THE TREASURE SEEKERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2260, 21 September 1914, Page 7

THE TREASURE SEEKERS

,FUN AT LYALL BAY SUCCESSFUL PATRIOTIC OUTING To dig for treasure buried* neatk the sands of the- sea shore, to revel in the uncertain quest aftor gold and silver, with the roar of the surf in one's cars, with the- allurement of every moment meoting with some, hard obstacle hidden away in tho sands, an obstaclo that' might mean unknown money—how tho romantic feelings.are stirred at the thought! Yet hundreds of hard-work-ing, unromanti'jcitizens tasted of this allurement a 1 Lya.ll Bay on Saturday .■ afternoon iii 'he''.'treasure hunt" organised in - a ; iu of the Patriotic Fund. '•■-. True, the picture.was hardly the romantic one penned above. There were no iron-bound chests packed with doubloons and pieces of eight liidden away in the Band, neither was there any rakish-look-ing lugger visible in the ofhng. No, tho ■• scene was a most unromanticone.'. .Hundreds of perspiring citiiiens toiled away with toy spades within n roped-in enclosure about ah,'ocro iii extent, engrossed in the' search for tobacco tins. . The tobacco ' tins enclosed .certain slips of paper, which on presentation to the committee might realise .anything, from a half-a-crown up to five golden sovereigns. So the'substance of the picture was there all the/same. ' . Altogether: there were .fifty-six .treasures buried in the enclosure. These . treasures aggregated in all £20. There was one £5, which was by the way never •'located, five £l's, and a number of ten shillings and half-crowns.. The wouldbe treasure-seeker hod first.to pay hisIs. admission to the outer ground, .purchase a spade from the small mountain ■ of spades placed, tactfully frouting the ■ entrance gate, gain the treasure ground, and. without more ado select on unoccupied portion of .the ground' and dig. ': \ ' ' "..''.'',.'■'.' Victims of the Cold Fever. / 'And how they did barrow the sandy • area, ;those 1500 or more citizens I Some dug with all the feverish energy of a gold miner, others dug methodically, others jokingly, others aimlessly. It -was really a most interesting scene. The majority of the diggers were evi- . dently'out to -unearth something worth . while, .and went at it systematically. One young man was to be observed pursuing his way most 'methodically ' along a deep trench. He would dig down about two feet, then undermine the miniature ; cliffy •. scoop: out tho debris,. and continue" on repeating the process." One old lady -was. evidently determined to ' got down to the hard strata*, beneath before she relinquished her claim, and from an improvised seat fashioned; in : "the sand" she .dug and ,dug less energy. Even dogs.were requisitioned. They were easily tho best .diggers of the afternoon, and, spurred on by their owners, the nose wou!d r sniff and snort down an ever-yawning hole, the while an unceasing •-whirlwind • of .sand and a furiously wagging tail gave testimony to the energy of the paws below. ' ■.'■■:. ■-,'' , .■ ■" So Near and Yet So Far. > Again ; it was laughable to observe the envious glances cast upon the only unfoarrowed spot iii' the enclosure.' It was " bo; near and yet so far for, the very simple reason ; that two fair-sized men were seated on it engrossed in;conversation, .and to all intents and purposes unaware of the valuable plot of; land they occupied. • '...;' "■'] The digging continued on 'with un- . abated energy till'four'o'clock, when the successful treasure-seekers matorial- ■-.'■ ised into hard cash the vouchers they '■:•■ ..presented. ■ .... .' v . . ':' : ■■>, it' was; a vmdst gathering, and there is not the slightest doubt that the crowd present—it is estimated that, : "about 2500. people Journeyed out. to the ~ bay—-would have 'been''doubled"if' the weather had only been, as promising as it was in the morning. It was very noticeable that a considerable section of 'the crowd were out for a "free show," 7;,-and hung round the outskirts of the enclosure rather than pay the modest Is. that would gain them entrance. An energetic squad of cadets, under Cap- '.-. tain Nimmo, rendered valuable services to the committee.in' guarding tho en-. Closures ; from the invasion of this inevitable type of citizen ■ designated as .. deadhead." ; .'<.. The treasure-hunt was organised by Mr..Bert Royle, while the majority of .the-members 'or the Sports' and Entertainments Committee, together with a .committee of ladies, helped materially to carry out.the arrangements. Mr.'H. .." 'Amos acted as secretary. . '-.''' ' ,■'■': The gross proceeds of the afternoon amounted to £55,75. lOd. Of the 56 prizes only 24 were claim.cd.- The following were the successful diggers:—S. Symons (2),. J. P. TJelahjinty (3), R. Crahmer.(2). H. A. Ma-r- ---:.' tin, E. Hushes (2),- N. Haggerty, E.' M. Martin, M. A. Parker, J. Williams, ~' H. Piatt, F, Corlett, R. M'Gow, O, - Harrop, Tamaira, Heuheu, E. Looser, T. Hamhierton. Mr. C. J. Clark's • special prize was unclaimed.'.-. Mr. Minifie, custodian of the beach, worked hard to, mako tho gathering a success. Mesdames Hart .and Kilroy and .Messrs. Fairway and Clark, the proprietors of the various . tea-roomsi contributed 25 per cent, of their takings to the fund. . .' .