HUNT FOR TREASURE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18204, 27 September 1933, Page 11

HUNT FOR TREASURE

GOLD OF LONG AGO AYREUIv OF, OLD DUTCH SHIP SYDNEY, bept, 8. The, romance ami glamour of old-time treasure haunts is recalled by a message from Perth lhat a police trooper and guide are breaking ail arduous trail through almost, impenetrable scrub south of Dongarra, hi the wilds of Western Australia, searching for a cairn believed to mark the buiial place of a treasure ol 78,000 guilders (roughly £6500) saved from (he wreck of the Uuteh ship de Yerguihle Diacck in .1656. Mr. Alfred Hurt, sou of a former Chief Jusi.iei! of Western Australia, and the late Mr. Harry Oghnurne, found the cairn 60 years ago while engaged on an Admiralty survey of the. Western Australian coast.. it was in a small clearing, ringed about with white stones. Later, when reading of the wreck ol the do \ erguiide Draoek (the Golden Dragon) on a reef on the coast, 60 miles south of the ringed space. Mr. Burt associated his discovery with (he sea tragedy ol 2CO Avars earlier. Then ’ followed the finding, in a cave north of the Moore River, of a handful of corroded coins, dated between 1618 ami 1648. -Near by was a skeleton, which crumbled to dust when it was louehed. Jb is assumed I hat this was the remains of a survivor who had left the main party to seek help, and .who carried a number of tbe coins wit h him. The ringed clearing then became a clue to Die resl lug-place of the old Dutehmaii’s treasure, ami although on the verge of 111) wars. Mr. Burt has

'made (wo courageous bill fruitless attempts to rediscover the spot. Corroboj ration of the existence of the clearing and the. stones came from an old resident of Pougarra, and another remembered a long pile of stones pointing like an arrow to the clearing. Now news is awaited eagerly from the trooper and guide who are investigating along the .line, indicated by the stones, j The de V erg nil tie Draeek lost 118 men ! when she was wrecked on April 28. | 1656. There were 6!) immediate, survii t ors, but repeated searches revealed no (trace of them or of Ihe treasure which (the vessel carried. Mr. Burt's story is that, lie gave no further thought to the discovery of ihe stones until the discover)' at Moore Bivcr years later again brought the whole matter to Ids mind. Since then he has made two unsuccessful ntfeiniil-s to reach the site one with Mr. Maxwell l.cfroy. Government inspecting surm-vor. and one with a trooper mid a bii iii Min. lie is alixiouslv awaiting lie l news of the latest expedition.