The morning call., 1894-01-21

IN Hong-kong by some American divers.
In 1885 the screw steamer Alfonso XII
went down off Las Palmas in 165 feet of
water with S350,000 in specie on board, all
of which was safely recovered from the
bullion-room of the sunken vessel and
raised to the surface by London firm.
Perhaps the most singular incident of
the ocean yielding up sunken treasure is
that of the Lutine. Visitors to the library
of Lloyds' rooms in the Royal Exchange,
London, cannot fail to notice a conspicu-
Gus looking table with ships bell stand
ing at the fo0tbOard and large, hand
somely carved hIgh-backed armchair, which
bears the following inscription:
"IhiS chair is made from the wood of
the rudder of ii. B. NJ. frigate La Lutine.
which sailed from Yarmouth Roads on the
morning of tie 9th of Octo Der. 1899, with
large amount of specie on board, and
was wrecked the same night off the island
of Vlieland. when all on board persisted
with the exception of one man. The rud-
der WAS recovered from the wreck In 1859
having been submerged sixty years."
The table bears similar inscription.
Tie story thus briefly told in the inscrip-
ton is very remarkable from the fact that
the vessel is the only golden wreck" that
has ever fioated into LlOyds. The Lu-
tine was 32-gun frigate, built in France
In 1875, and subsequently captured by
Admiral Duncan. When wrecked she
was bound for the River Elbe with bullion
and specie on board amounting to seven
or eight millions of dollars, which some
London merchants connected with Lloyds
were sending to Hamburg. England be-
ing at that time at war with the Neither
lands the underwriters were unable to
salve the treasure. but the sturdy fisher
men of the Zuyder Zee made such good
use of time and tide that between June,
1900, and November, 1901, they hauled up
from fha hoVyplS N | nfinQ m
the amount of 100000 guilders (eS3.O0O),
after which the shifting sands of the
Znyder Zee covered the wreck, and moth
ing more was thought of the Lutine's
treasure until 1914. when dredging opera
tons were commenced under a royal
decree obtained from the King of Hol-
land, but only seventeen coins were recov-
cred during seven wears. In 1922 salving
operations were again renewed by expert
enced divers, who after using diving
bell for four or five months without result
relinquished the work. In 1923 the COM
mittee of Lloyds made representations to
the King of Holland through the Foreign
Office which eliminated in his Neither
lands Majesty cediDg his mOiety of the
golden wreck" to the rightful owners
through the British Government, and thus
the underwriters became entitled TO half
the proceeds of all the treasure salved.
But nothing more was recovered until an
away the shifting sands and opened up the
old Iron gate" which had so long barred
approach to the wreck, anG work again
commenced. In the years 1857 and
1858 the total salvage amounted 10
470 AL guiders, but in the autumn oil
1858 the same terrible northwesteEly gales
closed the channel Of the Iron gate,
and the sands of the Zuyder Z-t
! claimed their own again. In lSj.
! only 5S,22S guiiders were recovered
! after which the proceeds dwindled dowI
to nothing, although operations were con
| iinued at intervals during 1860 and 1861
| The total amount of treasure on board tht
| Lutine has never been ascertained. but i
| is generally estimated at about 81, 600, 900
of which about S1.20O,0O0 has been recov
cred. Ii is, of course, a matter Of pure
| speculation whether any and how much oil
| The $4,000 900 that probably is still lynC
| buried at the entrance of the Znder ZAt
will ever be recovered, but LioyGs hav,
| already received 100000. an1 there i:
every chance of a storm arising at any tim,
that may again sweep away the shifting
sands and enable Lloyds' association Il
reap another golden harvest of 'tTeasur,
troye" from the wreck of the old trlgat,
La LutiDe. HENRY CHAs. EvERILI.