The times., 1899-10-01
SEEKING GOLD IN cocos.
Treasure Buried There by Wealthy
spanfards of Central America.

spanfards of Central America.
Panama Correspondence OF the Chicago Reeord.)
The enormous amount of gold that was
found among the Indians by the conquis-
tadores the rich product of the mines in
the Spanish colonial period the successful
raids of the pirates and the buccaneers
that used to haunt these coasts, have nat
urally given rise to many tales Of buried
treasures. and one of them involves the
Cocos Island, a small spot of ground be-
longing TO Costa Rica in latitude de-
grees and 80 minutes and longitude 81 de-
grees and minutes, about 400 miles south
west of Panama
The story goes that in 1871, during ths
revolution which separated the colonies
from Spain, the wealthy Spaniards of Gen.
tral America, fearing that their houses
would be looted and their savings seized
by the natives in rebellion, loaded d
schooner with gold and gems and silver
plate and sent it, in charge of a commit
tee, TO Cocos Island to be buried until the
troubles were over. Each of the commit
tee of six men had a chart of its location.
One was killed during the revolution Two
died from natural causes before il was over.
When peace was restored the other three
started for Cocos to bring back the wealth,
but were never heard from again. Their
boat is supposed to have been driven on
the rocks of the island and all on board
perished This was about 1880.
No further attempt was made for sew
eral years to obtain the treasure, but then
the heirs OF the dead and the other own
ers OF the property began to stir things
up and organize expeditions for its recov-
cry. Several parties went over with gangs
OF men TO do the digging, but never
brought anything home. Alleged copies
of the chart were made and sod to specu-
lators after the secret had become gen.
orally known, and through the hands of
sailors found their way 10 all parts OF the
world. Clandestine syndieates OF treasure
hunters were formed and expeditions were
sent secretly from New York, San Fran
cisco, and London, as well as from Pana-
ma and Central America. There has been
a good deal of lighting and good deal OF
fever, for, although the island is an at
tractive place, it is as unhealthful as the
Garden of Hesperides. The Angel OF
Death seems TO guard the buried treasure
of Cocos Island as the dragon guarded the
golden apples there.
Captain Leadbetter, a graduate of An
napolis Academy of 1884, who has COM
msnd OF the harbor feet of the Panama
Railroad. has been over there, but de-
clares that il was in search or pleasure
rather than treasure. He says that Cocos
arises abruptly from the sea, with broken
iar There is occasionally rayine down
which a stream of water rushes, or strip
of sandy beach against which the SURF
breaks with great violence. The entire
surface is covered with luxuriant yegeta-
tion, great spreading trees, strange p ants
and vines and beautiful foliage, which
furnish a remarkable field for botanical
research. There are many large streams
also, and several small lakes, three hun
dred or four hundred yards across, deep
reservoirs of pure, cold water, bubbling
up from the centre of the earth. 1t is said
to be the finest water in the Pacific.
According to these tales, Cocos Island
must be an ideal place for Robinson Cru
soc II has abundant fish and water fowls,
turtles are plentiful and crabs of prodi-
gious size, and the woods are full Of wild
pigs and goats that were abandoned by
the early inhabitants and have multiplied
The great objection Is the moisture. The
island lies in what the sailors call the dol
drums, strip OF sea a few degrees north
Of the equator, between the east and the
west trade winds. In that region there is
seldom any breeze, and sailing vessels al
ways avoid it for fear of getting becalmed
The rainy season extends the year round,
and the precipitation is SO large as to be
almost incredible.
Two or three years ago the Imperieuse,
flagship of the British squadron OF the
North Pacific, with Rear Admiral Paslliser
in command, came all the way from Van
eouver to Cocos with orders from London
TO investigate the claims of one Charles
Hartford, an Englishman who has a con-
cession from the Government of Costa
Rica to search for the treasure on COM
mission, and had interested q capitalist
by the name of z. A Harris to become his
angel and furnish him with funds. AT
the time Of this visit the only inhabitants
Of Cocos were a German family named
Gerster, the remnants of colony of Ger
mans who had come from Costa Riea, but
abandoned the place after a few months
residence because of the unhealthy eli