GOLD WHICH SANK IN THE GENERAL GRANT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1265, 21 October 1911, Page 4

GOLD WHICH SANK IN THE GENERAL GRANT.

AT THE AUCKLANDS. A SYNDICATE TO FISH IT UP. (By Tclccrardi.-l'rcßß Association.! Auckland, October 20. A venturesome projcct to recover bullion that has bren bnried in fathoms of seething surf, for '15 years, at the base of perpendicular elifls on (he western side of the Auckland Jsknds, at a poiul almost abreast of Disappointment Island, is contemplated by a New Zealand syndicato. The treasure was lost in the wrcck ol tho ship General Grant, on May M; I&SG, oil tho voyage from Melbourne to Sydney, and several attempts were inada to recover the valuable shipment of geld, which the vessel is believed to jiave had on board, have not only ended in failure, but, in one ease, disaster overtook tho salvaging party, a small craft being lost with six on board. An ingenious suhcino has now been planned by a couple of investors—one with capital to risk—on the hazardous venture, and the other (Captain N. P. Sorenson, a diver) who has a great deal of experience to aid him in the enterprise. They have been making extensive inquiries, both in New i!ork and England, gathering full dotails of th« wreck, and other information of value, and Captain Sorenson has been securing further particulars locally, while his paitner is in Dunedin, whero it is proposed to fit out the boat for tha expedition. Captain Sorenson is familiar with tha Auckland Islands, having visited them on more than one occasion in the past, and is no stranger to the possibilities et recovering the General Grant's bullion, bocausß he had previously arranged fot a salvaging party, but was forestalled. Ho now comes from Amcrica with widci expcrionco of lost treasure-hunting, confident of success and of securing a fait reward for tho risky undertaking, and for tho expenditure of tho 40,000 oi 00,000 dollars involved in equipping the expedition, and carrying out the worlj. 'J'hc General Grant wns a wooden vessel, built in the State of Maine, and of 130 C or 1100 tonnage. On tho eventful trip tho officers, crew, and passengers numbered G8 all told, and the cargo was of a miscellaneous charactcr, including tho gold. Different narratives vary as to tho exact story of tho wreck, but an authen* tienM .ni'ouut declares that the barquq ran butt into a cavo or overhead projection of rocks at the base of the islands, on the western side, whero (he water in fathoms deep and tossed about in the seething cauldron. The .Vessel's masts were brought into violent collision with tho rocky coiling of tho cave, and, iix a littlo while, were stove through tho bottom of the barque, and fhe sank. Sixty-four of the passengers and crew perished on tho spot, and fourteen got away in a boat and gained the island. Speaking to a reporter to-night, Captain Sorenson stated that a framework will bo eroded on tho cliff a distance nbovo tho sunken vessel, and by means ol' an elevator and cable ho will be lowered beneath tho waves to investigate tho dripping timbers of the Boston-built ship that went to rest thcro 15 years ago. NIGHT OF THE WRECK, AN EPITOME OF THE STORY. [A full account of llio wrcck of tho General Grant, with a highly dramatiij namdivo of the experiences of tho survivors on tho Auckland Islands, appeared in Tur, Dominion on May 1C of tho prosent year, under tho heading, "A Talo of 'GO."] . Tho sum of approximately £50,000 m hard Victorian gold went down with tho ship, and, for all that is known, still lies in tho crannies and pockets of tho ocean bottom near where the vessel was wreeked. Tempting bait, indeed. Tho General Grant, of Boston, U.S.A., stood out of Hobson's Bay, bound for London, via New Zealand ntid tho < Horn, on May 1, ISG6. She had 83 souls on board, and carried a valuable cargo of wool, skins, and gold. t What tike preci&o quantity of gold was will never be known, but what is known is that there were at least four boxes, each containing 1000 ounces insured, and, among the passengers, were many who had made their fortunes, arid were conveying them i*> England. Bulking it together, it was estimated at the time that there wa3 not lea than jCM.OOO worth of llie precious metal on the General Grant. It had been decided to call at a htir Zealand port, but, in some inexplicablo way, the vessel wandered wide from her course, and then black trouble hit her. At 10 o'clock at night tlio man on tho look-out signalled land ahead. It was three or four miles distant, nn<l looked like a fog-bank. As thcro was only a light southerly blowing, it was decided to hold on for a while. This land was presently recognised as Disappointment Island (ominous name), ana, before another hour had olapsod, the Auckland Archipelago had opened out before tlieni. The skipper determined to pass between Disappointment Island and the main island, but, when fairly betwoen those two drear outposts, tho wind dropped altoget.her, and immediately it was recognised that tho vessel was being driven oil lo the rocks by tho swell. . In such a predicament tho first thing to do would bo to get out an anchor, but in thoso days, tho anchor was not always kept readv for action, and one account says that'tho anchors and chains were stowed away in the hold, and to get them 11]) would nnve boon tho work of hours. Another account stated that tho lead could not find bottom, but this is not. credited. Anyhow, no ancthor was put out, and, slowly through tho night hours, tho vessol drifted with deadly certainty nearer and nearer to tho great black barrier, until it seemed that the cliffs overhung the masts. , , , Then suddenly, when everybody 6 nerves were strung to the tightest tension, tho jibboom struck the rock-face, and snapped. The rebuff sent her astern for a bit, but disaster was there too. It appeared as if the rocks had closed round her for tho next shock camo from astern, and tho rudder and spanker-boom were shattered. So sudden was this that the men at tho wheel had no timo to escape. Ho was struck bv tho falling boom and killed. Betwoen the two projecting points of rock t.he helpless ship foundered and surged broadside. Tho olid followed by tragi*) stages.