The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-26
Another Expedition To Go I'm Search
of Thirty million Dollars Worth
of Long-Buried Treasure.
A cRUsoE-LIKE NARRATIVE
IN WHICH CHARLES HARTFORD Is
THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTER.
Gold, Silver and Precious stones Re-
ported to Have Been Secreted by
People Who Feared Spaniards.

S
VICTORIA, b. c., Dec. 25.-Another ex-
petition will. go to Cocos island In the
spring 1t will attempt to recover the lost
treasure by means of hydraulic machinery.
having fer guidance the maps and papers
left by the Nova Scotia captain who COM
manded the schooner Aurora expedition
last year. The amount of treasure sup
posed to be buried in Cocos island is put
at s30.O0O.000 but the real amount. If any,
is unknown. Many people say the treasure
story Is a myth. Numerous expeditions
have gone to the island but there is no
well-authenticated evidence that any ever
returned with enough treasure to pay for
the expedition. Os the many stories writ
ten about the. treasure myth the following.
from the Chicago Tribune of Nov. 10, 1897,
IL interesting:
ION Nov. ., 1897 the Imperieuse. the flag
ship OF Rear Admiral Palliser and Of the
North Pacific squadron, returned TO Esqui-
mault. b. c.. completing a cruise of less
than six weeks duration, but full OF incl
dent and adventure. When the vessel left
headquarters. on Sept. p. there was a rnys-
terry in regard TO her orders not usually
apparent even in the movement of ships
of war. On board were two civilians, a
New York correspondent and an inter-
prefer. 1t when CocoS island was
reached, on Oct. H. that their identity and
the secret of the trip was disclosed. The
supposed interpreter was no other than
Charles Hartford, the reputed disccverer
of the Cocos island treasurs. and his COM
panion. h. A. Harris. whom he had inter-
ested in his remarkable tale of buried mill
ions. The island itself found to lie
$50 miles southeast of San Jose de Guata-
mala. although but $50 miles distant from
the nearest land, little green patch in
fha aiprhf mil AZ h1l
that wide. Its Inhabitants, at the time the
lmperieuse landed her party. were Mrs.
Gersler and new arrival from Nova SEQ
tia, a German, who was accompanied by
his wife. Gersler himself was nowhere to
be seen, nor was the negro servant, who
played the part of Friday TO Hartford s
Robinson cruso.' They had gone TO the
mainlaqd. Gersler explained. Gersler had
made away with the negro and secreted
himself. according to Hartford's theory.
DIGGING FOR $3O,OOO,cOO
mo time lost in beginning work I'M
der Hartford's directions, and with the aid
of his much-discussed chart. which Mrs
Gersler contemptuously described as only
a copy OF the one we have. Digging for
$sO.000.O0O is fascinating employment. and,
although 1t was raining hard, the watch
responded with aIacrity when Leute n. mt
Lee informed them that all hands were to
was commenced at a spot indicated on
the chart and designated by Hartford. At
a depth of five or six feet he said a large
fiat stone, or slab, would be discovered
out of which he had previously chiselled
the distinguishing number that il had orig
inally borne
1.-The slab was found at the depth he
named, and there lack of energy
I'm compliance when Hartford next gave the
order to dig ten or twelve feet deeper,
when the tunnel would be struck, leading
10 the cavern. of gold and jewels. The con-
tinuous rain made the work extremely diff
fcult. but il was nevertheless continued I'M
I'll depth of ten feet was reached with no
disclosures. At this point the water had so
welled into the pit that a large overhanging
rock was seen to sway from undermining
and Lieutenant Lee retired his men just
I'm time to avoid a serious fatality The
and neutralized the work already done. In
stead of blasting out the distractions and
continuing operations according to the
original plan, Admiral Palliser ordered a
blast in the hillside itself and this being
carried out without result the Imperieuse
turned homeward despite the pleadngs of
Hartford The admiral said it was impos-
sible to remain longer from headquarters.
The officers and men of the ship united in
saying they believed the treasure was
there"
Commenting on the foregoing, the New
York Sun of Nov. 4. 1897, said:
IF the belief of the officers of the British
flagship Imperieuse is true and the buried
treasure of Cocos island is actually there.
there will be chagrin and lamentation in
many cities OF both East and West, among
others this city. In the last fifty years
many excursions have been planned with
the lone Pacific islet for their objective
point. Some of them went so far as to get
embarked. Others lived ana died on paper
Few ever reached Cocos and of those few
a startling proportion found death on the
rocky shores or by fever or starvation
n TT fOr6
the man who claims TO have found il, found
also the skeletons of those who had gone
before: CHASTITY monuments of failure. He
Is back In this country now, and the I'm
perieuse. which took him TO Cocos on his
second trip lett a detachment of marines
TO guard the hoard Hartford is the only
man who has gone or tried to so to Cocos
THE TREASURE ISLAND
"Cocos island is a mountainous rock, with
thirty miles of coast line. that rises from
the depths OF the Pacific ocean about $50
miles out from Costa Rica, of which it is
a possession. Only storm-driven vessels
ever sight il. 1t is out of the travelled world.
the picked spot of the universe for a cache
OF valuabIes In 1890 when Central America
was i'm revolt agains; the cruel sway of
SPAIN the richest among the colonists
saws nothing of this excursion but the his
tory which is handed down from father to
son and eventually spreads and becomes in
teruoven with legend has il that half a
dozen picked men OF the band buried the
treasure within the outer vein OF the noun
tains that line the coast at night and i'm
close secrecy: that each had map of the
cache and that upon mutual agreement
when the should be they should
sail away again TO recover the hoard, which
was said 10 be of the value of $50 900.
formed close-banded company for the
preservation of their gold. silver and