Year: 1873

A HIDDEN TREASURE.


WHAT THE BRITISH LEFT IN HE'LL GATE.


For ninety.six years there has lain upon the
sandy bed Of the East River, close to the New
York shore, and against lofty cliff of stone,
around which the currents of water sweep
with prodigious force, the wreck of an Eng
lish frigate


Her name is the Hussar. She was a cor
vette mounting thirty-two guns, and was full
ly armed and equipped. She was sent from
England to bear treasure to the paymasters of
the English soldiers in this country, and in her
run she had $4,000 guineas packed in strong
iron boxes.


Lord Howe was then in possession OF this
city, and Washington, at about the time OF
the arrival of the Hussar, was about to begin
operations against it. 1t was, therefore,
deemed inexpedient for the treasure-ship to
remain in the harbor, for fear that, if the city
fell into the hands of the rebels, she and her
gold might share the same fate.


She, therefore, received orders to proceed
at once to'New London, Conn.,, which was
then rendezvous for the British naval forces.


THE WRECK.


Having taken aboard nearly one hundred
prisoners and more gold at New London, the
Hussar, on the 25th of November, 1880, set
sail from New York for her destination. She
had all her canvass set, and she started up
through He'll Gate, whose terrors in those
DAYS we're much more formidable than they
are now. She had for pilot negro who
knew every rock, current and shoal. He
professed his ability to take even so large a
ship through the narrow strait; but he mis-
calculated either her wieldiness or his own
skill


When midway in her passage she struck
very heavily upon the dangerous Pot Rock.
The currents and her sails hurled her upon
the jagged obstacle with incalculable force
The tide began to rush in. She was borne
past the spot, and her sails were set to carry
her upon what seemed to be shoaling spot
to the northward a mile distant.


She was run up to the shore, head on. She
struck savagely and held. Hawsers were run
out and thrown around large trees with the
hope that they would hold her to the spot


But meanwhile the tide was filling her.
The lower deck was flooded almost instantly
Every one of the ninety prisoners were suffo-
Gated at the very outset.


Their strugg les, bound as they were, must
have been something beyond comprehension
for ferceness and violence. From their posi-
ton they must have known of the danger to
the vessel and of their certain fate at the very
beginning.


The swift inroad of the surging tide, roar
ing with its own force, doubtless overwhelmed
them like a cataract, and subdued the strain
ing and shrieking group in brief, but indes-
cribable moment.


The Hussar sank with all her guns, stores,
treasures and prisoners, in ninety feet OF water,
with her bows pointing toward the west All
her officers and crew escaped to aman. Some
lady passengers who we're on board were got
ten off first and landed without disaster.


In this way, then, does it come about that
within six miles of the City Hall is a mine OF
gold.


EFFORTS TO RECOVER THE GOLD.


The British government of course lost little
time in endeavoring to raise the sunken vessel,
but the war came to O close, and their forces
were obliged to retire from the country and
to abandon the Hussar's guineas as well as the
other treasures that they had esteemed their
own.


Even after peace was declared, the English,
being naturally unwilling to quit such prop
erty, sent out regular expedition furnished
with all appurtenances, and its officers built
upon the shores of the land nearest the wreck
a small hut of logs and stones which still re-
mains and which is now inhabited by fish
erman. Stories are told of great scenes Of
feasting and revel that took place in that
strange spot, and capacious wine cellar (now
degraded to the use of hens) is still to be seen.


The government of the United States OBJ
jected to the presence of the wrecking expe-
diton of foreign country in our waters
Accordingly the brig and all her crew were
recalled by the home power, and the Hussar
was thus left for American money hunters to
quarrel over.


There at once arose strife for the exclusive
permission to dig and delve after the million
guineas.


In the course of few years several COM
panies essayed the task of securing the prize,
but in every case the work proved too expen-
sive, and as there was so much that was
grap phic and picturesque about the whole at:
fair, that there was general antipathy to In
vesting money in what appeared to be a ro-
nance Onecompany endeavored to build
coffer-dam entirely about the wreck hoping to
shut out the river and then to pump the dam
dry and thus bring the sunken vessel to light;
but after expending $4,000 they gave it up
Another, and in fact almost all the others,
endeavored to raise the hulk entire, but it was
so thoroughly water sodden that it was too
heavy and decayed. Another company did
more sensible thing; it blew away the entire
hulk of the frigate, and left nothing but her
bottom timbers but sand and mud had so
packed about her that they had made solid
pyramid of the debris, and, after striving
while against all sorts of untoward circum-
stances, this company also gave up the fight
and retired to make room for another and
more energetic one.


THE PRESENT OPERATIONS.


This band of adventures organized stock
company under charter in due form, and
profting by the hard experience Of their pre-
decessors set to work, and are at this moment
engaged upon their strange and exciting task.