Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-18
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Treasure of a Wreck.
[Copyright. 1909. by c. B. Lewis.l


Kerguelen island. After his death
and the end of the war l verified his
story in part, and that brought about
the organization of a treasure compa-
ny. This company was composed or
six men, all of whom had served In
the navy. and our capital was the pay
and prize money due us at the close or
the war.
We bought from the government the
bark Racer, which was captured on
Wilmington in the last days OF the
blockade runners, and she was ntted
out for the voyage at Charleston. we
engaged twelve negro sailors for the
voyage. making, with the officers. COOK
and steward, twenty men. We took
on board shovels, picks, axes, jack
screws, powder and fuse and what
ever we might need in cleaning out
hulk, together with lumber to build us
house ashore, and we cleared Tor
Sydney at the custom house. The six
of us had put in every dollar we could
raise, and there was just $50 In the
common purse when we sailed away.
All of us believed in the treasure, how
ever, and the craft was well supplied
with provisions.
1t was a long voyage, without incl
dent to interest. Our first and only
stop was at the Cape for fresh water.
One day, months after leaving Charles
ton. the island of Kerguelen rose up
out of the sea before us. We gave
three cheers and brought up in a shell
tered bay on the north side and soon
had boat in the water to 90 ashore.
Right there on the beach before our
eyes was the treasure wreck Adams
had told me of years before. The sight
of that battered hull, gray and weather
beaten and rOtting away, was like
coming upon the skeleton of a human
being on the great plains. We stood
contemplating ii for few minutes and
then clambered aboard. The birds were
thick about, but not another living
thing had visited that shore since Ad-
ans padded away from it on a raft
to be picked up 200 miles away. She
lay fifty feet above high tide. and we
could walk all around her dry shod.
We spent the first day i'll Il cursory
eXamina ton of the wreck and the is
land, and on the next we built Il Shanty
with our lumber and unloaded our
tools and provisions. On the third day
we chopped out her decks above the
treasure room and REACHED the strong
hold.
There We're no less than six iron
bound boxes and a big steel safe We
got at the safe first. When it had
been hoisted on deck and lowered over
the side. it was blown open with pow
der. and we found 100000 in English
gold and notes. There was jewelry to
the amount OF about $15O.0OO. and this
was ticketed with the names of various
passengers. In the six boxes, which
were all private property, we found
about $4,000 in, cash and various
pieces of jewelry and many papers.
Among the latter twere deeds of real
estate in Australia and England and
two commissions belonging to army
officers. AS fast as we came to private
property it was reticketed and laid
aside with Il view of restoring it to
owners or relatives.
Adams had told me that the ship was
laundering when driven ashore in a
terrible gale. but when we came to get
into the hold we found that very little
of the cargo had been damaged. We
good condition. together with sufficient
tallOw, hides and wines to give our
craft fair cargo.
We began finding skeletons as soon
as we began work, and from first to
last we buried the tbones OF at least
fifty unfortunate passengers. many of
them women and children. We found
them mostly in the main cabin and the
staterOoms, and some of the skeletons
were buried under four or five feet OF
hard sand
We did not find our treasure and
get the cargo out of the hulk INA
week or month. On the contrary.
we were on the island sixteen full
weeks and working hard every day,
and when we at LAST FINISHED our work
the wreck was blown up. and the next
high tide carried all that was left of
her out TO sea. Shei had rested there
in the sands of that lonely shore for
twenty-one years, and vet only one
man knew of the treasure in her
bowels
When our work was quite finished
we sailed away, laying our course for
the Cape of Good Hope. The six of
10 "CAC AANh AON. Dul uO nOI
remember that there was much re-
Joicing over the fact. The lonely sit
uation of Kerguelen and the finding
or the skeletons had quite taken our
enthusiasm away. After n prosperous
voyage we finally reached the cape
and anchored to take on supplies.
None Of the sailors was permitted to
go ashore. We meant to run the craft
straight to New York without another
stop. L took the sum of $1,000 and
went ashore to buy and send down
the supplies. and l was then TO take
a steamer for America and reach there
first and make arrangements for the
reception of the treasure and cargo.
Two days later 1 stood on the shore |
and saw our bark sail away with a
fair wind She WAS. snoken two DAYS