SUNKEN GOLD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 29 November 1924, Page 7

SUNKEN GOLD.

WRECK OF THE H.M.S. LUTINE > A romantic story o-f tlie eighteenth century treasure ship is recalled by the signing of a contract between Lloyd’s and two Dutch gentlemen of Delft, permitting the jatter to carry on for a specified peridd salvage operations for the of the cargo or other objects from the wreck of H.M.S. Lutino. All concerned in shipping are familiar with the name of the famous Lutine bell at Lloyd’s, which is rung as a. preliminary to tlie ‘announcement by the “caller” of news of aii overdue ship. Before the clays of the French revolution, in 1785, the Lutine, a. 82-gun frigate, was launched', for the French navy as La Lutine. She was captured bv Duncan at Gampeidown dh October 11, 1797, and since she was lost in 179! her history has been inspearably connected with that of Lloyd’s. How much treasure was aboard the ship when she was sunk has. for long been a. matter of speculation, but she made her last voyage at a time when the North Sea was enveloped in the “fog of war.” Time and fire have played havoc with the documents which might be expected to throw light on the case, and it appears to he impossible, to say, with any approach to. certainty, whether the bullion and specie still remaining in the wreck and the sands which engulf it are worth only a few thousand or over a million. It has frequently been stated that a.t the time of her loss the Lutine was bound for the Texel with money consigned by the Treasury for the payment of the British troops in Holland.

There appears to be no foundation for these .statements. Early in October Admiral Lord Duncan, then on doard H.M.S. Kent, lying .at Yarmouth Hoads, informed the Admiralty that “the merchants interested in making remittances to the Continent for the support of their credit having made application to me for a. King’s ssliip to carry over a considerable sum of money, on account of there being no paquet for that purpose, I complied with their request, and ordered the Lutine to Cux. baven with, the same, together with the mails, lying there for want of conveyance. ’ ’

The frigate was lost in a gale, and of the two survivors one died immeriately after his rescue, and the other(a notary) did not live to reach England. In the brief account he was able to give of the disaster lie related, strangely enough that the ship was “bound for Tcxel.” The underwriters at Lloyd's, with whom the 'bullion was insured, promptly settled a. total loss. Of gold and silver bullion, recovered by fishermen and boatmen, two-thirds of the proceeds were claimed by the Dutch Government. In. 1821 Mr. Pierre Esehauy.ier obtained from the Dutch Government a lloval decree granting to him exclusive rights to. undertake the salvage of the Luiine. it bc-ing stinulated that one half of the recovered treasure should lie handed ovc- to the Government. 1 lie results of his work were practically negligible.

The Dutch Government subsequently agreed fo cede to Lloyd's that Government's moiety of the -proceeds of any salvage. Agreements have since that date been entered into by Lloyd's with numerous .salvors, but the results have been extremely disappointing.