KRUGER'S MILLIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 237, 3 October 1908, Page 15

KRUGER'S MILLIONS.

A NEW VERSION. In Sonth Africa there Is a widespread belief that the late President Kruger"3 fortune lies buried in the holds of the barque Dorothea, a hopeless wreck on the Zululand coast. Some of the circumstances associated with the impression have already beeu related in these columns, and now comes the version of Captain Charles Gardiner, recently the commander of the exploring ship, Alfred Nobel, who is at present in London. Captain Gardiner has twice visited the wreck of the Dorothea, and, according to his account, she ls indeed a treasure-ship worthy of attention. But he discounts the theory that the gold beneath her hatches ever belonged to President Kruger. On the contrary, he states that, although a fortune was shipped in the vessel. President Kruger had not only no interest in it, but had uo knowledge of it. Still, there the gold lies, apparently awaiting any man who makes a determined effort to get it. £450,000 IN GOLD BARS. Captain Gardiner, a young and enterprising mariner, with obvious reserves of capacity for daring deeds, states that he first visited the Dorothea three months after she was wrecked on the coast, about a couple of miles from Cape Vidal. "At that time," he says, "one of her masts was still standing. I had heard that a quantity of gold, worth about £650,000, had been placed in her, but afterwards I learned that the value was not more than £450,000. The story, as I investigated it, shapes something like this. Certain officials of the Transvaal Government, seeing that things were going to pieces, and desiring to feather their own nests, issued permits to several Individuals, permitting them to engage in illicit gold buying. That is to say, they armed them with authority which enabled them, without fear, to buy gold from mine managers and others at their own price, with a view of getting it out of the country. Apparently these officials were looking to make a fine profit between the purchase price plus the cost of shipment, and the figure which the gold would fetch in Europe, 'mat there was something shady I about the business is clearly suggested by that fact that, when one of the men engaged in the enterprise was arrested, he openly dared the Transvaal Government to prosecute him." CEMENTED IN THE HOLDS. "But the public persistently believe that the gold was the property of President Kruger?" "I know that, but Kruger doesn't come Into tbe story at all. He was the oue who got left over it. The gold was taken to Delagoa Bay, and there a sailing ship was purchased for its transport. She was theu called the Ernestine, but they changed her name to the Dorothea. She had been coudemned by the authorities as unseaworthy, on account of some acid having been spilt In her lower hold. She was made seaworthy, and then twelve big boxes of gold bars were brought down and placed in the hold abaft the foremast. Afterwards they were cpmen,ted over, and 200 tons of sand ballast were dumped Into the ship, which then sailed, ostensibly for Monte Video. As you know, the Dorothea was wrecked a few days later. One of the four men Interested in her cargo was drowned, and the others were picked up by a passing steamer. Personally, 1 didn't believe the tale, until 1 saw a letter from a man who was formerly of great consequence In the Transvaal, and who is now not permitted to land in South Africa, in which he asked a noted German firm to get a permit from the Natal Government to work the wreck of the Dorothea, and Said that he himself would, at his own expense, fit out the expedition." GOLD STILL WAITING. "Then you believe the gold Is still there?" "There must be truth In the story, or people like Currle and Morrison, of Durban, would hardly have equipped one of their tugs, and sent to England for one of the finest divers they could get, iv order to make an expedition to the Dorothea. But although they worked for two months on the scene they never succeeded in findiug her. It was, of course, in the programme of the Alfred Nobel to go to the Dorothea after Currle and Morrison had abandoned operations, but, as a matter of fact, the Alfred Nobel never went there, for reasons which I will presently explain. But 1 have not told you of a more successful visit to the wreck by other people. It was theu that a diver named Kramer, who was subsequently killed at Sir John Jackson's works at Simon's Town, had his hand on the cement which encases the gold. He got up three pieces of cement, which plainly showed the impression of the cases. He also got about 1J oz of gold from ono of the bars which was protruding. These pieces of cement and this piece of gold nre )n South Africa to-day. I have had them In my hand. They absolutely vouch for the ator:-." LACK OF DYNAMITE. "But why did the ship leave the wreck when Kramer had made certain of the presence of the gold?" "Well, you have to wait your time. They had no dynamite with which to blow up the cement. There was no means of doing It, except by dynamite, aud before they could get rid ot it bad weather set In. 1 ought to tell you that Kramer was wuriLing for a very small expedition with very small capital, which preceded that ot Currie and .Morrison. 1 had hoped, of course, that we should get ou the scene wltn the Alfred Nobel, for before her expedition began I had been out over two years on the African Coast, surveying wrecks which were known to be valuable. Rut the Dorothea was by no means the only vessel we had iv our eye. I One ot them was the Middleburg, which, i with a wealth of old china on board, was I wrecked on October 17, 1714. She was a ■ Dutch vessel, bound from China to Amsterdam, and was chased by the British into Saldanha Bay, where -her desperate crew sank her. From her wreck the Alfred Nobel rpcovered over SOO pieces of valuable old china, including a Chinese god, for which an offer of £1000 was made on the spot, and a bowl with a sword adhering to it, which an expert valued at £400. Another vessel we were after was one wrecked off Cape Agulhas In IS6D. I won't give her j name, because she is in a position where she might easily be found. She contained 250 tons of tin, and tin was theu worth £IGS I per ton. We were commencing operations iwith her in the Alfred Nobel when we got | Instructions from London to proceed to the | Middleburg. 1 replied that it was not the season for the Middleburg, and that we were doing very well where we were, but tho directors thought they knew best. So I had to leave the vessel, which is In only ; 4£ or oi fathoms of water, ou a rocky bot- ' torn. At least half or two-thirds of her cargo could easily have been recovered." A DISAPPOINTING EFFORT. "Then you know where she is?" "Certainly. I can find her again. We weut to the Middleburg; where we pumped out uo less than 57,000 tons of sand before . we could get at the china. When the work i was half completed we were ordered to the wreck of the Duubeth at Angra Pequena, in German South-west Africa. The Dunbeth was a brand-new British steamer on her maiden voyage. She could be refloated, and I wish to say here that the German authorities never put the slightest obstacle =a our way. On the contrary, they helped us in everj- possible direction. We were ordered from London to go to Capetown in order to get the extra salvage gear that was required, leaving half of our crew on the Dunbeth, which was in possession of a watchman. But when I got to Capetown I found that no arrangement had been made with the underwriters as to the terms of the salvage, and that there was, therefore,

