The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-05

visions and TOOLS The carpenter and the
sailor who had Joined him the night be-
fore, tried to dissuade them from put
ting the plan into execution, but they
persisted and sailed away the next day.
In about two weeks the sail boat hove in
sight and, when she beached, an eiua-
ciated, wounded wretch crawled out, the
sole survivor of the crew that had sailed
away so confidently two weeks before. Be-
fore he died he told how the rascals had
succeeded in reaching the coast safely ana
with little difficulty had found a small
vessel suited to their purpose. They tried
to get away with it in the night, but tho
owner discovered them and attempted to
interfere with the result that he paid for
his vigilance with knife slash, which
settled him in a minute. But the pirates
did not get away before they were over
hauled. taken back to port, and every one
of them was hanged except the teller of
the tale, who had escaped, but had been
MORALLY wounded in doing so.
The carpenter and the sailor prospected
daily about the ravine and the beach;
but, having nothing except their knives
with which to work, they made little
progress. Still they picked out of the cre-
vases considerable amount Of gold.
One day they borrowed a Ratchet from
the old German, and penetrated the ra-
vine which ran up the side of one of the
mountains. Some distance up the slope
they cleared away the underbrush, and
found the ledge to be composed of SOFT
rotten stone. impregnated with gold in
large quantities. In fact, the entire noun
tain seemed to be streaked with the 2rec-
ious metal AS they worked, however
their lives were in constant jeopardy, for
the mountain seemed to be alive with
poisonous reptiles, scorpions, tarantulas,
etc. The danger from these pests grew
SO serious as they advanced that they fin
ally gave up all attempts to penetrate
further, and contented themselves with
working about the foot of the mountain
They remained on this island nearly two
months before they were taken off by a
passing vessel which stopped to fill her
water-casks.
Shortly after their return to the isthmus
the sailor was taken down with isthmus
fever and died. The carpenter then took
the gold and, keeping his secret, set sail
for his home in Maine, where he bought
a hotel. He intended some time to return
to the island, but one winter day he fell
on the ice receiving an injury that result
ed in paralysis, and year later he also
died. But before he did so he told friend
who had nursed him all the details of his
strange adventures in the Southern Pacific.
drew a plan of the island. described its
location and topography, and gave such
an accurate description that any one fa-
miliar with the coast could have no diff
ficulty in verifying the statements. The
carpenters friend did not survive him
long, but before he died he likewise re-
lated the carpenters story to the sea cap
tain in Melrose knowing that the latter
was familiar with the waters of the
Southern Pacinc
The captain tosH his chart of the Pacific
coast. sailing d.; ection and coast survey
and found that the carpenter story was
essentially consistent The island was
there, although the latitude varied about
forty miles, an error easily made by one
not familiar with latitude and longitude.
The distance of the island from the main
land was correct, as were also several al
lusions to its topography. The story of the
gold is made plausible, too, by the fact
that the island lies in a belt which, the
captain maintains, mas become famous for
it's richness in this metal. The only fact
which it is difficult to reconcile with the
description of the island is that the islands
in the Southern Pacific are said to be al
most entirely of coral formation. and,
therefore, not of a gold-bearing character.
Now, however ten years after the last
telling of the secret, an expedition has
been formed, headed by two Boston men,
both miners, one of them perfectly famil-
lar with the country, language and char
acter of the people, and backed by a party
of men who are willing to venture upon
such wild quest The two men Will go to
some point on the isthmus, where a yes
sci will be fitted out and manned with ma
tives for the purpose of locating the is
land and discovering what basis there is
for the story of its golden treasure.