Show OLD RIVER BOATS BOAT'S GRAVE CRAVE RA VE IS FOUND Variation of Magnetic Needle Shows Where Sunken Wreck Lies HAS FORTUNE IN WHISKEY Old Contains Captains Conr Confident Cars Cargo rf M tilt the mel Luella May fay Be lie Reco Onawa la In Feb 25 Ono 25 One One of or th the tho many lost fortunes which went down on the Missouri river boats years ago Is believed to have been discovered I Ion on Holmans Holman's island two miles fr m here R. R S. S Fe county surveyor sur Ul of Monona county Is certain he has found the cargo o of oC the old aid Amelia a boat loaded loadell with carrels oar oar- of whisky now worth which sank near the big bend at ut Onawa Onawa Onawa Ona Ona- wa in April 1874 While surveying some ome lands lefi e by hr bythe bythe the river for fOl the the state stale of Iowa Sar- Sar Fessenden's ens en's compass compa s refused to point to the north Scarcely did he notice this peculiarity until he hl recalled re recalled re- re called the story of the lost Amoia Amera I and the many searches made malle for the handsome river b boat lt Thinking perhaps per per- perhaps haps something was wrong with the Instrument he drove e to Onawa secured ed a better Instrument and returned to 10 the island When hen the vicinity of where he was running a line was r reached ached the high high- grade grale Instrument nent repeated repealed d the fluctuations lions of the one fir first t used and though several everal of the instruments ha have bt been taken there none of them has remained re remained re- re l normal but has varied three degrees On the northeast side Ide of the tho Island the compass varies two degrees degrees de de- grees es to the northwest while directly direct direct- ly opposite this point on on the southwest south south- we west vest t side the compass will wildly and vary some three degrees to the east It Is Mr 11 Fessenden's theory theor that a large lar body of metal is deposited on the island and ho is certain certain tain tam that If such suh be bo true it Is probably probably ably the steamship Amelia Sure Body of Metal Lich Is There I know of nothing else which could cau cause e the Instrument to var vary said the surveyor SUr There is a large body of metal to the north of the tho center of the Island and I would stake my reputation reputation tation on it As soon as I had made up my mind that such was the case c. I sent enl for It old hI Captain Barker who wh has been on the felT ferry boat at Decatur Decatur De- De for forty years We lire went to the tho island and antI though he had not seen the place for 01 years al he said it was wasn n near ar the place where tOe Amelia was lost an and that the place had been pointed out to him man many times Parties have s searched arched for th tha tita boat bOlt mining experts have tried ned to locate it t t with Im Instruments but never ne before was a compass known to indicate a deposit of or metal never ne before have e we had a hint as to where tho the cargo the he machinery and the g giant l engines of the Amelia la lay hidden In the great steamboat the graveyard gm e graveyard the ad the treacherous Z Missouri river Captain ln A A. A Barker also stakes hl his reputation on tho the ss that th- th theold the tho old t ld boat I is near the point where the compasses refuse to perform their work vork He recalls the boat he ga says gas g as it was waR only a f few years cars ago that thal she brought cargoes up the river river Amelia anelia Built For Fm Speed Captain Miller was In charge of the Amelia for a while said the old oll ferry pilot but I dont don't recall whether er he was running the boat when it went down or 01 not He navigated the and the thc limours for years and was tuns afterward on the craft which went down near neal the tho big bend I re recall recall recall re- re call the boat boaL It was one of those which they began building Just about the time lime the thc war brol broke e out She was wart modeled for speed and con constructed above c decks s with a view to gracefulness graceful graceful- no Ie ness s b beauty auty and ond comfort g er Everybody was proud of the Ameli Ame Ame- li lia Ita Though there wore were over 01 boats on the river at the time lime she was one of the favorites fa There were staterooms staterooms staterooms state state- rooms and modern many man conveniences conveniences while wide the c cabin of or the boat was wa almost extravagant in its likings fillings The Tho ceilings and were covered with pictures representing landscapes along the river rl I have eaten many ameal n fI meal on the boat and the tables were spread with everything e which could b be secured In St. St t. t Louis Loul and from the farmers and settlers Meats and game old wine and whisky which had no headache were always alwa's served cd The captain was Wag master of ceremonies and the manners on that boat u used ed to bethe foe bl the talk tall of the river men Whims of the till River later Captain Barker says Et ho ine remembers the boat bont went down Iown in April as the Ice went out carl early In 1874 and the Amelia was teas one of the thc first boats hoats t tip come up the river that spring In those wild days on the tho Missouri river the wanton current washed many great reat trees tees Into its bed wh where Io they thov were wele Imprisoned by deposits of silt sill From the time the tho Jefferson the fir first t boat hoat to enter the Missouri river er turn turn- her nose upstream in 1819 until the pre present du day It has hus been a fight with the logs and snags in the bottom of oC the river According to old river pilots the river bed hed was not unlike a a. submerged submersed forest as late as 1880 1830 From FlOm 1519 to lo 1880 1380 the thc wrecking of 19 19 steamboats b by snags alone was recorded So before be be- fore fole the government began to tear tearaway tearaway awa away the tho weapons of tho the river rhel It 11 had become the greatest inland graveyard an in the world In spite of the unavoidable unavoidable old Una able dangers of oC navigating the Missouri Missouri Missouri Mis Mis- river rl traffic urged on un by th the fabulous profits obtainable for fOl the service lee Inele Increased rapidly with the settling set set- of oC the Louisiana purchase Only t Inlet to tu M. t. The river rhel was the only Inlet to Ul northwest st territory and aUlI steamboat companies notably th the American Fur trading company compall found it lucrative e to tn bring supplies to the pioneers and talc take back furs fur's and ore From 1850 to 1875 fully boats hots in were constant constant contant con con- stant tant operation and at one time Urn from 1851 to 1362 first class steamers were wen engaged In III steam boa tin Captain Barker of Decatur recalls that Captain Miller who had charge charl of oC the Amelia was said to have re receded received re- re ceded ed 2500 for single trips up the river liver while pilots received fabulous j J urns sums Freight charges rLes were oven even more outrageous for tho patron was expected to insure not only payment of the pilots pilot's lots lot's hire but a n. liberal and a margin for Cor tho the occasional Io loss Joss of a boat boaL It t WAS In such mch palmy palm days lla's of steam- steam boating as ai the these e that the tho Amelia was wan lost the boat hout which carried 00 barress barrels bar ress of or whisky y and cognac It Is for this this' cargo carso that dozens of men nu and have havo h looked IP inn vain aln for fIJI tine the Missouri rivers river's rapidly Channel hannel wa washed thousands of tons tuns of rf If silt alit around a boat as os soon as it was down The boat might have ha gone gono down h It II stream mid where the water was wa deep and the great stream as treacherous trench trench- erous arous as a wild willi beast floundering about at Its own will wl might have have- ma male made e for tor It a grave far Car Inland within with with- in iii a few days after the wreck |