Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-02
SEEKING GOLD IN COCOS
Various Efforts That Have Been Made to
Obtain Treasure.
Claim of Charles Hartford to the
Hidden ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Venture of q Woman.


Panama Correspondence OF the chicago hecotu.
The enormous amount of gold that was
found among the Indians by the conqu1sta-
dores, the rich product of the mines IN the
Spanish colonial period, the successful ralds
of the pirates and the buccane that used
to haunt these coasts, have naturally given
rise to many tales of buried treasures. and
one of them involves the Cocos Island,
small spot" of ground belonging to Costa
Rica, in latitude 5 degrees and 80 minutes
and longitude 81 degrees and minutes,
about 400 miles southwest of Panama.
The story goes that in 1921, during the
revolution which separated the colonies
from Spain the wealthy Spaniards of Cen
trail America, fearing that their houses
would be looted and their savings seized by
the natives in rebellion, loaded schooner
with gold and gems and silver plate and
sent 1t, in charge of a committee, TO CocoS
Island to be buried until the troubles were
over Each of the committee OF six men
had a chart of its location. One was Killed
during the revolution. Two died from natu-
raj causes before it was over When peace
was restored the other three started Tor
Cocos to bring back the wealth, but We're
never heard from again. Their boat Is sup
posed to have been driven on the rocks of
the island and all on board persisted. This
was about 1890
No further attempt was made for several
years to obtain the treasure. but then the
heirs of the dead and the other owners or
the property began to stir things up and
organize expeditions for its recovery. Sew
eral parties went over with gangs OF men TO
do the digging. but never brought anything
home Alleged copies Of the chart were
made and sold to spectators after the Sc
cret had become generally known and
through the hands OF sailors round thelr
way to all parts of the world Clandestine
syndicates of treasure hunters were formed
and expeditions were sent secretly from
New York San Francisco and London, as
t,-ll oatir
There has been a good deal of fighting and
a good deal of fever, for although the ISL
and is an attractive place 1t Is as unhealth-
full as the Garden of Hesperides. Inc
Angel of Death seems to guard the buried
treasure of Cocos Island as the dragon
guarded the golden apples there.
Capt Leadbetter. graduate of Annapo-
lis Academy of 1884. who has command OF
the harbor feet of the Panama railroad,
has been over there. but declares that 1t
was in search Of pleasure rather than treas
ure He says that Cocos arises abruptly
from the sea, with broken walls OF rock
that are almost perpendicular. There is oc-
casionally ravine. down which stream
of water rushes. or a strip of sandy beach,
against which the surf breaks with great
violence. The entire surface Is covered
with luxuriant vegetation, great spreading
trees, strange plants and vines and beauti-
full foliage which furnish a remarkable
field for botanical research There are
many large streams also and several small
lakes three hundred or four hundred yards
across, deep reservoirs of pure, cold water,
bubblng UP from the center of the earth.
1t is said to be the finest water in the Pa
cific.
According to these tales, Cocos Island
must be an ideal place for Robinson Cru
Soc 1t has abundant fish and water fowls,
turtles are plentiful and crabs of prodigious
size and the wo3ds ATE full of wild pigs
and goats that we're niabandoned by the
early inhabitan ts and have multiplied. The
great objection fstne moisture. The island
toe tn ,bof he "a dol
a strip of sea a few degrees north of the
equator, betweend the east and the west
trade winds In chat region there is sell
dom any breeze, and sailing vessels always
avoid it for fear OF getting becalmed. The
rainy season extends the year round, and
the precipitation h so large to be almost
incredible. 8
Two or three years ago the Imperieuse,
flagship of the British squadron of the north
Pacific with Rear Admiral Palliser in COM
mand came all thu way from Vancouver to
Cocos with ORDERS from London to investi-
gate the claims ofsone Charles Hartford, an
Enslishman who mas aGconcession from the
government of Costa Rca to search for the
treasure on comnissiom and had interested
a capitalist by tfle4 name of e. A. Harris to
become his angel and furnish him with
funds. At the time of this visit the only
inhabitants of Cocos were German family
named Gerster the remnants of a colony of
Germans who had come from Costa Rica
but abandoned the place after 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
Imperieuse were sent ashore with picks and
spades and dug trenches in parallel lines,
six feet apart and ten feet deep, at the place
indicated by chart which Hartford
brought with him. but they found nothing.
He showed them also a tunnel or cavern in
the rocks. which they blew up with dyna-
mite, without a sign of the $50 COO 600 OF
silver plate and Jewels and gold It rained
torrents all the time, ana digging was not
only difficult, but dangerous, as there were
San Jose de- Guatemala, where he endeay-