A VERY RICH FIND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1924, 1 August 1889, Page 4

A VERY RICH FIND.

Williamatown, ordinarily a quiet suburb of Melbourne, was excited when a rumour spread about that a mass of sovereigns had been discovered by it wot boys under the platform qf the pier railway station. At first the report was received with incredulity, because less than three years ago a very similar statement was circulated that two boys bad found on. the Williamatown south beach several bags containing about a thousand sovereigns, supposed to be a .'portion of tho gold stolen by the notorious Martin Weiberg.frpm the mail steamer Avoca, and it proved only a mere idle canard. The announcement of the 21st, however, turned out to have a very good foundation, for those who were about moderately early and happened to stroll down to fcbe railway pier were able to see thepolice diggiug up sovereigns by the thousands, There is little doubt in the minds of those who ought to know that the find made was a portion of the 5000 sovereigns missed from the Orient mail steamer Iberia during the passage from Sydney to London, on which she left Melbourne on the 29th March, and arrived in Loudon on the 13th Mav. The discovery was made by two" boys who went under the pintform chasing a mouse. One of the

boys pushed a stick into the ground, and was surprised to hear the chink of coins. Making further search a heap of sovereigns was dioplayod. While doing so a man stooped down to have' a look at them, but as they kept quiet one of them lying down to 1 cover the gold—the man went away again, One of the boys was able to take away 114 sova, and the other 164 sovs. Gordon, for that was the name" of one of the lads, as soon' as he got home gave over the money to his mother. The next morning his father, a carpenter, took his son and Sweetenham, the other lad, to the police station, where he handed over the gold and told the circumstances of the find. The police made search and discovered in all £3742 out of the £SOOO missing from the'lberia; The' money was found buried in canvas bags, one of which bore the stamp of the Royal Mint, Sydney. The bags were only buried slightly underground, and were rotten, the gold falling out when an attempt was made to remove them. The agent for the Orient Company has identified the bags in which the sovereigns were found as the property of the company.