SONOMA GOLD ROBBERY

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17318, 2 December 1921, Page 8

SONOMA GOLD ROBBERY

larches sum still missing. (By Cable—Press Association—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 29. The "San Francisco Chronicle" interviewed Chief-Detective Matheson, who is in charge of the detectives working on the Sonoma case. He said he had given the detectives under him a list of the passengers in the Sonoma and of the crew, with certain notations oppo-i site certain names. TheB 0 would be kept secret until they had been all checked carefully, and it was determined what significance, if any, could be attached to the various persons. Thus far, nothing had developed which warranted him in making th e nature of the notations public. /He said: "We know now, at least, that the theft was attempted at this port, and we have material upon which to work." The correspondent adds that Mr Matheson refuses to deny or affirm the reports that three members of the crew who are missing, are implicated, i One of them iB a petty officer. Th e "Chronicle" states that the manager of the Oceanic Steamship Company says the report that only 13,000 dollars is now missing is incorrect. The sum is approximately 20,(XX) dollars. The rearcfa is being continued, but so far unsuccessfully. The detectives are working on the theory that the remainder will be found at the bottom of the bay. A deep-sea diver investigated the waters, and the iventilating system thoroughly, examined. The detectives belietre that the thieves planned to hide all the cold in the hose, but they were unable to accomplish this, and threw the remainder overboard, with th e intention of returning later. The diver reported that there is extremely soft silt at the bottom of the bay. This made the search difficult. There was a report that Mr Knudsen, the engineer who found the gold in the hose, had dreamed that the gold was secreted in the ventilator. The engineer said this was a joke. He said had hg had been considering the general lay-out of the ship, with a view to the possibility of determining hidingplaces. The stuffed ventilator made him suspicious.