TREASURE TROVE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8923, 8 September 1905, Page 6

TREASURE TROVE.

0 AFTER SEA-WASHED GOLD. EXPEDITION TO THE WRECK OF THE ELINGAMITE There is an element of SouUi Sea. romance in the little expedition that is to leave Wellington this morning (says the New Zealand Times of Wednesday) to "make an attempt to recover the bullion that went down three years ago in the steamer Elingamit©, off the Three Kings Islands — the last jagged remnant of New "Zealand, away N.N.W. of the northernmost coastal-light. On board the ill-fated vessel was bullion to the value of about £17,300, and, so far as is known, the treasure still reposes in the submerged steamer close in shore off the inhospitable Three! Kings. ! Two expeditions from Auckland essayed the task of winning back the sunken coin, but each wa6 foredoomed to failure. In the one case -the treasure-seekers did not locate the spot under which the wrecked steamer lay. The other located the steamer, moored a vessel over her, dropped a weighted ladder over the side, making the top end fast to the vessel, and then — well, then the diver refused to "take on the job." In his rage and disIgust the promoter of that expedition offered to go down himself if the others "would give him fair play at the pumps." -Those with him refused to allow him to • do a diver's task in such an exposed place, and the expedition returned to Auckland disgusted with the whole business. - The Wellington venture is another tiling. There is a promise that the promoting syndicate will be given a fair "run for its money," and the hopes of those concerned run high as to the results of the cruise. The first step taken by the promoters was to ascertain their position as -regards the bullion if it was by any chance recovered. According to law, it would remain the property of the underwriters for ever — a law that does not in all parts of the world. That .being the case, Lloyd's Salvage Company, of London, was communicated with, and an arrangement was made and duly executed in legal form between Captain Willifi (of Lyltellon), Lloyd's agent in the colony, on the 'one hand, and a Wellington resident representing the syndicate on the -other, by which the syndicate were to be allowed to retain 75 per cent, of any bullion recovered from the Elingamite. This was done months ago. Since then those interested have been quietly making their arrangements against the most fitting time for action — the present — and, i given favorable weather conditions, the auxiliary schooner Emma Simms will sail away this morning for the Threj? Kings — to make a bid for a fortune. '„ There has lieen no humbug in preparing for the work to be done at the other end of the North Island. The services of one Lee. an American diver of repute from Thursday Island, have been secured for a term. As the steamer was last reported to be lying in from thirteen to fourteen fathoms of water, no difficulty is antici- . patcd in reaching Ihe steamer if the elements aliove are reasonable enough to per'lDJi l ne plant being rigged over the sub' merged vessel. Captain Tosswill. for some years in the* service of the New Zealand Shipping Company, is in charge of the Emma Sims, and lx?side him. the diver, and a representative of the syndicate, there is a crew of eight men prepared to risk a good deal to get the gold. - A new and complete set of' C. B. Gorman's diving gear, capable of supplying air to a man thirty-five fathoms below the surface of the waior, is on board the Emma Sims, which is also supplied with an electric 1 light outfit, the dynamo of which will be driven by a three-horse power engine. The dynamo will generate power enough for a 300 candle-power submarine light to guide the divor at his work in the murky depths. The Rmma Sims has an auxiliary engineof thirty -two horse-power, has a reputation as a fast sailer, and is well found down to the smallest detail. She is provisioned for some months. An enquiry as to when the adventurers expected to return elicited the reply : "We hope to return to Wellington with the bullion within a month."