General Grant’s Gold: New Story Related

Press, Volume C, Issue 29508, 9 May 1961, Page 10

General Grant’s Gold: New Story Related

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL. May 8.

A new story of the General Grant’s gold—3o 1001 b bars buried under a rock somewhere on Auckland island — came to light today in Invercargill.

It came from Mr G. T. Matheson, of Kennington, who has the story in written form from a friend. Mr A. (Sandy) Robinson, of Dunedin, a" retired farmer, formerly of the Oamaru district, who is at present in Europe. In 1866, the clipper General Grant was wrecked at the Auckland Islands and drifted into a cave. She was reputedly carrying £ 1 . million worth of gold. Of the estimated 80 passengers and crew on board, only 15 got safely ashore when the General Grant sank. Three years ago. when Mr Robinson was returning home from Europe through the United States, he staved some time at Los Angeles, where he met a Mr Bob Thomas. When Mr Thomas found that Mr Robinson came from New Zealand, he related a story about the General Grant wreck. He later confirmed it in a letter to Mr Robinson, which was passed on to Mr Matheson. Passage From Letter Here is a passage from the letter:— “I’ll give you the information on the wreck of the General Grant as I remember it. "The General Grant left Melbourne to go around the Horn in 1867 (about that time). Three men who were passengers had gold made into bars which covered the floor of their cabin to avoid possible pirates. They were shipwrecked on the island of Auckland. The boat hung on the rocks. The three men tvho had the gold made a raft, and went out to the boat and got the gold off. They had 30 1001 b bars off when the boat slipped and sank.

“Mr Allen was one of the men They buried it as close to the place where the ship was wrecked as possible. Two of the men made a raft with the sails off the old ship, as much as they could salvage.

and sailed for New Zealand They were never heard of again. Mr Allen was the only survivor of the three. He was an uncle of a very close friend of mine. Rescue After Year

"He was on the island for over a year before they were rescued. There were other survivors of the shipwreck who knew nothing of the gold. When they were rescued. he came to the United States. He was weak and ill. and unable to go back and get the gold. "Before he died, he gave all the information to the nephew of my friend. He told this to me about 30 years ago. He took me to the library in Los Angeles and looked up Harper’s magazine, which told all about the shipwreck. The only name mentioned was Mr Allen. All that I know is that the gold was buried under a rock as close to the shipwreck as possible. No-one else was ever told about this, because Mr Allen hoped to go back there some day."