The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-04-22
Efforts Made to Recover the
Lost Lutine'S Treasure.
FRlGATE WRECKED IN 1893
Replted TO Have Had 50, 800, 900 on
Board of Which 100000 Has
Been ReCoyercd-The Romantic
Tradition Connected with Her
Loss-ReIics at Lloyds.

IN Tobermory Bay, Null, in 1888.
and the English frigate Lutine,
wrecked off the Terschelling, Hol-
land, in 1899. In both cases at
tempts have been made from time to
time to salve their treasure.
In the case of the galleon they
have met with but little success.
With the Lutine fortune has been
more favorable and about 100000
out of her reputed s50O,00O has
been recovered.
The salvors believe that the bulk
of the treasure Is lying outside the
boat near the stern on her port side.
In 1859 a gold bar was picked up,
but since then no bars have been re-
covered. In 1862 diver reported
a large quantity of silver bars lying
closely packed together in the
form of a pavement outside the yes
sci.
He was unable to lift one or 20 get
an iron bar between to separate them
This mass was under covering of
sand and it was owing to a further
influx that the operations had to be
aba Idoned.
The Lutine was originally thirty
two gun French frigate, captured
by Admiral Hood in 1898 during the
operations against the city of Tou-
lon. Under the British flag she car
ried crew of ESQ men and she took
her part In several engagements
when acting as convoy. On Octo-
ber 8, 1893, she made her last voy-
age under extraordinary circum-
stances.
1t Is recorded that the Lutine sail
ed from Yarmouth Roads in fair
weather, but as she approached the
Dutch coast heavy gale bore
down from the northwest. During
the night she struck on a road bank
between the islands of Vlieland and
Terschelling, lying off one of the
entrances to the Zuyder Zee called
the Vile River.
Fishermen on the shore watched
struggles On the lee shore, and
IN them comes the romantic ira
.ioL of the treasure ship, after
ape of rescue was gone, being lit UP
illiantly ani the sounds of revelry
~nd singing coming through the
storm, until the lights suddenly dis
appeared and the Lutine was gone.
Many Of the Lombard street bankers
are said to have sent representatives
&c accompany the money, but of the
large crew and passengers only one
man, clinging to spar, reached the
shore alive, and he died without
speaking. The ship was insured at
Lloyds, and the underwriters
promptly paid the insurance for a
total loss.
Salvage work began the next year,
and as Holland was then allied to
France the English underwriters
had the chagrin of hearing that
e55,000 of the treasure was recov-
cred by the Dutch. The operations
we're carried on with tongs, nippers
and iron landing nets fastened to
the ends of poles worked by fisher
men
In 1901 the wreck settled into
the sand, and nothing further was
attempted until 1914 when the Oflc-
ial Receivers Of wrecks at Terschel-
ling landed few coins. A COM
pany called the Decretal Salyors
tstill in existence) set to work in
1921 by permission of the Dutch
Government, but after spending sew
era. thousand pounds abandoned tile
wreck to the and. The eRort
reused Lloyd's who applied TO the
Dutch Government. with the result
that the King of Holland gave the
wreck to George ", who made IL
over to them.
But after all this Lloyds did moth
ing. In 1857 the accidental entan-
clement of buoy chain in the wreck
led to the discovery that it was once
more free of sand and by arrange
ment with Lloyd's the Decretal Sal
vors once more resumed operations
and brought up $4,000. The work
was suspended to 1859, owing to
another shifting.
further attempts were made and a
few relics were found; then in 1885
about $1,000 worth of gold and sill
yer coins were recovered, but no bars
either of gold or silver. From 1894
to 1900 various operations were
tried but only a few coins appeared.
Besides the treasure some very in
leresting relics 81 the lost ship were
brought to the surface. Her rudder
which was recovered in 1857, was
made into the chairman's table and
chair In the secretary's room. and
her bell. bearing the royal crown and
arms, of the Bou-bons and the in
scription Saint Jean." has long
hung In the underwriters room, and
is heard when the room Is called TO
silence to hear the posting of lost
ships.