The Lost Gold Mine of Bernalillo County

During the 40 years prior to 1878 more than 125 ships are known to have wrecked in the vicinity of Long Beach Island and left their bones on the beach. This stretch of coastline is truly the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.

The Spanish frigate “Sagunto wrecked on the southeast point of Smuttynose Island in January 1813. Fifteen of her crew survived the wreck and reached the island only to freeze to death. Several silvers bars have been found among the rocks in shallow water near the island. These are believed to have come from the unfortunate “Sagunto”.

The “City of Athens”, with $300,000 in her strong room, lies off Cape May at the southern tip of New Jersey.

In 1769 the schooner “Live Oak” went down off Squaw Beach carrying $20,000 in specie for the British troops in America.

A British ship, type unspecified, was bound from Liverpool, England to New York when she grounded and wrecked on the southern end of Brigantine Shoals. Her cargo was tea and silver plate.

The 1,248 ton wooden steamer “Cassandra” wrecked on February 1867 while enroute from New Orleans to New York. In 1968 coins were found under her hull that dated from 1804 to 1850. The coins were coated with tar and as the practice of placing coins in tar barrels for concealment was a popular thing during this period, it is believed that more money is still within the wreck.

The Delaware sank in 1898, three miles off Point Pleasant. Her reported cargo, including gold bullion, was $250,000.

There is a wrecked ship off the shore at Ft. Mercer. Local legend says it was a Spanish galleon. The date of sinking and cargo are unknown.