Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-12-13
TO DIG FOR WHISKY
Syndicate Seeks to Recover Ii.
quor Lost Years Ago.
Cargo Which Searchers Expect to
Recover From Lost Steamer Lea
dora, Estimated to Be Worth
Not Less Than $4,000.

Sioux Falls, s. Dixie hunt for
pirates buried treasure is a search
now being made at a point on the
Missouri river, where South Dakota
and Iowa join. The object is to re-
cover one hundred barrels of whisky
and other goods supposed to be in the
hull Of the Missouri river steamer
Leadora, which was grounded and
partly destroyed forty-f1ve years ago
The cargo which the searchers ex-
pect to recover is estimated to be
worth not less than $4,000. The Lea
dora was It's feet long and was bound
from st. Louis to Fort Benton. Mont,
when it met with it's mishap. The
cargo consisted as near as can be
learned at this late day, of more than
one hundred barrels of whisky and
mining tools.
When the steamer reached the
southeastern corner Of South Dakota
Its crew discovered that what had
been the main channel of the Mis-
souri, was temporarily blocked by a
sandbar. So they worked the steamer
over to the South Dakota side Of the
river in an endeavor to find an open
ing through which the boat could
pass.
The boat ran aground, and while
an attempt was being made to free
1t, 1t was found to be on fire. To
prevent the fire from destroying both
boat and cargo the craft was scut-
tied. The nine passengers and crew
escaped and twenty barrels of
whisky, together with some groceries,
were saved.
In 1871, six years later, the insur-
ance firm which paid the insurance
on the boat sold the salvage to James
Boorge Of Sioux City, and he set to
work to recover the cargo Men
worked two or three weeks on the
boat and had taken off some of the
cargo, as well as the engines and
boiler, excepting the niger" engine,
when the river rose rapidly and
forced the abandonment of the work
Since then until the present effort lit
tie has been done to recover the rest
Of the cargo.
The present operations are being
conducted by the Cole Brothers, of
Alcester, and E. E. Wenner Of Elk
Point, assisted by Daniel Ballinger,
now a resident of the vicinity, who
was a passenger on the boat on it's
last trip.
Wenner located the old boat about
fifteen years ago by means of a COM
pass and metallic attraction, and at
that time he sunk a cylinder down to
what was supposed to be the deck
and found things in good shape. He
decided that as long as the main
channel of the Missouri remained
where it was the old hull could be
damaged but little. Since then Wen
ner has had the old boat in mind, but
not until few weeks ago did he do
anything further about recovering the
cargo.
Such Of the timbers Of the old craft
as have been uncovered are in fine
condition, and the iron work does not
appear to have been damaged by it's
exposure to the elements and the wet
sand.
A second hole near what is sup
posed to have been the stern of the
steamer is now being sunk, and this
has gone down rapidly until the hull
has again been struck.
The other day the men engaged in
the operations recovered a broken
bottle with the words, 20. x. Planta-
ton, 1S40," blown into the glass.
Within a few days they have found
peanuts, coffee, almonds and other
goods.