Danville Pirate Treasure

[jeff of pa]

FROM

BERWICK INDEPENDENT
November 27, 1882

 

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[Potter Poker]

Jeff, I notice on a topo map, that the Susq. river runs south of Danville, and currently has islands in the river both East and West of Danville. Any idea which island is referred to in this article? pp

 

[jeff of pa]

I wish I did PP

It seems everytime I'v been to danville I never saw the river.

it would probably take some local research to narrow it down.

I know down around Harrisburg the islands are off limits,
not sure about the Danville area. but this would be a concern also.

 

[Rich in Central PA]

I know Danville well as its approx. 10 miles from me. You have to go over the Bridge(over the Susquehanna River) from Riverside to get to Danville.

There are some islands that you can see in the Susquehanna River in or around Danville, however, I don't know either which island they found this buried chest of coins.

I was at the library and tried to find out more information by looking up a few dates before and after the date on Jeff's original post but didn't find anything. We only have our local hometown newspaper on microfiche anyways, might not even be in there. I got more frustrated looking for it, that is, the print is so small it will drive ya crazy just scrolling thru it, even with magnification ya can hardly read it.

Will need to research this further at a later time at a different library. Will keep yas posted............Rich

 

[1liquigirl]

Hi you guys. Been working this lead for a few years now. Using inflatable boats to get out there. The problem with this is that there have been a few floods to the area since Frank and Jack found this. Also Mr. Lewis was a gardener by profession, which would explain why they were digging fern roots on the island when they found it. I tried to get a expedition going on this site during the summers, but the others didn't show, due to issues beyond their control. The issue I have is that it says a very ancient date and by 1884 standards, would 1699 ( the last sail of Captain Kidd), be very ancient? This may have been an earlier treasure, as in before Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. There is alot of trash to remove from the floods, and then a deep seeking box would do the best work. I need to find someone from the area who has one, and others who would like to go out to the site, under a contract for if we find anything.

 

[jeff of pa]

The Problem I see with "A very Ancient date" is it is open
to Interpretation.
What is ancient to one person isn't to another.

The idea they connected it to Kidd, makes me think the coins dated to him.

However, Unless the Susquehanna was much Deeper, I don't see a Ship
of his size getting past Millersburg area.

There are times you can Almost
walk accross the River in that area.

However there were So many other Treasure Tales.
I think it was from another Source.

But still a Good Lead that there may be more.

 

[jeff of pa]

Another Thought, IF the River was Much Higher Back then.
The Obvious spots to Search would be the Highest
part of the Island. Which Coincidently would be fairly Free of Trash from Flooding.
Depth Wise, If they found this digging Fern Roots,
Any others Buried by the same source Shouldn't be much deeper

 

[jeff of pa]

Sorry So many posts in a row here.

My Mind is working overtime on this.

Another possibility that comes to mind is
IF it was Kidd in his Ship.
Say he made it that far & the River got shallow.
He may have unloaded everything to lighten the ship
& get it moving again.
IF this happend, it would mean there is alot more there.
Because one chest would not have lightened the ship.

 

[generik]

I'll get in on the research aspect of this, if everyone doesn't mind. I live down stream from Danville. Also, I enjoy kyaking, so a little island hoping isn't a problem.

The problem I do have is: I don't think the river level has changed enough to allow a large ship up river that far. Even in Shamokin Dam they had to dam the river for the farries to operate.

 

[jeff of pa]

I'll get in on the research aspect of this, if everyone doesn't mind. I live down stream from Danville. Also, I enjoy kyaking, so a little island hoping isn't a problem.

The problem I do have is: I don't think the river level has changed enough to allow a large ship up river that far. Even in Shamokin Dam they had to dam the river for the farries to operate.

Yep, they did the same at milersburg
although the older ones appear to have plenty of water

http://www.thefolksathome.com/Millersburg%20Ferry.htm#Ferry_History

 

[old man]

Jeff, nice research. The only problem that I see with the story is that Capt Kidd navigated up the river from the Chesapeake Bay. There is no way that could have happened in a ship. I know the area and the river is too shallow. You might make it in a row boat.

 

[jeff of pa]

Jeff, nice research. The only problem that I see with the story is that Capt Kidd navigated up the river from the Chesapeake Bay. There is no way that could have happened in a ship. I know the area and the river is too shallow. You might make it in a row boat.

Yes I don't See it either.

there had to be a different reason for it being there.

 

[Skrimpy]

Thing here is that there are stories all up and down the east coast about Capt Kidds treasure. I know of three on the Hudson (all of which I believe to be untrue). These stories of untold wealth and Capt Kidd being a true pirate (although in his last voyage he was a contract privateer) are unfounded. The real pirates in the William Kidd story are Lord Bellomont and Governor Livingston. They financed his privateering trip and gave him the orders to sack any pirates (also giving him the right to sack foreign ships). When they found out he had actually sacked a British ship under a French flag they decided to plead no knowledge and let Kidd hang for piracy. Unfortunately for Kidd, he had fallen in with some unsavory characters and wanted to start sacking any ships they came across and when he tried to stop the mutiny he hit one of the crew with a bucket killing him. Thus Kidd was hung for piracy and murder because Bellomont and Livingston wouldn't stand up for him confessing of the British ship flying a French flag. Bellomont actually wrote Kidd a letter stating that he would stand up for him and get his head out of the noose and then turned him in anyway (probably because Kidd showed up emptyhanded as he dumped a large cache on an island in Long Island Sound...which was found shortly after he was arrested). What I think is actually going on is Bellomont and Livingston knew they weren't going to get their cut and turned him in and the crown hung him because they didn't get their taxes. Just my two cents. As for the two that found the large cache in the Susquahanna can you say murder and robbery? Or perhaps forgotten stashed colonial cache? I think these are more likely scenarios.

