The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-11
ABBO
NedICQI qli Surgical Institute
100 and 122 Hull Street west
Savannah, Ga.
THE COCOs ISLAND GoLD.
An Expedition TO Seek Buried Treas.
ure in the Pacific.
Savannah, Ga.
From the New York Sun


From the New York Sun.
Victoria, B. c., March 22.-For NAV.
years the captains who sail the Pao,s,
ocean and the adventurous folk who r..
with them or listen to their tales asboro
have talked and schemed and dreamoa
about the Cocos Island and its buried
treasure. The men of the sea all know
and they have convinced many landIub.
bers, besides, that there is much treasuro
buried in Cocos Island Many an exnedi.
ton has been planned to go there in search 1
of it, but it is one thing to plan an expedi.
ton to go in search of buried treasure
and another quite to get up the next morn.
ing and put hard-earned cash into tho
scheme. So the sea folk have talked. the
landlubbers with money have listened and
believed, and the expeditions have come tn Il
naught, and the treasure still waits in Co.
cos Island. But next week an expedition
is really going to start in search of it. and
is pledged not to return until the treas.
ure is found, or every foot of ground on
Cocos Island has been turned upside down.
The scheme has been directed by Cant.
Gould, who has persuaded half a dozen
men OF more TO put $JUO each into the eXDp-
dillon. He has chartered the schooner An.
rora, and will take with him several other
sea captains whose faith in the buried
treasure of Cocos Island is as dauntless as
his own. They have no doubt that they Will
be able to find it at once, because they
have charts and maps of the island and
how to reach it-charts made by the only
man who has ever been to the island and
found the treasure
He was a sea captain from Cape Breton.
who owned a little trading schooner and
ran along the coast of South America and
Mexico. In one of his trips he heard Of
the treasure and after studying over the
matter for a voyage or two, concluded
that he was just the man to find it if any
body could. So the next time he left port
he cleared ostensibly for a trading voy.
age, but as soon as he was out of sight
of land turned the bow of his schooner to.
ward the golden island of his dreams.
And after he had sailed and sailed far
down toward the equator, he found the
golden island and the golden treasure,
too. But he was prudent man, was the
Cape Breton sea captain, and he knew
that his little schooner was none too sea-
worthy. And he figured the matter Qua
that if he took little Of the treasure he
could go back to San Francisco, get a
much better craft, and return for the rest
of 1t. But if he took it all and his ship
should happen to go to the bottom of tho
sea, that would be the end of the treasure.
So he took on board only enough to carry
out his scheme, and started for home.
And sure enough so the tales of the sea
folk all say, on the third night from Cocos
Island there came a sudden storm so
furious that the ship was driven far out
of her course. And in the middle of tha
night he heard the roar of breakers and
felt the crash Of jagged rocks through
the rotten hull of his little ship. All
,fel,A
rolled over the vessel as she pounded on
the rocks. The next morning all on board
had been drowned except the captain and
two others. The schooner had struck on
the outlying rocks of a small island, from
which the natives soon came out in small
boats and took the captain and his two
comrades ashore. They looted everything
the waves had left on the schooner and
took from the men everything they pos
sessed, even to their last stitch of CLOTH
ing. The three were subjected to such
brutal treatment that the two seamen
died after a few weeks, and the captain
in final desperation, stole small boat one
night and started alone out upon the Pa
cifc ocean. He put up a small sail ana
took advantage of what wind there was
and he rowed for all his iron muscles were
worth, and at the end of the second day
he made a landing on small, uninhabited
island, where he rested for few days.
a spring, and gathered some edible fruits
and roots. Then, dauntless soul that ne
was, he took to the sea again In his smaI
boat.
After ten days of thirst and hunger and
blood boiling heat and bran-withering soi-
itude he was picked up by a sailing yessei
bound for London. Down about the Horn
that ship was wrecked, and the Cape Bre-
ton captain a second time endured the
horrors of the open sea in an open boat.
But the survivors were picked up, and az
last, by way of half dozen ports, he
reached his home in Cape Breton, TOO
much broken in both body and mind ever
to tread the decks of ship again.
The few remaining years of his life ne
spent in making maps and charts Gnoss
minute in their details and drections)' OF
Cocos Island and its buried gold. Capt.
Gould, who had been very friendly WIN
him In former years. went to see him ono
day few years ago and had the whole
story from the old mans lips and from
his hand the maps and charts of the ISL
and. Capt. Gould engaged to do everything
he could to find the treasure and to share
with the wrecked captain whatever was
found But bad luck befell him before ne
reached the Pacific coast, and he had
neither money nor ship for the scheme
Since then he has been shipping as he p
could and doing his best to induce men
with money to help him in his venture.
He has at last succeeded, but the Cape
Berton captain died two months ago IN
his home and the Cocos Island gold Is not
for him. But whether or not Capt. Gould
and the schooper Aurora find what they
are going for, the expedition will at least
settle the most widely believed tale Of bur-
led treasure that is talked about in all the
regions washed by the Pacific ocean.