined that if a negro pilot could take a
frigate through he, an educated, ex-
1 ae he .-f
country of earth, could also do it. He
took some poor American prisoners from
! the prison ships in the harbor and head
/ ed for He'll Gate, with the prisoners
chained to the deck.
The Hussar ran the gauntlet of rocks
successfully, and only few feet of dan
ger separated her from open water. Then
she ran heavily upon a sunken reef. which
was not down on the chart drawn by
captains who sailed boats of lighter
draught The impact on account of the
current was hard, opening a great seam,
and the recoil sent her back into deep
| water. She was sinking fast, and the
only chance for salvation was to run her
ashore on a shelving beach a quarter of
a mile further along. But the jaws of
Hell Gate were closing about the doomed
vessel. Running for her life she again
struck.
Hawsers were sent ashore and made
fast to the trees to keep her from slip
ping off the rock, but the ship filed and
disappeared beneath the water, dragging
the trees out by the roots. The prisoners.
like galley slaves chained TO their seats,
died, but the captain, the officers and
some of the crew escaped.
In 1866 the Worcester Hussar Com
pany'' was formed and made the most
formidable attack upon the frigate. Cap
tain Charles B. Pratt, who was after
ward mayor of Worcester. originated the
company He used dynamite and blew
away the upper structure.
The guns long before had crushed
through the deck and lay over the pow
der magazines and treasure vaults. ce-
mented down by barnacles and sand I'M
til the pick in the divers hands could
make no impression on the mass.
Gold and silver coins were found in
the officers quarters; human bones and
skulls-those of the hapless prisoners;
jewel casket filled with necklaces, crosses.
rings. pearls and other Jewels of great
value; pots and Jars of antiquated shape,
stamped with the royal monogram 'Geor-
gius Rex slender beer mugs, leather
buckets with ''Hussar' in broad letters
stiH legible. thousands of cannon balls
and bushels OF gun fiints. whole cannon
and many other things were brought up
by the divers.
The Jewels and the casket were stolen
the same night; one cannon was sold
to the British government for $500,
while others found resting place in Gen.
trail park; but the gold was not found.
The last expedition was headed by Cap
tain Thomas Simonds, from Leominster,
Mass. He brought a searchlight into
play and used a hydraulic dredger An
other company was formed, the State
Giant Hussar Wrecking Company" in
1892. under the Massachusetts laws The
captain had a fleet of five vessels a
dredger, a floating hotel, scow to carry
the gold away. a water tank and a tug.
They fitted out at Portsmouth. N H,
but failed to realize anything on their in
vestment.
All the time Charlie Henderson. the poor
old watcher over the wreck of today,
was plying his trade as chalker in
Webbs shipbuilding yards in New York
and going 10 and from his home near the
Ninety-second street ferry. Long Island
City. He married and reared a family
and kept his eye on the workers at Port
Morris. Whenever his work was slack
lie would go out in his rowboat. which he
called Captain Kid" and row around
the Hussar looking down into the dark
waters
The place where the Hussar went down
is about two miles from the old mans
home. But every day during the last
summer that he could get out on the
Gate he rowed up with the tide and down
later on with the turn. All he does is to
sit and look sadly down into the water
Sometimes he goes TO the sandy shore
an digs in the spot where some gold was
found years ago-money which sea cap
tain hid and never came for. Once after
loking into the water above the wreck
for long time he suddenly jumped over
board and tried 10 dive down 70 It. AL
though he is seventy-eight years old he
is stiI a good strong swimmer and was
able to get back into his boat.
I'm Captain Kiod." he saws. and.
Uncle Sam. this is my boat There's over
four million dollars in gold down there
at Port Morris and some one win get It
some day. Maybe III get it. The steam
boat people all know me get out Of the
way Of no one. Let them get out of my
way. I'm Captain Kidd and they are
afraid 10 run down Captain Kidd-afraid
d yardarn en- all. Come. see the PLACE
where the sold is concealed. where the
Hussar went down, I can take YOU to
the spot in the dark The water shines
M there; its yellow. and soarkles like
gold" Chicago Record Herald.
cANNoN'S SPEECHES BEST.