The Lost Treasure Chest

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 9 (Supplement)

The Lost Treasure Chest

MANY years ago, before Australia was even thought of as a part of the British Empire, Dutch navigators were sailinn along her'coast, charting it, and making voyages from Batavia in Java southward. | In 1656 a'-Dutch treasure ship, the' fiilfc Dragon,' Tan aground on a reef off, +IO West Australian coast and became; o total wreck. The whole of her cargo vas lost, including chests containing ra 600 guilders, and 118 of her crew i perished. The others managed to got | "shore in two of the ship s boats, but 0 f these was smashed. In the second boat seven sailors set sail on the long, weary journey back to Batavia to Line help to their 09 comrades left ashore on the desolate coast of A us-

tralia. The seven men reached Batavia safely, anil three relief expeditions were despatched without finding any of the 69 men. Two years later two more ships went down from Batavia, and found wreckage which was said to bo that of the Gilt Dragon. Land parties went ashore near the spot and found traces of the ship, including a number of pieces of planking standing upright to form an enclosure. Dutch records seem positive that theso relics proved the position of the sliip, which, if that is so, would bo

A Mystery 280 Years Old May be Solved at Last

somewhere near Jurien Bay, on the western coast of Australia. And there for years the matter rested. But where was tho treasure?

Then during the last century pioneers went out over Australia, and the country mentioned became good for cattle. A great deal of surveying was done in order to open up the country, and in tho year 1875 the story of tho Gilt Dragon cropped up again. Mr. A. E. Burt, a draughtsman attached to the Admiralty Marino Survey, was camped in tho district north of Jurien Bay, and while 011 one of his surveying trips lie came across n cleared space and in the centre of it a complete circle of stones. He had no time to investigate, as a ship was waiting to pick him up. Feeling interested, he read rill' he could about the wreck of the Gilt Dragon, and ho seemed certain that tho circle of stones which he had found had some bearing on the wreck, or on the survivors of it. Somo years later Mr. Burt tried to find the circle of stones again; but most of tho country consisted of dense bush, and ho could not locate the spot. Before ho passed 011 he left a full account of his searches, and many attempts have since been made to find tho spot. In a Cave Two or three years ago interest surged up again, when a little farther south a skeleton was found in a cave, and besido it some old Dutch coins which bore dates corresponding to the time of tho wreck of tho Gilt Dragon. And once again treasuro seekers were active. Now the dramatic news conies that tho circle of stones has been located again, and, what is more, has been photographed. They have been found by Mr. J. B. Hayes and Mr. G. Penney, who are to return with a well-equipped truck to make a full investigation. In telling of tho find Mr. Penney said there were threo groups of stones in a cleared area. One was in the form of a ring and the other two were rectangular. Tll front of tho ring was a very largo , rock—so big that a man could only lift it with difficulty. Trees had grown from under some of the rocks, which would indicate that they had been there for a great time. It is not surprising that the bush has held its secret for all these years, for the country south of Dongara, whore the discovery has been made, is very rugged, with thick prickly scrub, and the only people likely to visit it would bo stockmen searching for lost cattle.

Js it possible that a mystery which has lasted for 280 years will be solved at last? Whatever happens further investigation will be made. It is well known that Blackfellows who inhabited the country in that area had a legend which concerned a long-ago wreck, and of something wedged below the level of the water in rocks visible on clear and very calm days.