 

[jeff of pa]

Yes Skrimpy ;

I have thought about maybe from the "Big Runaway"
in the Mid 18th Century.

But the story says a "Very Ancient Date"

& Mentions Kidds being from the 17th. Century.

Which would mean the dates on the coins would need to
have been 17th. century or earlier.

I suppose it could have been someones personal Fortune
in the 1750's and still be dated that far back though.

There was another Treasure Story of another Captain Kidd
not a pirate going up the Susquehanna From the Gulf
I believe but off hand I don't remember the tale.
other then I think that was a tale of Gold Bars ?

 

[Skrimpy]

I read soemwhere that someone was writing a biography and movie about Kidd and his adventure. It is supposed to be based historical documents rather than local stories and legends about his treasure. Should be an interesting read and movie. I wonder if they will get Johnny Depp to play Kidd?

"There was another Treasure Story of another Captain Kidd
not a pirate going up the Susquehanna From the Gulf
..."

I can tell you don't remember the tale!
The Susquehanna stretches from the Northwestern foothills of the Catskill Mountains to the Chesepeak Bay. Not the Gulf. Forget the possibility of a cache in the Susquehanna and chase something more real...Ill send it to you if you promise to give me credit if you find something. You don't want to be digging in that river anyway. Its almost as dirty as the Hudson. Just not radioactive. Believe me I've fished the thing near its source. It's a dirty river even in New York, let alone once it gets to the Chesepeak.

 

[DFX DAVE in M.D.]

I am sure The Susquehanna river is quite different now then it was then. When they built The Conowingo Dam here in Maryland in the 1920's the old town of Conowingo was flooded and lost. We have a Blackbeard buried treasure tale in nearby Delaware. The pirate buried treasure tails make wonder, lol.

 

[Skrimpy]

I am sure The Susquehanna river is quite different now then it was then. When they built The Conowingo Dam here in Maryland in the 1920's the old town of Conowingo was flooded and lost. We have a Blackbeard buried treasure tale in nearby Delaware. The pirate buried treasure tails make wonder, lol.

I've been all up and down the Susquehanna...I grew up on it, fishing it occasionally in NY. I just don't see it as navigable by large ship, and I don't see men rowing very large distances in the time Kidd spent coming to NY from the Dominican Republic (they found the Quadah Merchant recently btw)

http://www.livescience.com/history/071213-capt-kidd-ship.html

IF...and it's a very big IF there is a large cache on an island in the Susquehanna and IF it's Kidd's (even bigger IF), it is from his privateering days with his father. Not from his infamous voyage. He lived in and around NYC. IF there is anything left of his last voyage, it's in and around NYC. I recently read a book about someone thinking they found the ship he scuttled in favor of the Quedah Merchant...the name of the ship escapes me now...there is educated speculation in that book that these stories of him burying caches of treasure up and down the East Coast of the US came from him going insane while jailed trying to save his skin. "I'll tell you where I buried more if you don't hang me"...etc

 

[babyrazor]

lets take 47k at face value coinage of the 16-1700's. if they were neatly stacked doubloons the box would be 15"x15" x12" and weigh 190 lbs.
this would not take 10 hours to count.

if 1/2 the 47k were doubloons and the rest were 8 reales, all neatly stacked the box is now 3' x 7' x 2' and would weigh 1,695 lbs more then 4 men could move.

if the coins were not neatly stacked and multi denominational the weight would still be near 1,695 lbs but now the box would have to be much larger.

the lack of detail in this story leaves me suspect. Poe's "The goldbug" had more detail of a typical treasure that 1 would expect to find in a typical pirate cache.

 

[jeff of pa]

ok...

Misinformation in the Original Post made finding this one next to impossible.

1884, not 1882 & Jacob not Jack

Here is an Original Print from a Different Source (not the Berwick Independent)


Millheim Journal. volume (Millheim, Pa.), 04 Dec. 1884.





Millheim Journal. (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, December 04, 1884, Image 2 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress

 

[jeff of pa]

Danville Pirate Treasure

OK Going even Farther ....

and saying Lying, Thieving, Newspaper editors/reporters get involved.
make things hard to Believe !!!!


here from the Mower County transcript. (Lansing, Minn.), 07 April 1915.
& Jacob Became Issac.
the amounts also changed.

April 7, Edition ? & Different States paper.
if it was a April Fools post ?
it Doesn't discount the Original. But
does make me wonder




Mower County transcript. (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, April 07, 1915, Image 6 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress