Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-10-13

ship, which then sailed, ostensibly
for Monte Video. AS you know. the
Dorothea was wrecked a few days
in her cargo was drowned, and the
others were picked up by passing
steamer. Personally 1 didn't believe
the tale until 1 saw a letter from a
man who was formerly Of great con-
sequence in the Transvaal and who
is now not permitted to land in South
Africa, in which he asked a noted
German firm to get a permit from the
Natal government to work the wreck
of the Dorothea, and said that he
himself would, at his own expense, fit
out the expedition"
Then you believe the gold is still
there?"
There must be truth in the story,
or people like Currie and Morrison of
Durham would hardly have equipped
one of their tugs, and sent to England
get, in order to make an expedition
to the Dorothea. But although they
worked for two months on the scene
they never succeeded in finding her.
1t was of course, in the programme
of the Alfred Nobel to go to the Doro-
thea after Currie and Morrison had
abandoned operations, but as mat
ter Of fact, the Alfred Nobel never
went there, for reasons which 1 will
presently explain. But have not told
you of a more successful visit to the
wreck by other people. 1t was then
that a diver named Kramer, who was
subsequently killed at st. John Jack
sons works at Simon Town, had his
hand on the cement which encases
the gold. He got up three pieces
Of cement which plainly showed the
impression Of the cases. He also got
off about 1 IA ounces Of gold from
one of the bars which was protrud-
ing. These pieces of cement and this
piece Of gold are in South Africa to-
day. l have had them in my hand.
They absolutely vouch for the story"
But why did the ship leave the
wreck when Kramer had made GER
tain of the presence Of the gold?"
well, you have to wait your time.
They had no dynamite with which to
blow up the cement There was no
means of doing it, except by dynamite,
and before they could get it bad
weather set in. 1 ought to tell you
that Kramer was working for very
small expedition with very small cap
ital, which preceded that Of Currie
and Morrison. had hoped, Of course
that we should get on the scene with
the Alfred Nobel, for before her ex-
pedition began 1 had been out over
pedition began l had been out over two
years on the African coast, surveying
wrecks which were known to be valu-
able. But the Dorothea was by no
means the only vessel we had In our
eye One Of them was the Middleburg,
which had a wealth Of old china on
board, was wrecked on Oct II, 1714.
She was a Dutch vessel, bound from
China to Amsterdam, and was chas-
ed by the British into Saldanha bay.
where her desperate crew sank her.
From her wreck the Alfred Nobel re-
covered over 500 pieces Of valuable
old china, including a Chinese god,
for which an offer Of $1,000 was
made on the spot, and a bowl with
a sword adhering to it, which an ex-
pert. valued at f400. Another vessel
we were after was one wrecked off
Cape Agulhas in 1869. 1 won't give
her name, because she Is in position
where she might easily be found.
She contained $50 tons Of tin, and
tin was then worth f16S per ton. We
were commencing operations with
her in the Alfred Nobel when we got
instructions from London to proceed
to the Middleburg 1 replied that
it was not the season for the Middle
burg, and that we were doing very
well where we were, but the directors
thought they knew best. So 1 had
to leave the vessel, which is only Al
or 81 fathoms Of water, on a rocky
bottom. At least half or two-thirds
Of her cargo could easily have been
recovered. London Telegraph.