The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-22
VAST RICHES MAY Be
RECOVERED FROM SEA
Fortune That Went Down
With Frigate Lutine in 1899
Located in Wreckage.
DEPENDS ON WEATHER
Diver Braves Dangers Under
Zuyder Zee; Finds Million
Pounds in Bullion.
Special Cable 70 The Tribune.


LONDON, Sept 21-One million
pounds in bullion, which has lain
buried for over = century in the warery
safedeposit of the Zuyder Zee, may be
recovered from the deep within tho
next few days Fine weather alone is
stated TO be tho factor upon which this
record salvage is dependent.
II the work of the next ten days il
successful it will bring to completion
one Of the most romantic stories OF
treasure-hunting known to history. The
British frigate Lutine sank at the en-
trance Of the zuyder Eco in October,
1899. She had then on board $685.
600 in bullion and money. The Dutch
government claimed the wreck, and
granted one-third Of the salvage in 1901
to bullion fishers After much dis
eussion and occasional recoveries, the
king Of the Netherlands ceded half the
wreck to Great Britain.
About 99, ,s98 pounds was recovered at
various times, leaving about 175,00o
pounds within the hulk, but during
the lapse in salvage operations tho site
was obscured by silt Many attempts
have been made in the last fifty years
ly has this been successfully ae-
complished.
Gold Rediscovered.
For two summers Captain Gardiner
OF the National Salvage association, at
the head Of band Of gold seekers, had
fought upon the salvage ship Lyons the
fierce currents that run between the
islands Of Vieland and Terschelliug.
The men on the Lyons still feel the
thrill Of the words Of Diver B. T. Bail
lie, who only recently came up from
the wreck, with great tidings. When
they unscrewed Baillies e helmet he
turned to Captain Gardiner. "'I believe
I have found the gold, '-he said.
Baltic told how be made the great
find Of the gold
a fortnight before he and another
diver found fourth cannon belonging
to the Lutine. Every one Of these guns
are muzzle-loaders, and are all filed
with grape shot, with the wooden plug,
driven homo, all ready for firing.
Tho cannon was hoisted aboard the
Lyons, but no work could be done till
Baillie struck what ho believes to DO
the treasure
The discovery was made with con-
siderable risk. Many times have the
divers been swept OFF their feet by tho
tides: BY digging and using the pump
the divers have crept under the only
part of the great hull that remains In
tact. Baillie, who knows the wreck
as we'll as any man, told that a great
number of the beams in the hull arc as
good now as when they wcrs built into
the frigate.
Crawls Into Crevica.
On the decks lie masses Of cannon
ball and shot. but along her ribs are
holes and rents showing the broken,
Jagged ends Of planks and timber. II
was by Investigating in one Of these
crevIces that the diver found the bul-
Hon. He had crawlod on hands and
knees along to the opening and tried to
get inside bodily but the ragged rents
threatened his life lines and air tubes.
Had the edges of the broken timber
pierced his dress, he would never have
seen daylight again. Still, he groped
on like blind man
t1fteen times he tried to get hold
OF some. part of the interior. Fifteen
times he failed. Eventually. Ubila
stretching. as far as ha could round the
corner Of gaping timber, his hand
toncneo something hard and SQUARE
Bailiie has handled bars OF bullion be-
FORE, and he knew the "feel" Of them
There was, however, no moving tbe
precious metal, so after a vain attempt
Baillie signalled to the men above, who
sent down a line, and with this he
fnstened buoy to the hole in the side
II the Lutine
They pulled him out of the sand and
ioisted him aboard-the man who had
stood next to a million pounds ct the
bottom Of the sea.
The fall of the decks has imprisoned
tho treasure in the strongest chest
imaginable, and il will require "pilli'
II dynamite to take it from the crIp OF
be Hfteen-inch thick beams.
So the Lyons men wait day and nirht
or the wind to go down, and the
lighthouse Of Terschelling flashes in the
darkness over the bleak island and tho
wrecks that lie buried in its sands.