The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-04
THAT PACIFIC TREASURE.
"A BRITISH WARSHLP SAYS THAT
IT REALLY EXISTS.

u Returns 70 Victoria from Cscos leland, ana
Hs Said to Have n Largo Part OF the Long
hidden wealth on Board-Recent Hunts for
the Gold That spanish-Amerioans Hurled.
vIcroR1A. 3. c.. Nov. 8.-Tho British flagship
Imperieuso returned to-day from Cocos Island,
In the Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles west of
Panama, 1t went to that island for the purpose
Of searching for the treasure, supposed to be
worth about $50, o0o. 900. which has long been
reported 10 have been buried there In the early
part Of this century. and the hiding place Of
which. q man named Hartford declares, he dis.
covered about two years ago.
The officers of tho flagship say that Harford's
stories are no dream. and that the treasure
actually exists. Their belief in tho story Is
shown by the fact that they have left a guard
OF marines on the island under the omman Of
a Lieutenant, and one OF the smaller vessels Of
the squadron will return Immediately to the
island. One story afoat here tonight Is that
the Imperieuse has on board about SIS. OOO, 900
In gold and jewelry, and that the vessel which
10 about to start for Cocos Island will bring
back the balance of the treasure. which consists
Of silver. Harris and Hartford have returned to
this port on the Imperieuse.
This treasure was taken to Cocos Island from
the Pacific coast of South America during tho
troublous days of the revolutionary wars in the
second decade Of this century. when the
Spanish colonies won their independence
from the mother country. Many of the
wealthy persons in the towns, knowing that
they would be stripped of ali their possessions
II the Spanish soldiers came among them, placed
most of their gold. silver, and jcwelry in the
hands of agents, who transported the entire
property to the uninhabited Cocos Island, where
1t was buried. Only one or two maps showing tho
nlaCe of C0nCaalmAnt Of tho tronanra -a,> ,ro
pared. Many Of the persons to whom the treas
ure belonged were killed or died during tho
wars, including the agents who buried 1t on the
lonely Cocos rock, and it has never been
recovered.
Some years ago q chart purporting to show
where the treasure was hidden came into the
possession Of a woman in Maine, and the result
was that she got some money together, hired a
schooner on the Pacific coast, and with o small
party went to the island about q year ago. Ono
of the mon in her party was Harris,
who is referred to above as having Just
arrived hero on the Imperieuse. When
they reached the island they found Har-
ford there all alone and nearly dead Of his
privations. He, too, had gone there to search
for the treasure. having induced a vessel to land
him on the dosolato coast, nearly a year earlier.
His supplies had become exhausted, and he
would soon have died IL succor had not reached
him.
He told the party that he had found the
treasure; that its enormous value fully iusti.
Ned the reports concerning IT.; that the map
they had was entirely misleading; that he alone
possessed the clue that had enabled him to find
the wealth, and that the party might ransack
the island till they became gray and they would
mover find the treasure without his assistance.
The party did not believe that Hartford could
keep a monopoly Of the secret, and so they made
q careful search OF the island whilo he
complaoently fed ~et their -tuurd, looked
on, and said nothing. Finally the party
gave up the search and tried to como to
terms with Hartford. He wanted q good
deal more than half OF the treasure for his share.
Nobody was willing to give him nearly as much
as he demanded, and after days of talk they
were as far from an agreement as when they
started. So tho party sailed back to Victoria,
taking Hartford with them. He at once set
about securing the services of a vessel to take
him back to Cocos Island, but finally started on
the flagship Imperieuse to look after his own in.
t~erests, while Harris was the representative of
the interests Of the party of treasure seekers
from Maine.