Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-14
A British Cruiser Went There 10 Ins
vestfgate.
panama Correspondence Of the Chicago
Record)

the Spanish Colonial period. the success
ful raids Of the pirates and the bucca-
neers that used to haunt these coasts.
have naturally given rise TO many tales
Of buried treasures, and one Of them In
wolves the C0cos Island, a small spot"
OF ground belonging TO Costa Rica, In lat
tude degrees and 80 minutes and
longitude ST degrees and ? minutes. about
four hundred miles southwest of Panama.
The story goes that in 1921, during the
revolution which separated the colonies
from SPAIN the wealthy Spanlards OF
Central America, fearing that their
houses would be looted and their savings
seized by the natives I'm rebellion loaded
a schooner with gold and gems and sill
yer plate and sent It, in charge OF a
committee, to Cocos Islsnd to be buried
Until the trouble was over. Each Of the
committee OF six men ktd a chart of its
location. one was kinel during the rev.
olutiOn. Two died from natural causes
before II was over When peace was re-
stored the other three started for CocOs
TO bring back the wealth, but were never
heard from again. Their boat is supposed
10 have been driven on the rocks OF the
island and all on board persisted. This
was about 1880.
No further attempt was made for seve-
raj years 10 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 re-
cOyery. Several parties went over with
gangs Of men 10 do the digging. but never
brought anything home. Alleged copies
Of the chart were made and sold
To- Spectators after the secret had be-
come generally known and through the
hands OF sailors found their way TO all
parts of the world. Claudestine syndi-
Gates OF treasure hunters were formed
and expeditions were sent secretly from
New York. San Francisco, and London.
as well as from Panama and Central
America. There has been a good deal OF
fighting and a good deal OF fever, for, al
though the island is an attractive place.
il 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 Ieadbetter, n graduate OF An
napolis Academy OF 1884. who has COM
mand Of the harbor fleet OF the Panama
railroad. has been over there. but declares
that it was I'm search Of pleasure rather
than treasure lie says that Cocos arises
Of rock that are almost Perpendicular
There is occasionally a ravine. down
which a stream Of water rushes. or a
strip OF sandy beach, against which the
surf breaks with great violence. The en-
tire surface is covered with luxurant
vegetation. great spreading trees, strange
plants and vines. and beautiful foliage
which furnish a remarkable field FOR boz
tanical research. There are many large
streams. also. and several small lakes
800 or 40 yards across. deep reservoirs OF
pure. cold water. bubblng up from the
centre Of the earth. II Is said TO be the
finest water I'm the Pacific.
According to these tales. Cooos Island
must be an ideal place for a Robinson
Crusoe. II has abundant fish and watel
fowls. turtles are plentiful and crabs oil
prodigious size. and the woods are full o
wild pigs and goats that were abandoned
by the early inhabitants and have multi
Piled The great objection IS the moist
ure. The island lies i'm what the sailor
call the dodrums, a strip Of sea feN
degrees north of the equator. between
the east and the west trade winds. II
/ that region there is seldom any breeze
/ and sailing vessels always avoid it Col
! fear OF getting becalmed. The rainy sea
/ son extends the year round, and the pre-
/ cipitation IS so large as 10 be almost in
| credible
/ Two or three years ago the Imperieuse
I flagship Of the British squadron of the
North Pacific. with Rear-Admiral Pal
| User I'm command. came all the way from
/ Vancouver 10 Cocos with orders from
/ London 10 investigate the claims OF one
/ Charles Hartford, an Englishman who
( has a concession from the Government
OF Costa Rica 20 search for the treasure
/ on comm ssion. and had interested a
capitalist by the name Of l.. A. Harris
10 become his angel and furnish him
with funds. AT the time Of the visit
| the only Inhabitants Of Cocos were a
| German family named Gerster. the rem
nants Of colony Of Germans who had
come from Costa Rica. but abandoned
| the place after a few months residence
! because OF the unhealthy climate. They
/ did considerable prospecting and found
traces OF lead and quicksilver. but no
gold or treasure
Two or three hundred sailors from the
| Imperleuso were sent ashore with picks
and spades. and dug trenches I'm parallel
! lines six feet apart and ten feet deep AT
| the place indicated by a chart which
Hartford brought with him. but they
| found nothing He showed them also a
| tunnel or cavern in tho rocks. which they
/ blew up with dynamite. without a sign
OF the HO000000 Of silver plate and jewel.
and gold. 10 rained torrents all the time
and digging was not only difficult. but
/ dangerous. as there We're several land.
slides. Hartford was left AT San Jose d,
Guatemala, where he endeavored TO per
suade the captain Of the United States
steamer Alert 20 go down and continue
the work. but the Imperleuse returned t.
Vancouver with nothing but story.
HartfOrd's experience has been remark
able. One Of the most business-ike at
tempts to find the buried treasure wa,
made by a Mrs. Brennan. the widow Of
ship chandler I'm Nova Scotia. who hearl
the tale and obtained n chart from
sailor. She went across the Continent e
Victoria. interested several businessmen
OF that city in the project. and i'm March
1897. sailed for COcos i'm the schooner Au
rora. under command OF Captain Freder
lex Hackett. When they landed I'm Chat
ham Bay, on the northeasterly point 0
the island they were amazed by meetini
q creature who seemed only half human
lie was dressed like Robinson Erusoe n
the skins OF beasts. his hair and bear
were long and tangled. and his eyes wer
| wild At first he could not speak, but II
ter they had given him whiskey and al
lowed his wandering faculties to adjus
themselves. he told his story.
He said that some years before he ha'
obtained concession from the Cost'
Rican Government which gave him th'
exclusive right 70 search for the buried
treasure. with the understanding that h'
should pay over half Of all he found. III
brought from Punta Arenas a gang o
men in the little gunboat Turalba an'
began excavations, guided by a char
which had been obtained from a descend