The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-22


for exploring the wreck, and his inten-
tons in the matter were published
widely in the newspapers and formed
the theme of gossip in club and draw
ing room.
Three Yankees came ashore from the
John Silver They had money ana
they used it freely. The yacht was
never questioned BY the port author
tiles and John Silver, or another, the
name did not matter The day after
their arrival they were met by three
other men, one OF whom was Tecog-
nized as diver from Brest- Several
great boxes were taken on board and
the seamen OF the port learned in some
way that the yacht had an elaborate
plant for deep-sea diving slowed away
in her. Two weeks go the John Sill
Yer returned 10 BOulOgne, and the
three men who had Joined her there
when she first visited the port came
ashore, the diver from Brest and the
other two. Before taking the train to
their unknown destinations one of
them remarked that they had been
searching for treasure in the North
sea, and had found it. The men left
town the day they landed, and the
John Silver steamed out of the har-
Dor as soon as the men were ashore
At the same time appeared in Lon
looted the wreck of the Admiral of
Florence and the Lutine One story
is that only the LUtine's treasure was
lifted but the persistent rumors have
been enough to cause some anxiety
both to the Duke of Argyll and to
LlOyds. Next summer when work is
begun on the wrecks of the Lutine and
the Admiral Florence viii the divers
find the strong boxes empty and the
treasure gone? That is the perpleX-
ing question which is bothering his
grace of Argyll and the Lloyds. Al
most everybody believes they will. The
duke and the government are now
filled with chagrin that their proposed
treasure hunting expeditions were not
kept a profound secret instead of be-
ing brUited about in the most public
manner.
AT the same time it became widely
known that the British government, at
ter nearly a century of negotiation
with Holland, finally acquired all
rights in the wreck of the sunken Luz
tine, and made a contract with LlOyds
to recover the treasure which was in
her when she went down. All the
details of the location and history of
these two famous sunSen treasure ships
were published far and wide, and the
knowledge regarding them became pub
lie property.
Then three men, smoking their ci-
gars after dinner in a club at Phila-
delphia, talked of the golden Admiral
of Florence and the no less golden
Lutine. AS they talked, a project grad
ually shaped itself, and so, before many
days, a swift steam yacht bound for
European waters passed out by the
capes of Delaware with the three men
on board. Meantime the Duke of Ar
gyll and LlOyds were preparing to
get to work. They were waiting for
nice, fair, summer weather. but the
men from Philadelphia waited for
nothing. One month ago a trim, Amer
I lean built yacht steamed into the har-
Dor of BoUlOgne. The name on her
stern was the John Silver, and the
paint of the lettering was hardly dry,
for it was a new name the old one
perhaps, being too we'll known. In
the light Of subsequent events the name
/ is significant, for John Silver was the
name of the wrecked pirate in Steven
sons story of Treasure island. He
it was who used to sing Of
Fifteen men on the dead mans chest,
YOi no. and a bottle of rum
But it is probably too late for re-
grets. If John Silver can be identified
also, and it can be proved that they
actually lifted" the sold of the Ad-
miral of Florence and the Lutine the
British government and the Duke of
Argyll would undoubtedly try to re
cover a part or all of the SDOils and
a very pretty international incident
might grow out of the cruise of the
mysterious yacht. But the three men
/ from Philadelphia seem to have laid
their plans with great skill and 70
/ have covered" pretty effectuaiIy their
tracks" broken the trail as the west
eTn scouts used to say. In the Lutine
when she went down was S. 1000, 900 in
bar gold. It is supposed that the treas
Ure in the Admiral of Florence was
even greater.
A London paper, in an interview with
'One Of the best known American bust
ness men in London, quotes him as
saying, Americans have SurpriSe5
! Britain a lot already, but the British
will be simply aghast when they are
: finally convinced that one of the
shrewdest tricks ever played on then
( has taken place in the last few weeks
l mean that the Sunkeu treasure in
+ Loeb Duan, which the Duke of Argyll
I is to go after, and the treasure off the
coast Of Holland. which LlOydS are tC
( seek, viii be found missing. The facts
should have been kept secret, but in
stead they were blurted to the world
/ and what more natural than that meu
/ of enterprise should try to get the
/ treasure for themselves?
/ L am certain that all the treasure
| or large portion of it, viii be landed
/ in the United States within a week OF
/ two. It was a speculation to fit out tbs
7 vessel for the work, but it paid Won
derfully well, if my information is cor
T rect. Just who was behind this daring
hunt for gold in the ocean I cannon
/ say, nor can l name the craft, bu
/ l know that three Americans from
! Philadelphia forestalled the Duke o.
! Argyll and the LlOyds.'
After this let all the gibes abou
Philadelphia being ''slow" be forgot
I ten.