The Morning Astorian

Lost Treasure
Is Recovered
Silver and Lead Bullion Worth
$100,000 Found at Bottom
of Ocean.

New York, Oct. 17.-Tales of treasure
lost at sea do not generally have
the happy ending of that just concluded
through the work of divers and a
dredge in Staten Island Sound off Sewaren island. Silver and lead bullion
worth $100,000 has been recovered after
lying at the bottom of the sound since
September 27.

The bullion came from the Mexican
mines by way of Galveston on a Mallory line steamer and was on its way
from the East river water front to the
plant of the American Smelting & Refining Company, near Perth Amboy, N.
J. There were 707 pigs of the metal
on the deck of the barge Harold. In
company with 13 light canal boats the
treasure ship was taken in tow by a
tug. It was the last boat in the line.

Under a moon nearly full, the night
was brighter than many days. There
was no wind. Peter Moore, captain of
the barge, spent the evening chatting
with the canalers alongside as the tow
dragged slowly across the upper bay
and into the Kill Von Kull. The Harold
was not as comfortable as it might be,
so when bed time came the captain accepted an invitation to sleep aboard the
canal boat.

After all hands turned in the barge
rolled to starboard, under the weight of
10 tons of metal, and dumped the whole
mass, except about 200 pigs, into the
water. She righted immediately and
went along as peacefully as before.
Some of the metal landed on the canal
boat deck and Moore was awakened.
He hailed the pilot of the tug but had
no megaphone, and the pilot kept the
squadron on the move. Moore failed to
notice that a fortune had disappeared
from his craft while he slept. The
barge appeared to be moving along all
right and he went back to his bunk.

When the boats drew up in the morning at the pier in New Jersey there was
a surprise awaiting the smelter officials
and everybody was sworn to secrecy.
Insurance companies were notified and
preparations quietly made to search
the bottom of the sound for the lost
pigs. The waters of that portion of the
bay are known to be infested with pirates who go about in small boats
preying on canal boats and coal barges.
They are considered dangerous men
and great fears were entertained that
they might learn of the affair and locate the treasure. Launches were hurried to the scene and for more than a
week, while the men aboard appeared
to be fishing, sounding lines were being
passed over the sandy bottom. Finally
October 5, the search was rewarded
when the line gave a metallic answer
to the tapping of the lead.

Divers went down and found nearly
an acre of the bottom covered with
bullion. A dredge was immediately put
into commission and the work of recovery went rapidly on until nearly 83 per
cent of the treasure had been brought
up. The divers then went down again
and brought up what the dredge failed
to reach and the insurance company officials breathed a sigh of relief as their
loss now will be a small one, comparatively.

The bullion was a mixture of lead and
silver, the latter making up fully three
quarters of its value, which will be separated and refined at the Perth Amboy
works. Captain Baxter of the salvage
crew says the next few days will determine how long divers shall continue
its work, but he is satisfied not enough
remains on the bottom to make it worth
any amateur wrecker's while to turn in
and help without an invitation.