Sunken treasure? Is part of $17M Selby gold loot at bottom of the bay?
"I committed the greatest robbery of the century and I did it alone."
So bragged Jack Winters, a.k.a. Buck Taylor, after he stole gold bullion worth $283,000 the equivalent of about $17 million today from the Selby Smelting Works in Contra Costa County on Aug. 5, 1901.
As it turned out, it was no idle boast. In terms of current dollars, Winters' heist was the biggest gold robbery in American history. Of course, for a robbery to be truly great, the thieves must get away with it, at least for a while.
Winters was pinched by the coppers within two days.
...
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Sunken-treasure-Is-part-of-17M-Selby-gold-heist-10918863.php
OK, it seems like the answer to the headline question is quite probably "No!" But a cool story nonetheless...
(Seriously, don't bother looking for it. You're wasting your time. And don't follow me, I'm just, uh, bird-watching. Yeah. Bird-watching.)