THE HIDDEN TREASURES OF THE BRONX

Progress Reported in Search for Gold

by Bill Stutting
(Reprinted from Bronx Times Reporter)

Joe Governali, a Co-op City resident who dreams of recovering close to $100 million in gold that he claims is buried underneath the waters of Hell Gate just off Port Morris, reported recently that parts of the sunken 18th century British ship which he said carried the gold have most likely been found and the search will intensify.

Governali said a dive in mid-December  recovered various planks from the HMS Hussar and a ballast that Governali said was likely from the ship. Preliminary tests on the wooden planks and the stone ballast revealed that they date back between 1745 and 1760 confirming the fact that it could likely have been used in constructing the Hussar which was commissioned in 1763. The HMS Hussar was a British frigate carrying more than $100 million worth of gold, said to be used for the payment of British troops during the Revolutionary War, when it ran aground on a rock just off Port Morris in November 1780.

According to Governali, the British military managed to pull the ship close to shore to allow for the unloading of valuable cargo, but some records indicate that a violent storm pushed the ship out into the channel to deep and treacherous waters, leaving the gold beyond the reach of 18th century dive technology.

Many have searched for the gold over the centuries but with no success.

The founder of the New York Treasures Society and an amateur diver himself, Governali is making the search for the gold the centerpiece of a film he is preparing on the history of the Bronx.

"The Bronx has so much to offer and has played a central part of our nation's history, yet you hear very little about it," Governali said. "This film which will be called Treasures of the Bronx, will bring to light all the historic and important places in our borough."

Whether it be a memorial to the victims of the Titanic in Woodlawn Cemetery or a 16th century English castle on the shores of the Hudson River, Governali, with the help of Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan, is dedicated to showing the world that the Bronx is not a place of burnt-out buildings and drug dealers.

While admitting that some of his share of the gold will be used to help make his family more comfortable, a significant portion of the find, if it happens as he wishes, will be used to help fund projects of the Bronx Historical Society and other organizations dedicated to preserving the history of the Bronx.

Some say that time and nature have dispersed the treasure along the expansive floor of the East River and probably beyond, but Governali does not believe so. He said that the gold was likely stored , as was the custom of the day, in huge sealed cannons weighing many tons that might be buried only a few feet beneath the muddy bottom of Hell Gate.

Of course Hell Gate represents the biggest challenge to overcome in the search for the gold. The narrow channel connecting the north and south portions of the East River is considered by many to be among the most treacherous waters in the world and only a place for the world's most highly skilled divers.

This of course adds to the exorbitant costs of the search but Governali said that  finding the money is not beyond reasonable expectations.

The next dive is scheduled for later this month, and each new piece of evidence, proving that at least parts of the ship are still there, just off the coast of the Bronx, brings Governali closer to his dream of claiming his share of the gold for the betterment of his home borough. 

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