SUNKEN TREASURE

Evening Star, Issue 21708, 1 May 1934, Page 13

SUNKEN TREASURE

AH ELIHGAMITE STORY The • announcement that treasure trove is about to be salvaged in parts of the Pacific, where fabulous millions are said to be awaiting the adventurers who have lound them under sea and sand, reminds one of the search tor other treasures by people who did not get rich (writes the Sydney correspondent of tne Melbourne ‘Age’). There is still living in Sydney the sole survivor of the North Queensland party of three who set out to get the treasure from the Elingaraite, wrecked in 1902 on the Three Kings Island—though there are many dozens of rocks in the vicinity which are as large as the islands, and presumably are mere princes. The Eliugamite was taking a great sum of money in silver from a bank in Australia to its branch in Auckland, and in a log the vessel got wrecked, due, it was afterwards found, to the wrong charting of the rocks. The story of the wreck is one of the most harrowing of sea tragedies. A diver, who thought he was dying, confided to a doctor that ho had the secret of getting the money from the wreck, a diver’s suit which he said he had invented himself. He did not die; but he extracted from the doctor a promise that if he survived he would get a suit manufactured to his plans, and he alone was to be permitted to be the first to go down. The doctor kept his word. He got a syndicate together, consisting of himself, a commission agent, and a pressman. They got the diving suit niaeje and started out for Auckland, Where they hired the old Pelican at £BO a day; but, as the wreck had never been formally abandoned, the underwriters demanded a percentage of whatever treasure was lifted. The scene of the Three Kings is a grim one. Storms blow at nearly every season of the year, and only skilled seamen can get near them. After long waiting, driven back to Auckland by the weather and returning again, the wreck was located in several fathoms of water, about five miles from where it was supposed to have gone down. The diver reached the wreck, but met with a mishap, and before he could bo restored the storms came on again and they had to dash back to Auckland. As there was no chance of the calm weather coming on lor months it was clecided to postpone the attempt until the next year. In the meantime a local party had been told the location of the wreck, and ,went out and skinned it—£IS,DUO was got in ono haul.