A TREASURE HUNT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 103, 21 October 1911, Page 6

A TREASURE HUNT.

AT THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Friday. Captain N. P. Sorenson, formerly cmployed as a diver by the Auckland" Harbor Board, and now of this city, proposes, in conjunction with a partner in Dunedin, to fit out an expedition, at the cost of about ,C 10,000, to proceed from Dunedin to the Auckland Jslasds, to endeavor to recover bullion believed to have been lost in the General Grant which was wrecked in ISGC Four pre' vious attempts to recover this treasure have been unsuccessful. Captain Sorenson believes this is through attempting the work from the seaward side. His idea is to land an expedition on the leeward side, cut a road across to the wreck, and operate by means of a derrick erected on the cliff.

THE GENERAL GRANT'S GOLD. A New Zealander who has just returned to the Bluff from an extended holiday m Europe, Africa and Australia, during the course of a chat with a reporter gave some particularly interesting information in regard to a powerful 4menean syndicate, which has for its purpose, the retrieving from the sea of the treasure of the ill-fated ship General Grant, which was wrecked at the Auckland Islands 45 years ago. The gentleman referred to explained that he had in Australia been introduced to Mr O E. May, managing director to the Sorenson Salvage Company, of New York, a company which has been formed with a capital of £30,000 for the purpose of recovering the treasure known to be in the hold of the ship General Grant, which, it will be remembered, was lost on the west coast of the. Auckland Islands in ISBO, while carrying an immense quantity of gold from the Australian goldfields to London. She was driven under the overhanging cliffs of those bleak westerly shores, and the bumping of her mast against those impassable walls drove the masts through the hull, which gradually sank. There" is know.n to be fat least ,€IOO,OOO worth of gold on board the vessel, and it is believed by the syndicate that those enormous figures are far from representing the total quantity of gold to be obtained therefrom. The manifests of the ship show but two large eases of specie, but there was also an entry of 15 easos of sundries, which they firmly believe also contained gold. Then there were also the private holdings of the miners themselves, and the members of the syndicate do not consider£3oo,ooo to £400,000 wide of the p'ossible mark. This will be the third or fourth attempt made to recover this treasure. All the previous attempts have .been made from the sea by means of divers from a boat. a dangerous method in such a stormv locality. The American syndicate will carry out their quest upon up-to-date lines and by methods (which they are keeping confidential) which will ensure operations feeing carried out in almost anv weather.

The New Zealnndcr had an opportunity ,of inspecting Mr. May's documents, including the original' manifest of the Genera! Grant, the charter of the Sorenson Salvage Company, and many other interesting evidences of the company's determination to recover the treasure. In giving further particulars, he said that Mr. May held most of the shares of the company himself, and had sole control. He had brought an expert diver with him, and both might be expected at the Bluff in the course of a fortnight or three weeks to make the necessary arrangements for the hire of a small steamer, such as the ex-French gunboat s.s. Loyalty, now trawling at the Bluff, and to engage a crew for the trip. Mr. May was prepared to pay £3 10s per week to men with some knowledge of salvage work who would be willing, to go. As the actual operations would not be carried out from the boat there would be no risk attached to thek duties.