The Detroit times., 1911-12-01
FORTUNES lie ON BED
OF MISSOURI River
Great Wealth Contained In 305
Wrecks of Boats That
Were Sunk.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Dec. 1.-The
latest effort TO recover a valuable
cargo of WHISKY from the hull OF a
Missouri river steamer calls TO mind
the stories of fortunes lying on the
bed OF that turbulent stream. Men
who explored the wreck of the Lea
dora sunk four miles south of Elk
Point, S. d., after burning, in 1867,
expected TO find 100 barrels of whisky,
but found nothing except rusted iron
and the rotting mass of the 14S tons
OF miscellaneous cargo that the boat
carried. The same experience re-
warded the men who spent thousands
OF dollars in sinking caissons to the
hull of the Arab. near ParKville. Mo,
several yers ago, in the expectation OF
recovering the cargo of l5U barrels
or so of whisky that went down in
1856. The only find that rewarded
the treasure seekers was a lot OF Old
wool hats, which had resisted the
decay of nearly so years. Some years
earlier treasure seekers explored the
hull OF the Twilight, sunk near the
mouth of Fishing river opposite Ma
poleon, Mo, but found nothing.
These failures, however. will not
daunt other treasure seekers for there
are still believed to be rich treasures
awaiting finder in some OF the more
than $50 rotting hulks that lie i'm
bedded In the rivers sands.
Some 200 Of these boats have been.
sunk by rocks and snags. the remain
der by fire. explosion or overlooking.
The first wreck on the river occurred
in 1919, when the Thomas Jefferson,
1Oa of tha pnvarDmaut Haat in the
Long. Yellowstone expedition was
wrecked at the Cote Sans Dessein,
opposite the mouth OF the Usage
river. The last wreck in which the
boat was sunk and lost was the gov
eminent steamer Atalanta. sunk by
IN ice gorge at Missouri City in 1910.
The government lighthouse tender
Lily struck a snag at Wellington. Mo.
few weeks ago and sank in shallow
water, but was raised some time
alter.
Probably the richest treasure in any
Of these wrecks is that on the BED
f:rd, sunk April %. 1870 at the
mouth OF the Missouri. The boat had
4 heavy passenger list and there was
said TO be large amount of silver
and gold on board One passenger is
his trunk. while estimates OF the total
amount of gold and silver on board
range anywhere between $4,000 and
100000. In the boats safe was said
by one report to have been more than
$4,000 on deposit by passengers, in
addition TO money Of the owners, paid
10 them for passage and to be used
in trading.
The Bedford struck snag and
sunk until only its smokestacks
showed within one minute. Fifteen
OF the passengers were drowned.
terrible rainstorm was raging al the
time and the night was pitch dark.
Since the sinking of the Bedford the
mouth OF the river has moved south
several miles. leaving the wreck OF
the steamer buried under land that
now is being farmed.
Another boat which would yield
treasure TO its finders is the Ber-
trand. which sank in 1865 in Bertrand
Bend. near Portage La Force. Neb.,
with a cargo I'm which there were
iron TASKS containing more than $25,-
600 worth OF quicksilver destined for
the mines of Montana. Probably the
most valuable cargo ever lost on the
river was that on the Butte, which
sank July 13, 1888, near Fort Peck,
Mont. The cargo was valued at
$4,000, and IL was said TO be large
quantity Of gold dust from the Mon
tana mountains.
The Boreas which sank near Her
mann. Mo. in 1916. after burning, car
ried a large quantity Of silver bul-
lion and Mexican dollars. The boat
was supposed to have been set aflre
bv men who expected 10 steal the
treasure, but the fire spread so fast
that they were forced to jump over
board 10 save their lives.
Nearly all the boats coming down
the river until along in the early SOS
carried more or less gold and silver
from the Montana mines, and pas
sengers coming from the west fire.
duently were miners who carried their
wealth in gold dust.
From the mouth Of the river 10 the
head OF navigation ~ Fort Benton.
Mont. there is a wreck 10 about every
seven miles of the river \ great
deal has been written about the ex-
,losion on the Saluda az Lexington.
sUril Q. 1852 when - persons wore
: lied. but that was not the worst OF
al the explosions. The worst eXplo-
sion was that on the Edna. near the
mouth OF the river. July 3, 1912, when
~ German immigrants we're killed.
The explosion on the Timour killed
20. and the explosion ON the Big
Hatchie az Hermann killed a large
lumber. The records OF this eNplo-
sion, which occurred July %, lS45,
are indefinite.
Fewer than 30 persons have been
drowned as the result OF steamboat
accidents, more than half OF them
drowned by the sinking of the Bed