One story tell of a Thomas McKay of the Hudsons Bay Co who seemed in later years to have an abundance of wealth. Did he find the box or was he just a good trader. The story goes that on one such voyage one of his crew became ill and before dying confided in Delaney that he was once a pirate. A story of buried treasure on a barren West Indian Island followed. Divining rods and shovels failed to produce anything, they gave up and headed for home.
Local stories tell of treasure and smuggling.
In the time of whalers and clippers, Nanaimo was a busy port in British Columbia. The story goes that a Chinese girl, Sue Ann Lee, wanted to leave town and head for San Francisco. She packed her jewels and money into a small chest and hired two sailors to take her South. These sailors murdered Sue Ann and stole her chest. A Police hunt was on and the sailors were seen trying to leave port in a small boat, but before they could be apprehended they were seen to cast a small chest overboard.