The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26
GEM s7RENN SHORES
SOUGHT BY ..BR|TONs
Mariners Story Of Harvest of
Diamonds Starts Expedition
from London.
Special Gable to The Journal.

Special Gable to The Journal.
London, Aug. 25.-Since the departure
Of the steamer Xema from London the
other day on a diamond seeking expe-
dition some further particulars have
come to light which lend additional in
terest to what is undoubtedly one OF the
most romantic quests Of modern times:
While her precise destination is still
kept a profound secret, it is known it
is somewhere on the African coast-or
on, an island off the coast-that 1T Is ex-
pected the costly gems will be found:
The origin Of the venture is soon told.
Not long ago ship was wrecked in
position which is admitted to be east
ward of the dark continent:
From this wreck one seafarer escaped
with his life. He was ultimately brought
back to civilization He carried with
him some ingy-loobing pebbles which
he said he had picked up on the beach
where his ship had been wrecked, and
had preserved as souvenirs Of his peril
| Gus adventure. :@g"s .:' &E's. .~''"
These pebbles, it is said, were found
on examination to be diamonds and
like $4,000. In" - ~. .~.~,::.. , 49,. =
. Whatever they were, and whatever
their value, it is certain that the story
the sailor told, wildly improbable as it
may seem, Of beach where diamonds
can be picked up like pebbles, and the
stantiate it, made such an impression
on those who heard him that syndi-
cate was formed to finance an expedi-
ton to find the treasure spot. The sail
or, meanwhile, was sworn to secrecy and
spirited away somewhere where nobody
could get at him to pump him.
The capital Of the syndicate is $780,
600, divided into twenty-five $4,000
shares: The amount was oversub-
scribed.
The Xema, which was chartered for
the expedition, is over thirty years old
and Of no great engine power. That
alone furnishes good reason why her
precise destination should be kept Sc
cret even after her departure, for were
it discovered there would be nothing to
prevent q rival expedition being dis
patched in haste in a swift steamer
which might be off the diamond-strewn
beach before the ancient Xema had
doubled the Cape of Good Hope.
+ Good Time, Anyway.
Tho slow, old craft, the xema has
been fitted out most luxuriously for the
voyage, SO that whether they succeed
or fail in their search the diamond.
/ seekers are assured Of a good time. The
fact, however, that, the ship carried ex.
plosives, mining apparatus and several
miners would seem to indicate that they
are not sure they; will find it such easy
work obtaining the diamonds as would
be inferred from the sailors yarn.
All told, there are forty-six men on
tho Xema. She is commanded by Cap
tain H. J. Temperly Grey, late Of the
| British 'a warship, Spartan. Several
other Of her officers are reservists, az
are also a score of her crew. = ,
Among the members Of the expedi-
ton is, Captain. Jackson, who took part
in the famous Jackson Harmsworth OK.
whaler EWipdWaxd.s and several. aristo.
cratic adventurous The. shipwrecked
vessel sailed from London: He viii
be picked up at some port en- route.
The Xema belongs to Earl Ntzwill.
lam. He purchased her at the time he
was planning an expedition to. Coeos
Eplunder: Ultimately he decided that
and bought an old Castle, liner, which
| he rechristened the Veronique. '-: -
I. Expedition Disastrous.
t.. The expedition as everybody knows
turned out disastrously., It cost the
shareholders in this diamond venture
tho, if successful, lit promises much
richer reward than could be obtained
from from I'll, the discovery of the pirates
| Tho Earl F4tzwilliam s and various
other Cocos island expeditions have
failed, and other ventures in search OF
hidden piratical boards have Jared ne
better In recent years, there are still
some people who have an abiding faitf
in their existence and their own capa
city to discover them. 49,.
Among them is W. II. Small, an ole
salt hailing from. Liverpool: In the
course Of a laborious seafaring life he
has amassed money enough to become
the owner Of a staunch little fishing
ketch, the Catherine: In this little
craft Captain Small will soon start
across the Atlantic, bound for some
island in the Caribbean sea, where be
| is sanguine that he will succeed in en-
rriIcahing himself to the extent of $6,O00,
That he estimates to be the value OF
a hoard of gems, bullion and specie that
was there buried by Latrobe, the noto
:. rious French pirate, sometime in 1905
or whereabouts. He isn't seeking tc
| form any syndicate to finance an expe
dition and share in the treasure. He
wants that 100000 all for himself.
He says that the secret. Of the hiding
place was revealed BY an old sailor on
his deathbed some twenty-eight years
ago, to ships doctor named Dawson