LUTINE GOLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 261, 4 November 1933, Page 11 (Supplement)

LUTINE GOLD.

SALVAGER LURED ANEW. ANOTHER ATTEMPT WITH ODD DEVICE. A TREASURE LONG LOST.

A new and dramatic chapter in the history of the sea was begun with the operations to salvage the treasure of the British frigate Lutine, sunk off the coast of Holland in 1709. In the hold of the vessel there is, it is estimated, more than £2,000,000 in gold and silver. A number of attempts have been made to recover the treasure; three of them met with a measure of success. Equipment designed by a German submarine inventor, constituting a radical departure from that used in similar ventures, will be employed in the present effort. The Lutine, once the pride of the British Navv, went clown off Terschelhng during the night of October 9, 134 years ago with all hands save one. She was bound for Amsterdam with a cargo of gold and silver, amounting to £2,500,000. When she left Yarmouth Roads on October 8, she had orders to deliver to the command of the British Armies, fiohting at that time against the French in Northern Holland, £140,000 for pay and to proceed from there to Hamburg, where the shipment of gold and silver bars was to be deposited. At that time Hamburg was in the throes of a financial panic and the Bank of England sent the money to support sterling and the interests of Great Britain there. According to the story told' by the sole survivor of the disaster, the beginning of the fateful voyage was auspicious. The Lutine set out with full sail, but about 4 p.m. there came a change in the weather. Suddenly the air became thick with clouds and rain, a strong wind set in and it became apparent at once that danger was near. Sail was shortened and the ship made ready for a bitter night. Driven by a west-north-west gale with ever-increas-ing fury, the strongly built vessel was tossed about the seas until 10 p.m., when her sails were torn away. Engulfed by mighty waves, the- Lutine was thrown against the Westcrgruendc of Terschelling. Soon she was badly battered; finally she foundered.

Efforts of Treasure Hunters. Immediately the Lutine came into possession of the Dutch Crown in accordance with international law. As time went by the treasure lured inventors and adventurers, and many plans for salvaging it were devised. Immediately after the disaster, in the year 1800, "efforts were started. Divers succeeded in bringing to the surface gold coin worth £70,000. Drifting sand made further operations impracticable, and' it was not until 1821 that the next effort was undertaken.

Only insignificant recoveries were made at this time, but the idea of the sunken treasure lying in the vicinity of Terschelling ,spurred new efforts, and again in 1557 a partly successful attempt was made to bring up the metal. Besides a considerable amount in gold and silver coins, forty-six gold bars and sixty-four silver bars were reclaimed, valued at £51,000. Again in 188(5 an attempt was made, and £2000 in gold was wrested from the wreck.

As time went by salvaging operatio7is became more and more difficult. The fact that the Lutine's treasure chamber is located beneath the munition chamber presented an additional problem. Heavy cannon balls, stowed near the chamber, proved to be an obstacle almost as difficult to overcome as the sea and the sand dunes.

Scientists and inventors were working or the problem at the start of this century. New plans were frequently devised, but none of them brought any tangible results. Since 1929 the Consolidated Drosin, Texel and Doeksen Company of Tcrschelling has taken over the Lutine salvage rights. For four years the concessionaires have vainly tried to free the wreck of sand. Shifting sand hills have made progress impossible. It was finally decided to find a new means to overcome this troublesome factor, which practically nullified all previous efforts, so as to enable the salvaging crew to go ahead with the work unhampered by the action of sand.

The New Apparatus. Finally an apparatus was invented by E. Becker, who saw active submarine service with the German navy in the World War. This invention is said to permit the carrying out of salvaging operations in spite of quicksand. It contains two separate parts, a shaft and | a cone. The whole affair is propelled by a 320-horscpower Junkers airplane motor, which aleo operates a suction motor, designed to free the wreckage of sand. The shaft has a diameter of 12ft, while the cone enlarges from a minimum width of 12ft to approximately I2oft. Both are constructed of metal plates. The shaft extends for a length of 51ft and the cone has a length of 27ft. The overall length is about 78ft. The weight of the whole machinery is estimated at 175,0001b. The motor, connected with the suction pump, drives through a separate channel the sand and water sucked in from the wreck. As the sand is removed the whole apparatus will go deeper and deeper until the spot has been reached on the deck of the ship beneath which the treasures of the Lutine are buried. Such is the hope of the salvage crew.