The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-09
FORTUNES UN|)tR WATER
SOME PLACES IN NEPTUNE's DO
MAINS WHERE TREASURE
SHIPS WENT DOWN
OVER
$4oo,o00,o00
Ship After Ship Laden With IngOts
and Coinage Has Struck on
Britain's Shores and GONE
to Pieces.

There is a popular belief that vast
wealth lies buried deep between the
sand and rocks of our coasts, says Tit
Bits. Ship after ship, laden with ingots
and coinage has struck on the British
beaches and gone to pieces during the
last 800 years. From time to time
hundreds Of pounds worth of gold has
been showered on the seashore AMI picked
up and used; yet there still remains
something like eighty millions sterling in
gold and silver under the sea.
When the Jonl1heer Adeester Van de
Wall Dutch East Indiaman, struck
the iron-bound seafront of the Lizard
many years ago, she went to pieces be-
fore anything could be done to save her.
Some fishermen from Penberth Cove,
while engaged in fishing up blocks of
tin which formed part of the vessels
cargo, found tin box lying in six
fathoms Of water. Being opened, it
was found to contain coins to the value
Of e13,GG0. It is said that there are
other boxes of gold, silver and banknotes
lying among the rocks and sands where
the ship sank.
In 1874 Spanish galleon vert ashore
near the Lizard, having on board many
thousands of pounds worth of bar gold
and money, which were being carried
to London for safety during the unset
tied state of affairs in Spain The great
er part Of this vast wealth still lies
awaiting recovery between the rocks,
which have even at low water, six feet
Of water over them.
Some years ago a company sank O
Shaft through the rock below high
water mark to try to- recover the riches
the sea holds SO tight. 1t was imagined
that the waves after storm would drive
some portion Of the buried specie into
the hole at the bottom of the shaft. Be
fore the work was completed, however,
the sea broke in, and the shaft had to
be abandoned. Another syndicate soon
afterward dragged the bottom of the
sea in the Lizard district, but nothing Of
Importance was found. The treasure is
undoubtedly there, for coins and ingots
are being constantly washed ashore on
the beach.
Treasure to the value Of million and
q half sterling, which went to the bottom
of the sea with a Dutch galleon, lies
awaiting recovery somewhere on the
Chesil beach, a long, narrow tongue Of
,shingly land near the great convict sta
ton of Portland. This Dutch treasure
ship was returning from the West In
dies laden with precious metal, and
when coming up the channel was caught
in a gale and driven into Portland Race.
where tremendous broken seas rage
when there is any wind. Gradually she
it did not take her long to dissolve into
matchwood. The entire freight Of gold
and silver went to the bottom. Occa-
sionally the fishermen are reminded Of
it's existence by finding a silver or gold
bar or two on the beach.
The Abergavenny, which was lost in a
storm of Weymouth, about the year 1900,
had on board several thousand pounds
worth Of specie and Jewels In 1906 a
Il i,aoE - =, OF
a diving bell, sixty-two chests of dollars,
to the value Of e70 600, were ished UP.
Treasure OF vast amount is supposed to
lie under the sea In the Saru Badrig, a
sunken causeway running miles out to
sea from the Welsh coast The story
runs that a French treasure ship. the
Bretagne, struck on this death-trap Of
ships, and, caught by one huge wave,
hurled completely over, to sink with all
hands in deep water.
Another case Of total loss, involving
four and half millions in gold coins,
was the striking Of the Infanta, noble
Spanish galleon on the rocks Of MiZen
Head near Bantry bay, in November,
1873. The nature of the coast renders in
vestigation difficult, and not single coin
has been brought to the surface. In all
probability the treasure will remain IN
the sea for centuries.
Inc CZdrlnd, having 52,UD0VU3 IN gold on
board foundered in Filey Brigg, on the
Yorkshire coast, and another galleon was
lost a few miles farther south, near Bird
lington Quay. Thirty thousand pounds
have been drawn from the seas clutches
at Burlington Quay, and the remainder
lies awaiting the person who is able to
rescue it.
The Gunf1eet bank off the Essex coast,
is thiclly strewn with gold and silver, in
coin and ingots, for the Vrouwe Folder, a
Dutch vessel, emptied its cargo of half
million sterling In gold and silver there.
About century ago a Spanish treas
ureship, carrying a freight Of a million
sterling, was caught in q storm near
Beachy Head, and sank with all on board.
The treasure lies In deep hole over
which a strong current runs, making It
impossible for divers to descend
Much treasure-troye lies off the coast Of
ireland, Many Spanish galleons have shed
their riches there, and several ships of
the Great Armada. with all their wealth
on board. came to grief In the district
Three millions are scattered of a point
near Tralea. or rather its equivalent In