Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-24

| ed To have buried in Great South beach
the booty he captured from the richly
| freighted Quedagh Merchant
| The finding of the copper can calls to
mind countless other occasions on
which Great South beach has been
J combed by treasure hunters for pirate
! gold. once, near Montauk point, 1t
steam dredge dug up a few scattered
coins, some ancient flintlock muskets,
a dirk or two and human skull with
bullet hole between the eyes. Butt
that was all. Thousands of men and
women aockcd to the scene, raking in
the sand and mud with picks and shev'
! els. but nothing more was found son
another occasion jar with some gold
i'm it was reported as picked up near
Fire island inlet.
II had been claiming along the bay
side of tie beach" Rosterina said.
when | decided to take walk over 10
the ocean side for a glance at tie surf
which was running high. walked
down the beach and finally sat down
on the stern post of wreck that hau
hepn washed UP years ago. AS | sat
there | saw something CLINT in the SAND
a few wards distant. 1t looked like
a piece of copper sheatEing rem u'o
hottom of a small boat. Thinking u
might be able to use 1t some Tune
walked over and saw that II was
round can.
PENDING to pick it up, / was sur
nrised at its weight. \ clanAlhS soailo
came from within as | turned IL over
IT came upon me all at once That per
hons the can held money. | carried IT
Quickly back to my boat ON the p'S
si1e oct 4 clam knife and opefed one
ond Then | saw that my Deliei @a9
correct. n ,,ota be.an
Men. held by the lure oil seiu, pe7"'.
first tn search the lonely sand wastes VI
Great South beach as far back as lev
,rba original inspiration of these senel
auv frltitless hunts was Capt hiN''
ttangb other notorious buccaneers were
.nnnosed to have used the desoiate peaeh
&C a ground on whcih to bury tieii
booty. ~,
CROFT south beach runs all along the
south coast of Long Island, mario" flp
of beach with sand dunes tumbied rag
LII. a1onp its center. and its outward
edge pounded by the sea ana seafctle"
nv winter gales. 1t is deserted save i'i
| government life-saving stations at hSe-
mile intervals, few fishermens mus
and more recently a scattering OF SUM
,,or settlements But when the Hrst
! searchers after gold began their quests
/ nthe early eos. 1t was as forlofn anu
yaesolate as when Capt. Kidd sailed the
| high seas.
The original treasure hunters hafieu
, from the now prosperous village OF lshp'
on the mainland of Long Island. ileE
went on the theory that Kidd, when ne
! hurled his wealth, intended taking no
chances of its being disturbed during ms
! absence and to preclude any sueh pos
eihititv had killed one of his men and M
| ,arred the body on top of the treasure
' chests. OF course, the spirit of the dead
nitrate with cutlass in hand. stood guard
over the gold until the return OF his pi-
rate chief
| phe Islip searchers beleved-a dream
| one of them had furnishing the authority
that the riches were buried in a wild
gully in the beach hills, Just east Oh
! Point o, Woods To find it they con-
structed mineral rod-a forked wand
! with a slug of quicksilver concealed III
' one end The mineral rod operator
walked along. graspins the two FORKS Oh
the wand, the other end projecting doNh-
ward before him. When the treasure
| chest was reached the wand was sup
posed to be drawn sharply down until IL
pointed to the exact spot to dig.
1 The men from Islip went across the
bay at night-it was always necessary 10
| work the mineral rod at highland De
gan to tramp the brier tangles III the
| beach hills. Presently the rod jerked
! and was snatched sharply downward
I The treasure hunters thrilled TIL their
! breath came in spasmodic gasps ana De
gan to dig. They dug and dug. flnaly
they hit something was it the treasure
oboeto lust at that crucial instant their
nerves shaken by the strain, broke ana
4 fai1ad them. one of them looked up and
sov-borror of horrors,-the grizzly,
| blood fiecked face of the DEAD pirate
| cutlass in hand, coming to guard ms
charge. They fled to their boat made
haste to Islip, and all future attempts
to find the hole they had dug IN the oatA
proved futile
+, That is the story of the first hunt for
I I<idd's treasure ON Great south beaeh'
Since hundreds have searched WITHOUT
, avail Save for the small ma OF KOS
terina. the uncovering of the articles py
, the dredge at Montauk, and the reported
| though doubtful. finding of the jar oil
| gold at Fire Island, no trace of pirate
/ booty has ever come to light.
| one old sea captain, who lived on tue
| south side. spent Is years of his life IN
a search for the treasure lie would
sail across the bay in his small skif at
ter every storm and patrol the lonesome
/ beach watching vainly for the CLEAN OF
a sealed eartnen jar or the slsnihcaht
| circle of an iron ring protrudinS above
/ the sand.
| The old fellow used to say that thous-
| ands of tons of sand-shifted IN the VITA
! breath of every Sale-that saho euiies
were leveled and built up in night and
| that the ocean was forever spewins up
CIV wonders along the beach. He in
| tended being there if one of those on
shore storms ever turned over the right
1 ton of sand