SUNKEN GOLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 77, 26 January 1914, Page 7

SUNKEN GOLD.

A LOST TUKASniI', SHIP. '1 I'AItTY TO HOIST IT Ul*. | By Telegraph. —Press Association. | BlntV, .lamiary 23. | The American auxiliary baripientine 1 purchased liy the General Grant Salvage > Syndicate is expected to reach the Mull j during the next few week. According to | arrangement, the vessel was to lea\e . San Francisco 011 December Hi lor the j Bluff direct. From here she will K» j to the Auckland Islands, where a big 1 effort is to be made to recover the golu I lost in the ship General Grant, from | Melbourne, in 186(1. \dvices have been received at the BlulT from Mr. E. ('• -May., managing director, stating that he had purchased a vessel at Honolulu and was lilting her out at San Francisco to renew attempts to get at the General (1 rants | gold, and that she would sail 011 the date mentioned. Mr. May. considers the vessel a fine craft. She is of Ml) tons net register, and has 100-h.p. auxiliary engines capable of driving her at the rate of ten knots an hour. She is specially titled up for salvaging work. .Mr. May says in bis letter: "I am not going to make any other port in New Zealand on 111. way down to tbe Auckland Islands, only Hie lllnir, >vh«c 1 shall tranship all of tbe stull I have at Dunedin and also get the necessary piovinions for my crew. I shall have the most complete salvaging tiutlil. ready to do any kiud of work by land or sea anywhere. lam coming back to tinish the job, and t can assure you that I will I give some of the New Zciilanders spm?- I what o£ a jolt-" J Mr. May estimate* tbe value of the 1 fold in tbe wrecked ship at from anything from £U)I>.WH) to £ I,(KiII,(JIJU, be- j hides other cargo. The reason why the gold estimates differ is that there a some speculation as to what such ilenia as "nine tons spelter ' and "170 boxes : sundries" comprised. -Mr. May belie'«es that the sundries consisted largely ot miners' gold put into the manifest as "sundries," in order that the cargo might nut appear (o<> valuable. Mr, ' May is most sanguine foncerning tile syndicate's prospects, and considers the gold as good as won. lie states that "lie actual salvaging work should not occupy longer than live or six weeks, but the transportation of machinery, roadmaking and so forth will probably mean that the expedition will lie at the. island altogether about six or eight months, perhaps less if tlicy strike good .weather. lie adds that after he has finished with the General Grant lie has n Government contract awaiting him in Australia, and lie also intends taking in hand one or U'o oilier vessel.-, known to have been lost with treasure aboard. Unsueiviful attempts to recover the General Grant's goM were made in ISSIi by the tug Southland, and in 1875 and 1H77 by tiie Gazelle expedition, while ihe Itincinoa made a search in lhi'B. In 18!)fi a syndicate was put in band by Liu: late Messrs W. Todd ami J. Moffett, of luvercargill. buL it never actually Set out.