GOLD HUNT IN GREECE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 798, 19 October 1929, Page 28

GOLD HUNT IN GREECE

VIENNESE OFFICER'S WARTIME FIND The Viennese Press gives the story of a Viennese officer, formerly a military geologist of the AustroHungarian army, who was sent hr request of the Turkish Government in IS9O to supervise geological suiveys in Macedonia, says the Vienna correspondent of the Loudon Ohseiver.” In the course of these Wladislaw Kaswinski unearthed, near the village of Arret Gissar. a quantity of ore. which was found by him to be rich in gold. The rumour of this gold fiud spread rapidly, and in a short time orders were given by the Sultan Abdul Hamed for Kaswuiski’s arrest. When brought before the Sultan he expressed his willingness to give full details of the location of the gold mine in return for his freedom. Before the trusting Turks had time to realise that the information was false, he was safelj over the border. Then came the war, and the collapse of Austria-Hungary. Kaswinski, like thousands of others, lost his position, and found himself without means of livelihood. ITc returned, therefore, to Salonica and tried unsuccessfully to locate the gold area. In 1919 he is said to have obtained help, first through Venizelos, and later through the agency of King Constantine, "to both of whom he made appeals. But despite some outlay of money, and considerable digging, no

gold was found. Kaswinski then left Greece, and tried to enlist financial support abroad. An English firm is said to have advanced generous funds for excavation. and, under Kaswinski s guidance, to have found the gold vein. Rumour has it that many large nuggets of gold are at intervals handed in to the Greek National Bank; but the greatest secrecy is kept about the actual output.