SHIPS & THE SEA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 5 March 1912, Page 6

SHIPS & THE SEA.

AFTER TREASURE. A cording to reports from London much interest follows the operations ot the National Salvage Association in tIK-ir endeavour to secure the bullion contained in the frigate Lutine, which foundered over a century ago off the coast cf Holland. For over nine months Captain C. A. P. C. CJardinor and a staff of ten divers have been engaged in freeing the wreck from the large sandbank whicn covered it to a depth of 30 feet. Inter rupted only occasionally by inclement weather, the powerful suction pumps have been going almost continuously, and now the wreck is accessible from all sides. The divers and pumps have already brought up all manner of curious articles belonging to the Lutine, and these have been forwarded to London. Here is the full list : 400 copper nails. 11 copper nails, 2 copper bands from treasure chests, 7 human bones, 20 cannon balls. 1 gold coin, 2 large silver coins, 2 large copper coins. 2 pencil cases, 8 pieces of copper, 1 candle-snuffer. 1 anchor, many brass buttons, pieces of china, and several fragments of the wreck. The coins are in a wonderful state of preservation, the silver coins bearing the date 1796, three years before the Lutine was lost. The bra.-s button? are suposed to be from tue coats of thv clDcers of the ship. The treasure-seekers have now located the magazine' of the ship, near which the gold bars are known to have been situated, and hopes ar e expressed that shortly the first of the bullion may be recovered. The story of_ the Lutine makes romantic reading. When she left the Thames, she had specie on board for the English garrison on the Dutch island of Texel, and gold and silver bars for Hamburg banking houses. During a violent storm she was wrecked off the Island of Vlieland. and every soul on board, save one, perished. The greater part cf the bullion on board was officially described as "from merchants in terested in making remittances to the Continent in support of their credit It was for this purpose that the .Admiralty allowed a King's ship to be employed England at this time beinjj at war with the Netherlands. According to estimate* made at the time, the Lutine had or. board ten tons of gold and silver bu.lion. Its value was estimated to be £1 200 000, comprised in 1000 gold bar:,. The Lutine set sail at dawn, 9th October 1799, from Yarmouth Roads, at twiner voyage from the Thames, and the same night was wrecked at th e entrance to the Zuyder Zee. Numerous at tempts have been made from time to time to recover the precious cargo ot the Lutine, notably at the commence ment of last century, and again between 1856 and 18c0. Previous operations, however, could not natural y be conducted with the powerful appliances available for the present venture sc that despite years of unremitted labour on the part of various syndicates which had obtained concessions their efforts met with little reward. It is calculated Sat slightlv less than £IOO,OOO worth o; bullion has "been extracted from tV wreck, leaving approximately £51,100.00. to be recovered. Fcr the- past halt century, however, the task of reaching the gold with ineffective apparatus hae been rendered practically impossible owinVto the burial of the wreck m the *and Tho Lutine. it is interesting t.rlcal'l. was originally a French frigate of 32 guns, and was subsequently captured by Admiral Duncan. In one of thn salvage enterprises the shins bell and rod!" were recovered, and from the Int [er was constructed an arm-chair, which i. now in the library at Lloyd s.