Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-03-06
LOSS OF THE IUTINE.
MORE THAN 81 ,ooo, 600 WENT TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

only TWO SurVfcCfS ifcEed Up, ana lHey
Soon Died-Of the Vast Treasure $780,
eco Has Been Observation-Disclosures OPP
erations Cnder Way to Secure the Rest.
There is an oalzen chair in the office OF
Lloyds', in London, the great maritime
firm, which has a strange and romantic
history Il was made from the rudder
Of the kings ship Lutine, which, in
1893, was wrecked i'll the North sea,
with the largest amount Of gold on board
that ever went to the bottom. The sec.
rotary Of Lloyds' recently gave to the
public an interesting account OF this
wreck and CT tho numerous attempts to
find her lost treasure. The Lutine was %
So gun frigate, capt nrcd from tie French
in 1893.
"In the autumn CT 1899 it was neces-
sary to send large amCunt OF specie
across tho North sea, and, as usual, ap-
plication was made TO the admiralty Tor
kings ship. This method OF conveyance
was thought the best guarantee for hon
estv, the best assurance against capture
nv foreign foes. Although some money
is supposed to have been Transmitted by
the Lutine to pay British troops then
serving in Holland. the bulk Of the
treasure was forwarded for purely COM
mercial reasons.
s'London merchants trading with
north Germany il those days were Ill
the habit Of sending their goods and
then drawing bills for their value upon
Hamburg and other houses at SO many
months ahead By the time the bills fell
due the goods had been sold fer cash,
which was paid into the banks to meet
engagements. But protracted frost Ill
the early part Of 1893 had SO long seal
ed the Elbe that the merchandise had
been detained ice bound and could not
be landed or disposed Of Ill time.
1.-The London traders, to save their
credit and escape the expense OF protest,
providing new bills and other probable
commercial disasters, resolved to send
cash across to cover their drafts as they
came to maturity. So grave was the
crisis, SO great the sum to be embarked,
that kings ship was asked, and near
" every banking firm i'll Lombard street
dispatched member i'll charge OF its
own cash contribution.
Moreover, as many legal questions
might arise, an experienced nOtary-hls
name is preserved, Mr.. Schabrach-wa
secured to accompany the party and ad-
wise in any difficulty. The precious car
90 was insured principally at Lloyds'.
"Various ideas, and nothing quite
authoritative, prevail as to the exact
amount on board the Lutine. Some say
the specie, which was i'll coins of all
sorts, gold and silver, guineas, golden
piasters, double louis dor, Sicilian
goldpieces. silver piasters and dollars,
also in gold and silver bars, reached
total value Of upward of million.
"In October of that year the Lutine
was ordered round to Yarmouth to take
treasure On board and proceed to the
Elbe. Her captain was one Lancelot
SKINNER, r. N, an officer of distinction,
and no doubt his mission was much to
his taste. The short voyage was likely
70 bring him considerable profit, for it
vas the rule to pay naval captains a
commission Of per cent OH the total
value embarked.
con the evening Of the 9th Of October
the Lutine lay in Yarmouth roads with
a merry party OH board. The captain,
10 doubt in excellent spirits, had given
a grand ball TO the leading people in and
about Yarmouth The last Of the guests
had hardly gone ashore when peremp-
tory orders came from the admiralty
that the Lutine should forthwith go to
sea. She sailed in the early morning Of
the 9th, and from that time very little
was heard Of her.
cit 5, however, known that she steer
ed a 1traight course for Cuxhaven, at
the .Aoutll of the Elbe, wind strong
frosl north northwest, and greatly in
faEor After landing passengers and
Treasure the Lutine was to convoy a fleet
Of merchantmen to the Baltic.
"Soon after midnight, going free and
under full press Of sail, she struck on the
outer bank Of the island of Vlieland
(Flyland), the next to the Texel and
one of the ring Of islands that hem the
mouth of the Zuyder Zee. She must
have been slightly out Of the course, and
it is said that there was a strong lee tide
running During the night she went
down with all on board Another kings
ship, the Arrow, Captain Portlock, was
IN company, bat she could give no help,
nor the 'sccots' OF fishing boats of the
coast, and when day broke there was DO
Lutlne Only two survivors were picked
up by q Dutch lugger at daylight cling
Zig to the Wreckage, one Of whom died
almost Immediately, and the other, Mr..
Schabrach, the notary, very soon after
ward died, but not until he had told the
little he knew
Repeated efforts have been made to
recover the money. In the year imme=
diately following. when the whole thing
was fresh and before the sand had silted
OR drifted over the wreck, the Dutchmen
fished up some $50, 900 Then more sys-
tematic and some really costly efforts
were made, and by 1879 another $780,
600 was recovered
The pres mt operations were begun
i'll 1892 by an English engineer, Mr..
Fletcher, VINO had been engaged On the
Dutch coast in raising sunken dredger.
He became interested in the Lutine, and
associating himself with another emf
nent engineer, MI. Rinipple, they have
approached the business i'll a novel way.
Their idea IS to Clear the ship of sand,
but to lnclose her in a central area or
dock faced By sandbags, which will pre-
vent further sitting, while they ransack
the interior of the wreck by divers. This
area is 200 feet in diameter, from which
the sand will be removed by powerful
suction dredgers. " - New Orleans
Times Democrat
On the Latehkey Vive!