TREASURE TROVE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 75, 12 March 1912, Page 4

TREASURE TROVE.

THE’ GENERAL GRANT. AN OLD TIME EXPEDITION. (Own Correspondent.) [BY TET.EGB APH SPECIAL. 1 Wellington, Mar. 12. The news that an Auckland expedition is to be made with the s,». Wairoa to endeavour to secure the gold that went down in the General Grant while on her way from Melbourne to London, at the Auckland Islands, recalls the fact that many years ago another vessel, the s.s. Southland, made a similar venture. A member of the crew of the Southland on that expedition is an old resident of Wellington, and he gave some interesting particulars to an “Evening Post” reporter. “The Southland,” he says, ‘‘was a steamer specially ■'built in Scotland for the province of Southland for tewing purposes at the Bluff. She was perfectly adapted for that purpose, having very powerful engines with reversible ' side wheels. Some time after her arrival in New Zealand, there not being sufficient work to keep her fully employed, she was sold by the Southland Provincial Government to Messrs. Spencer Bros., merchants, of Melbourne, a firm which then carried on a large trade with the West coast of New Zealand. That was about the end of the year 1569, as near as I can recollect. The West coast trade was slack just then, and the firm decided to send her to the Auckland Islands, for the purpose of salvaging the cargo of the General Grant, under the command of Captain Kirkpatrick, a very able seaman. She was coaled and provisioned at Westport for a two months’ voyage, carrying a full crew of nine men, and a diver and assistants, equipped with the latest appliances to be obtained m Australia.

"Her second mate was Mr. William Heere. who was second mate of the General Grant when she was wrecked, and one of the survivors who remained on the island for so long a time after that disaster. His presence was most valuable, as he had a thorough knowledge of the lost vessel and her position when wrecked, and he proved an exceedingly useful member of the expedition. All possible care was taken in fitting out the ship, which was provided with a copy of the General Grant's manifest'. To .the best of my recollection the total value of the gold carried by her was about £27,000. Mr. Teere was able to tell from his own personal knowledge where the gold was stored and its value.

“We left Westport in the best of spirits, and luckily—for the ship was heavily laden to carry sufficient coal for the round voyage—we met with fine weather all the way down to the islands. We anchored in a well-shel-tered bay some distance from the supposed site of the wreck. “The morning after we arrived was ushered in by a heavy westerly gale which kept us hung up for about four

day s. Directly the weather moderated we steamed out to sea, and a heavy and rough sea it was, and, piloted by Mr. Teere, we reached what he considered to be the scene of the wreck. The ship having powerful engines and reversible wheels, we were able to get in pretty close to the high cliffs, and Mr, Teere drew attention to, an apparently large displacement of the rocks overhead, and thought by him to haye been caused quite recently by- the masts of the General Grant. “And here I have to state without fear of contradiction that there is no cave anywhere near the place, al- ... though from seaward it really looks f as if there was one. It is a bold 1 perpendicular cliff with masses of rock extending some distance out, with ugly and dangerous rocks in all directions—a most dangerous spot. The sea being too heavy to enable us to get close in, we went back to our anchorage for another spell of inactivity. Eight tinges we tried to get near, and each time we failed. “At last one Sunday morning, fhe weather was calm and clear, and the sea was smooth, now was our chance, and with hearts beating high with hope we shaped our course again to the supposed scene of the wreck. We got close in to the overhanging cliffs —I should think to ' within a hundred yards of the mainland—and careful soundings were taken. Mr. Teere assured us we were right over the wreck, and the diver got ready to go down from the paddla wheel pontoons. He had -all his gear on but the helmet, and-we were about to lower him when like an enormous clap of thunder, or the blowing .up of an immense charge of dynamite, the wind and sea struck us—a whqle gale and a mountainous sea together. Cut and run was the order, but it took us four hours' steaming and careful handling of the vessel before we were, clear of .danger and able to steam back to our anchorage, anu I can assure you that there was no singing or skylarking that night aboard the s.s. Southland. It was a knock-ouc. We made another attempt to get near the beach eight days after, but could not get within miles of it. “After long and serious consultation between those in charge of the expedition, and in view of our bitter experiences and that there was only enough coal left to take us back to the Bluff, that food was running short, and that everyone oh board was despondent, we gave up the game, took advantage of a spell of fine weather, and bade adieu to the Auckland Islands visible, and the General Grant invisible. “We reached the Bluff harbour, I may add, only just in time) having Vised up all the available woodwork vfor fuel, and we were jolly glad to get back to New Zealand. ✓ ‘ ‘During our long spells at the anchorage we made several trips, and very rough ones they were, overland to where we believed the wreck to lie, and arrived at the conclusion that there was no possible chance of getting at the wreck from the landward side. "Our attempt was an -absolute failure from the seaward side, and I only hope that the parties who are going to attempt the wreck from the seaward side will be more successful, but our own experience in that direction is not encouraging.”