Elingamite Treasure.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 20, 20 February 1906, Page 3

Elingamite Treasure.

Q. PARTICULARS OF SEARCH. After a second fruitless attempt to salvage the £17,000 lost jn the of the Etingamite at the 'Three Kings ;n November, 1902, Mr A. M. Gow returned to Wellington on Saturday night with the members of his expedition. According to the diver, Leigh, who descended five times to the wreck, only the shell of the vessel remains. The strong-room, containing the treasure, and all woodwork of the vessel, except a little of the decking, has entirely disappeared. Leigh states that one boiler bears the appearance of having exploded, and the other is flattened out. Only the shattered hull and the most solid portions of the machinery remain. Leigh reports that he examined the spot where the strong-room was situated, on the starboard side aft, but not a trace of the room nor the bullion was visible. He states that a careful search amongst the wreck--1 ame failed to reveal any signs ofthe--treasure. Leigh believes that ctw) room had burst, and the coin swept down the shelving rock into deep water. The explosion of the boiler must have played havoc with the structure of the Elingamite. Leigh reports that he saw the lever of the engines standing at “fullahead.” Leigh secured a few relics of the wreck as souvenirs in the shape of gague glasses, hammers, pliers, lubricators, and a rubber valve disc. The gague glasses and the rubber valve disc are in a good state of preservation, but the hammers and the pliers are heavily encrusted with rust, and the wooden handles have almost entirely disappeared. Many of the articles are covered with a coralline crust, and other seagrowth. The other members of the expedition worked the air pumps m four-minute shifts, the depth of the diver, about 90ft, requiring the full energies of two men to supply him with air. An interesting surprise to the diver was the clearness of the water i surrounding the wreck, there being sufficient “ light ” for him to pursue the examination of the wreck without the aid of the electric submarine globes, which formed part of his equipment. The wreck appeared to be resting on one of a series of shelving terraces which lead to great depths, and whither much of the missing steamer has been swept to.