Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-11
Crew of the Nobel.

To rescue from the deep s3,25O,OGO of
President Kruger's sunken treasure is the
mission of a mysterious ship recently
fitted out in London. Her name is the
Alfred Nobel. She is commanded by
Captain Charles Gardiner. Though some
aIlus!on has been made in various London
PAPERS to this remarkable expedition, the
full story of the treasure ship Is told here
for the first time
At first glance, this story reads like the
widest of romances. One has visions OF
pirates bullion. midnight attacks, spies
and all the usual incidents of treasure
seeking romances such as Robert Louis
Stevenson would have delighted In.
There is very little romance, however,
about this expedition. Its projectors seem
to be men of hard, common sense. Never
before, perhaps, in the history Of treasure
hunting has the business" been placed on
so matter-of-fact footing.
A big company has been formed called
the South African Salvage Company, and
1t is understood that very large amount
of capital is behind the venture. Already
$4,000 worth Of stock in this company has
been subscribed for; and an equally large
sum is promised as soon as operations
have begun on the actual scene of the
wreck.
The loss Of the Kruger millions has long
been a matter Of history. When the Boer
war first began one of the first acts Of
President Kruger was to withdraw vast
sum of moneys $50, OOO-from various
South African banks. This was in actual
gold. Kruger had this melted into bars
ND lod In n
placed in the hold of the ship Dorothea.
The exact destination of this vessel was
not known at the time to any one save
Kruger himself. 1t subsequently trans
pired that she was bound for South Amer
lea, whittier Kruger himself intended to
follow as soon as things in South Africa
became too hot for him.
That 1.-The best laid plans will go wrong
was exemplifled in the case of Kruger's
treasure ship. She had only reached a few
miles off Cape Vidal on the Zulu coast
when she came to grief She struck on the
Tenedos Reef and became total wreck.
Her vast treasure, sealed up in huge
cement column which was practically cast
around 1t, went bodily into the sea with
the ship And here the unwisdom OF
Krugers cementing operation was re-
vealed.
Had the gold been in separate boxes-or
even in small casks such is usual with
bulion-a portion of it might have been
saved. The wreck was abandoned, how
ever the gold was lost, and Kruger sur
vived only few years the disappearance
of his republic and his millions.
From time to time the recovery of the
money was discussed by Kruger's friends,
but they knew that any open attempt on
their part to regain a treasure which really
belonged to the Transvaal government
would have bsen stopped by England: or.
what is worse. the gold would have been
taken away from the treasure-seekers had
they been successful.
Various attempts on the part of the gov
eminent to locate this treasure were made
from time to time, but those in charge of
the government work were unable to ascer-
tain the exact spot where the Inflated
Dorothea struck. The salvage work was
finally abandoned by official representa-
tives CT the British government.