The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-08
LALUTINE'S sUNKEN TREASURE
Dredging for Millions Lost n Century Ago
and Lying In the North Sea.

Dire dying for Millions Lost Century Ago
and Lying In the North Sea-.
From the New York Sun.
Nearly 100 years ago. on clear Octo-
Der night in 1899, the British 32-gun
frigate La Lutine was lost on the
bank between the island of Terschell-
ing and Vlieland, on the Dutch coast,
and of all her crew and passengers
only one man was saved. What caused
the disaster was never known, but a
fishing boat reported having passed
close to her at midnight and seen bril-
liant lights in the cabin and the sound
of revelry. The frigate had on board
large amount of treasure, gold and
silver, shipped either to relieve the
commercial crisis at Hamburg or to
pay the English troops fighting against
Napoleon. How much is not known
definitely. as the estimates vary be-
tween e1500, 900 and E300,00o, but the
sum was a very large one, and repeat
ed attempts have been made to reach
the treasure.
The first attempts at salvage were
made two years after the wreck, with
primitive appliances, hooks fastened
| to long poles, tongs and iron nets Gold
and silver coin to the value of 955,770
was recovered. The renewed outbreak
| of the war stopped work for a dozen
| years, and meanwhile a sandbanS
| gathered over the Lutine, which was
called by the fisherman the Gold bank.
After the war an official of Terschell-
| ing named Peter Eschawzier applied
himself to recover the treasure. He
traced the specie that left London the
week before La Lutine sailed, hunted
up the amounts insured at Lloyds and
| in Hamburg, and made out likely
| theory that the vessel had e1, 200, 900
or $6,00o0o0 on board when she went
down. He formed a company known
as the Decretal Salvors, hired divers
and got TO the wreck once or twice, but
died before any of the gold was re-
covered. The British Lloyds, which
| had insured part of the treasure, OBJ
| tanned the rights of the Dutch crown
| to whatever was found, and all latei
attempts have been made by the De-
cretal Salvors and Lloyds working to-
| gether. Between 1856 and 1860 G44,124
was recovered in gold and silver bars
Spanish piasters and English guineas
In 1866 another 96S6 worth of coins
was obtained. Two years ago some
English engineers made a contract
| with Lloyds to recover the treasure
for half of what might be found. After
boring for the wreck for a time they
came upon some coins and pieces od
iron marked with the English broad
| arrow, and thought they had located
the hull. Last summer they built 9
wall of sand bags, 200 feet in diameter
around the spot to keep out the NOV
ing sand, and with two dredgers dredg
ed a hole so feet in diameter. till they
reached hard clay. 80 feet below low
tide, when they drove in oak posts al
around the hole, and then saw the,
were on the wrong spot. They ha6
found the detached and drifted wreck
axe, but the hull was 100 feet away
| The work had to be done all owe
again, and by the time the rough win
ter weather compelled them to stoI
they had cleared from the sand 80 fee
of the vessel amidships. leaving so OF
so feet at either end untouched. They
drew up all sorts of things in thei
pumps, human remains, articles mark
ed @. r., for Georgius Rex, five can
non, and one day 165 cannon balls
They thought then they had the gol,
bars for sure, but the only treasure
obtained was a few coins. Work will
be begun again next spring. and If tn,
treasure is not recovered at any rat
the Lutine legend will be put an en-,
10 forever