MILLIONS TO BE FOUND UNDER

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2191, 21 September 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

MILLIONS TO BE FOUND UNDER

THE SEA. AMAZING STORIES OF SUNKEN FORTUNES. Six million pounds! Such is the estimated value of treasure and bullion said to be hidden beneath the wives round the South African coast, and waiting ,to be salved. The question naturally arises, what chance is there of recovery? A very good one, in the opinion of the South Africa Salvage Association, which has equipped the Alfred Nobel —once the yacht of tlio famous inventor of explosives —with the latest scientific machinery and instruments for reaching and removing the submerged wealth, and recently despatched her to the Cape in charge of Captain Gardiner. , Tlie latter, who served as a midshipman on board the Condor under Lord Charles 'Beresford at the bombardment of Alexandria, acted as despatch rider to Lord Roberts during the (South African campaign. H'is reckless curiosity, however, led him to become a diver for wrecks, and it was by means of the canoptican, a very ingenious and powerful instrument for scanning the sea bottom from a ship’s side, that he discovered about twenty wrecks round the South African coast, which he reckoned

would yield something like £6,000,000 in salvage.

It was Captain Gardiner’s investigation and report which led to tho fitting out of the Alfrod Nobel. Should lie succeed in recovering only one-half of ,tlio treasure, it will bo a rich llaul, not only for the S.A.S.A., but also for the Capo Government'. Whatever gold is raised round tho South African const must boar a tax of 25 per cent., silver 15 per cent., copper and other salvage 10 per cont. In its turn, tho Capo Government gives an undertaking that if Captain Gardiner onco locates a sunken ship no permits will bo granted to rivals. Amongst the wrecks which Captain Gardiner hopes to relievo of their golden freight .are the .troopship Meroston, supposed to contain £1,000,000 in gold; the Thermopylae, wrecked iu 1898, with an unknown number of silver bare on board ; tho Wilhelm dor Socunda, with a pirate’s treasure in her hull; the G.rayenstein, a merchantman belonging to the Netherlands Government; tho Middelburg, lost in 1898; and the most interesting, if not tho most valuable, wreck of all, the Dorothea, which left Delagoa Bay at the end of 1898 with gold valued at £600,000 on hoard, land went down off Cape Vidal, in Zululand.

The generally accepted story is that this treasure was despatched by President Kruger to Europe, but was stolen on route before it left South Africa. This, however, is scarcely correct, seeing that tho Transvaal Government never really handled the gold. Indeed, they did not know that they had been robbed of suoli a large amount of treasure until some time after the Dorothea, was wrecked while making for South America, where the thieves hoped to dispose of the money. The exploit, in fact, furnishes a story of remarkable interest, and at the same time gives an insight into some of the curious methods of money-raising adopted by the late Transvaal Government. In 1897 the Raiul, in secret session, resolved “to increase tho annual contribution in specie to the war-chest from £IO,OOO to £20,000, and to have its contents an solid sovereigns available for any emergency.” Most Governments would have proceeded to form this war-chest by withdrawing or purchasing coin, but the astute Transvaal Government knew a track worth two of that. They knew that gold-mining was the .principal industry of the Republic. They knew also that the mines were largely in the hands of Uitlanders, and that, notwithstanding all precautions, .there were numbers of men on the Rand who made their living by illicit dealings in gold stolen from the mines. And this gave the authorities .a great idea. The Government, through secret agents, decided to buy up every ounce of this stolen gold which it could lay its hands on and turn it into coin. Thus the necessary money would he got quickly and cheaply—and at tho expense of tho Uitlandors ! Amongst the ‘agents entrusted with the buying and selling of this gold, however, was a certain ‘adventurer of the worst type, an ex-Italian count named S . This man had a peculiar and extensive acquaintance among most of the gold tlieives, and from these people he was empowered to buy gold at .tho rate of something like G7s per ounce. Tho market price, by the way, is from £3 17s 6d to £4 per ounce. But S had a game of his own to play. Instead of 675, lie paid only from 35s to 45s per ounce, buying gold for himself with .the extra money. His operations were under the protection of the Transvaal Criminal ~lnvestigation Department—at the .time a most corrupt organisation—(and in this way, of course, he was secure from the laws, modelled after the famous “ 1.D.8.” (illicit diamond buying) laws of Kimberley, relative tothe buying and selling of stolen gold..

With the aid of several confederates S thus accumulated a private hoard of gold amounting to 120,0000 z., which he stored, in an empty house at Delagoa Bay, until tlie Swedish barque Ernestine—for some reason re-named the Dorothea —was obtained in order to convey the gold to South America. This vessel, which had already been condemned as unsea worthy, was patched up and refitted.

A place was selected in the forehold of the vessel, round the base of the foremast, on either side of the keelson, and here .the treasure—contained in .twelve Transvaal (ammunition boxes and three leathern bags—iwas placed by the gang. Cement was then placed over the precious packages to .a depth of Sin. or tin. until the whole was set into one solid mass. Over this came 200 tons of sand —ostensibly to ballast the ship—and the gold was considered effectually hidden.

The vessel left Delagoa Bay about December, .1898, but when, she got out to sea proved practically unmanageable. She was so cranky, in fact, that, the greatest care had .to be taken lest she should capsize. The result was that when .a heavy gale came on (the ship struck a dangerous reef off Cape Vidal, and almost immediately broke her back. Fortunately those on hoard were able to take to the boats, although one of <tlie gang, who had been drinking heavily, refused to leave the ship, and was lost with her.

The shipwrecked mien wero picked up. and the theft becoming known to the Government, tlio gang was broken up. No fewer than eight attempts have already been .made to recover tlie stolen gold, both by private individuals and the South African Government. But a'heavy surf sweeps over tlie reef where the wreck lies, making it impossible at times to approach the spot, let alone send a diver down. Nevertheless, Captain Gardiner lias every hope of success, and tlie result of his attempt as being awaited with keen interest.