no certainty of making much out ot It even If we did get her off. I was ordered to go •back to Angra Pequena and fetch my men, and on my arrival found that the chief officer 'had patched all the holes, and had pumped out two-thirds of the water. In fact, he was only waiting for the additional gear to refloat the ship. The upshot of it was that we wasted from £1200 to £1500 when we eonld have very well got that ship off. Prom this point we went back to the Mlddleburg, and thence to Capetown, where, tired ot being buffeted about, I resigned my post as commander of the Alfred Nobel." r FABULOUS WEALTH. "Had you your eye on any other ship?" "Yes, there was the wreck of His Majesty's ship Grosvenor, lost at the time of the Indian Mutiny. She was a transport coming home from India, and had on board a cargo including precious stones, gold and silver ibars, and tin, valued at no less than £1,714,710. She was wrecked off the Pondoland coast in C£ to 6 fathoms of water, and is completely covered with sand. I believe a portion of the contents could very easily have been recovered with the help of the gear which we had on board the Alfred Nobel, which, I may say, was the finest sea boat I have ever known in my life, and the •best adapted for our class of salvage work. •For myself, I cannot see why our expedition should not have turned out a very great success, for I am certain there ds money in this class of adventure. I am hoping to arrange another expedition, but in that event I must have au interest In \ the enterprise. In that case, I shall be perfectly willing to go for a small retaining fee. I say, with the knowledge I have, that such a cruise is not a possibility, but a certainty, from the point of view of success. There ought to be no difficulty in getting a permit from the Natal Government to work the Dorothea. For other wrecks, numbering 32, I have already permits."