The San Francisco call., 1897-06-07
Boston Men Take Stock in the
Story and Fit Out an
Expedition.
ALREADY THEY ARE ON THE
WAY HERE.
Reptiles Guard the Precious Metal
and May Give the Adventures
Much Trouble.

oOO1OANf MASS.t y uuo O.--h OlR OOSlOH
syndicate expedition left for San Fran
cisco to-day to search for the biggest
treasure in the world, a mysterious island
in the Pacific upon which is a veritable
mountain of gold. A vessel will be char
tered somewhere on the California coast
to sail according to the chart in posses
sion OF the syndicate, which marks ex-
actly the location OF the treasure. The
company, which has plenty of means and
ample equipment, is confident that
there's millions in it."
This is not an ordinary every day hit
or-miss excursion of adventures, out a
careful business enture under the guild
ance of business men and experienced
sailors and miners. Two only of the Bos-
ton syndicate will make the trip, and one
OF them is DR.. G. H. Bailey of Boylston
street, who believes implicitly in the
story told by person who cared for an
old California miner during his last sick
ness In Maine a few months ago.
The money for the trip has been raised,
and DR.. Bailey has located the island
from the plans, latitude and longitude
left BY the miner. Here is the story of
the islands discovery told by the person
who nursed the old miner:
In 1850 a carpenter living in an Eastern
State went to California during the gold
| excitement. In 1878. when he was at
/ Panama, a whaler came into port and
two sailors belonging to her deserted and
the whaleshlp sailed without them. He
became acquainted with the two men and
they became quite confidential. The two
| sailors, after binding him to secrecy, i'm
parted TO him the information that,
shortly before arriving at Panama. their
ship touched at an island 10 take in water.
While waiting for the ship to stand in,
/ these two sailors took stroll along the
| beach.
They noticed that the sand was filled
with shining particles of gold, and that
crevices or seams of the water-course we're
| full of il. They gathered small pack
| age. Arriving on board ship they kept
their own counsel. They produced a
package and after careful test at Panama
the carpenter pronounced it gold of the
| finest. quality. 1t was decided to return
to the island, and after enlisting eight
other men, most of whom were hard
characters. and pledging them to secrecy,
| they raised money to purchase a small
craft and arrived at the islands safely.
They began to carouse and finally got
into fight, which ended in some one set
ting the vessel on fire. All got ashore
but the vessel, with stores, tools, etc., was
burned. All but the carpen ter and one
sailor left the island ct night in q small
| boat. They lost their lives in the attempt
to escape. The two stayed on the island
and were taken off by passing vessel.
! The chief drawback to these explora-
tions was the large number of reptiles,
scorpions, tarartulas, ETC., which abound
ed in large mum bers, and finally with the
unearthing of bush number of rep
tiles jumped at the men, Tightening
them away. They retreated and did not
again venture to return. After arriving
at Panama the two men left the vessel,
but the sailor was taken sick that night
with the isthmus fever. The carpenter
cared for him until he died; then he took
what gold he had, and boarding the
steamer returned home to Maine. Dur
ing the period of his recent illness a man
who lived near by took care of him.
To him he told the story and drew a
plan and described the island and Ioca-
ton, also the opposite shore. giving such
an accurate description that one familiar
with the coast could have no trouble in
verifying the statements.
Shortly after he died the nurse told the
story to member of the syndicate who
made some notes of the narrative and
afterward looked up the character of the
Pacific coast, with his sailing directions
and coast survey, and found these state
ments to be verified by the facts. The
latitude varied but about forty miles, a
mistake easy enough TO one knowing but
little of latitude or longitude, but the dis.
stance from the mainland was very cor