Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-06-07
HUNTING FOR TREASURE.
TIE ADVENTURES OF THE "ALERTE''
AND HER CREW.

u
enterprise Of recent times has come
10 an untimely end. The "New
Treasure Hunt'' has been definitely
abandoned. Seven OF eight months
ago, when an article appeared in an
evening paper saying that Mr..
| Knight, the weIl-kuown yachisman,
would pilot a chosen few, who were
prepared TO stake el01, TO q land Of
unknown but enormous wealth, il
was regarded on all hands a "A bad
/ practical joke, or s chimerical adj
venture which could lead 10 no
tangible result. And 50 it has
turned out. Mr.. knight aud his
crew have failed, but Il speaks well
for their uIflinching enthusiasm
that they still believe as firmly as
before in the existence OF the hidden
treasure, although it fated not 10 fail
into their hands.
The treasure vas cOmputei TO be
not less than n million sterling, and
il may well be imagined that the
applicants for tie post Of gentle
man adventurer' were not few; in
fact, though over 200 applications
were received, only nine were final
ly selected, and these, with Mr..
Knight and four paid hands, made
up the crew Of the good ship Aterte.
"rhe ship was Ihcered. the harbOr
cleared, as at O'Clock on Thurs
day, August -, 1889, the smart
yawl set sail from Southampton on
her romantic quest. Santa Cruz, At
TenerifTe I'M the Canaries, was
reached ON September 18th, ami St
Vincent, Cape Verde Islands, on
October LIST. Then came n long run
Of some 900 miles TO Bahia, next
| to Rio Janeiro, the most important
seaport Of Brazil, which was
reached on November 2d. At Ba-
hia, all parties being in want Of rest
and relaxation, stay Of about ten
days was made, which allowed some
| Of the adventures 10 get n GLIMPSE
iutO the interior and make eNpedi-
lions into the picturesque surround
ings Of the handsome old town.
Here, too, the old tale Of the disas.
trous effect on the broth produced
by too many cooks was unfortunate
" found 10 be true. Squabbles arose,
with the result that only five Of the
original nine proceeded with the
HERE from the BRAZILIAN seaport.
Leaving Bahia, in seven days
they reached Trinidad in the South
Atlantic mot to be cOnf0untef with
the West Indian Triuidad), but ex-
perienced great difficulty in land
ing. taking no less than twelve
days to disembark all the tents, tool
and requisites on this barren and in
hospitable isle. The paid hands had
been augmented at Bahia by the
addition Of two negroes TO assist in
the labOriUus digging operations
which were before them. The har-
bOrage at Trinidad was 50 bad that
ia anything like a gale it was neces-
/ slry TO run out 10 STA until Calmer
weather permitted n return TO the
roaGstead. While on the island the
stores gave out, and Knight. with
an s.adventurer'; and two paid
hands. returned 10 Bahia, go
miles, doing the distance in the
very crediilbl time OF five days
and two hours.
Meanwhile digging operations
had not teen successful, although
the main marks rs laid down in the
chart Were found TO be quite correct;
yet, locking at the intensely vol
cJuic paturU Of the island, it is only
too probable that internal COnvul-
siOns have put the treasure far be-
yOnd human reach, for even one Of
tine crew, writing home, thus de-
scribes life on the islanu: ''Camp
life here is very pleasant. Any
amount Of turtle, all sorts OF fish
Including sharksl absunG, capital
water, AMI everything else, much
the same as described in the Cruise
Of the Falcon which Of course
you have read lay this time.' And,
again, the same member Of the
crew, leaking Of the return voyage
from Bahia, says: Hknight and
myself and two paid hands and n
cook sail u from Bahai about Janu-
aTy lOlh for Trinidad. South Allan
tie. We had bld luck. strong
wind dead against Us, biggish sec,
| violent squalls and tTemcnuOUs rain
showers. After getting hall way in
about a week OF this cur crew mu.
| unied lblT the COOK.
"We lied one man up ana made
terms with the other. aud then ran
back to Bahia Ia thr, c days. Here
We discharged one man. hut had To
keep the other, - there were no
Others b he I. Then followed n
sad mishaD 20 the fajthful cook on
the :ccOnd TeiUn voyage. lie lit
the FIRE to bell a kettle. ami in tax
| ing u oil succeeded in scaling
himself so baIly about his arms
and face that ne didn't turn out
Of his bunk for ten days" On
reaching the island the same writer
says:
we hal TO heavc - of il for
seven days before tue weather wss
calm enough - get blat I'll. We
found that in the interval nearly all
the likely places in the IaviEe had
been tiled ursuccIssIully. and il
wasn't worth while to go on. still
think il probable that the treasure i
there, though no doubt earth
quakes and landslidCs have al
ter things considerably. So
We got most Of the things
III when the sea Permitted. and hal
some exciting sur: swimming. TAX
ing lines ashore, etc, most of which
fell 10 my share, until managed to
come down rather heavily on a rock
to the detriment OF my lelt foot.
lived on shore for the next four days
ia a sort Of Robinson CrusOe fsshion,
no one else veBtuTing to come of
except one Of our black men WIN
was devOte,ily attached - me-
With a fair wind they made good
p9-sage to Trinidad, West Indits, in
twenty days, and frsm there will
come back to England at the earliest
opportunity. a letier from Trinidad
dated the 18Th ult. said it was To--
sible that Knight might diSpO-e Of
the vessel and bring back his crew
in the next steamer, in which cS'e
they would he due in Eng land in
about a week. But their more likely
course will he TO return Ps they went.
in the good ship Acre, arriving
about the middle 4 May. Though
disappointed in the main object Of
the exI siitiOn, the gallint adven-
turers will be rich in exT erienCe,
and will In future lie more inclined
to look before they lean On Treasure