Hmmm, gold in the river? Well lets see now, how many of you have done actual research on the actual train/bridge disaster that happened Dec.29th 1876 at 7:28pm. Since tonight is the 136th anniversary of the disaster i thought it was fitting to join this forum plus having searched the wreck site for the past 10 years making several trips there each year. To get good insight on the wreck there are a couple good books out and the original one on the wreck published in 1877 by the Rev. Stephen Peet has been reprinted and can be found on Ebay. Another good book Bliss & Tragedy is very interesting and has a chapter by a local Ashtabula resident who grew up there that has hunted the site for years. I think he mentioned he found a melted gold pc. and a Canadian silver coin but that's it for any coins. In the day's following the wreck all the safes were recovered from the remains of the express/baggage cars.
Over the years i have collected old stereoviews photo's taken the morning after and weeks following the wreck along with the books and a old set of bridge plans from the doomed bridge. I've done my homework and have found some neat things there. You have to be persistant and be prepared to spend countless hours there and even then you may only find a few trinkets. Amongst that you will find alot of other trash from over the years. The only coin i have ever found there was a 1946 silver quarter. There are car parts,pcs. of copper tubing, auto thermostats, fishing sinkers,lures and even stones with iron content that will drive a detector crazy. Plus there are newer RR items such as spikes,track bolts,rail anchors, knuckles ect. I have found all that kind of stuff and even this summer on June 11 i spent 1 1/2 hours digging up a 500lb.railroad car drawhead from the river bed thinking it might have been a link & pin drawhead from one of the wrecked cars but it turned out to be a newer knuckle coupler drawhead from later than 1900 as the link & pin ones were outlawed and no longer used after 1900. I was disappointed and left it. On a return visit on Oct.22 guess what it was gone! Somebody who obviously doens't know RR iron probably thought it was from the train wreck and lugged it out of there or maybe scrap theives wanted it?
Yes it was a very hot fired that burned thru the night and melted silver,brass and other items from the train not alone what it did to the human remains that are interned in the town cemetary in a mass grave. So what can be found there today? I have had people passing by on my walks back to the site tell me "oh it's been hunted dry" is it? hmmm? For me the river gives up what it wants and to whom it wants when it wants to. I have found link & pin couplers,some complete,others bent and broken that were used from the 1850's up to the late 1800's,some undoubtably are from the wreck others not. I have found brass hardware from the RR coaches,some partially melted from the fire.I have found a few silver buttons,silver chain links,quite a bit of melted silver,a womans brass/silver plated buckle with most of the silver burnt off and it has a red color to it from the fire. Quite a bit of melted globs of brass,and lead. I've spent 8 hrs there sometimes and only came home with a few small pcs. I have taken other friends along with me with high dollar detectors and my good old Garrett GTA350 has always done better than there detectors.
I myself enjoy the peace and solitude of being there. One can also sense alot of sadness and suffering, maybe it's just knowing what happened there. Is there any gold there? I doubt it but you'll never know what you may find or not want to find? A friend of mine found a ring there last year wich was rather erie knowing where it might have come from. I had a person email me years back that said he grew up in Ashtabula and used to swim in the river at the wreck site and that he and other young boy's found a human pelvis bone one time while swimming. Almost 90 people died there that fateful night of the disaster many being burned beyond recognition. The site now looks nothing like it did back in 1876. All that remains of the original bridge are some sandstone bridge pier foundation stones under the far east arch of the 1904 concrete double arch bridge wich has high earthen fill on top covered with trees on the sides wich CSX trains still travel across.
May all the unfortunate souls aboard that fatefull train that night on Dec.29th 1876 rest in peace. For all others venturing there happy hunting for those who search for the past!
