Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-09-11
Failure % the Cseos island
Treasure Hunters.

A dispatch from Victoria, British
Columbia. the otherday said that The
treasure hunting brigantine Blak.
ley had returned froma an unsuccess.
full trip to Cocos, where she had
been 20 search for treasure suppos-
ed to be buried ON the island By the
crew Of the Nova Scctian bark Mary
Deer. The Mary Deer Is said u
have carried 50, ,O00, 900 in gold
away from Lima when that city suf,
fered from revolution In bygcne days.
The Blakley sailed from Victoria
on January 8 loaded down With treas.
ure-hunting machinery. She was
well equipped with engines and dig.
ging tools generally, and her crew
spent twenty-four days sinking
shafts and driving tunnels. The
island was deserted, but they found
many traces Of former treasure
hunting parties, notably the shafts
and cross-cuts made by the crew OF
q British warship and those Of the
crew Of the treasure schooner Au-
rora, which visited Cocos, some time
ago.
Now, unless some Of these form
er parties" think il wise to come for
ward and confess TO having found
the gold Of Cocos Island, the world
may presently hear OF other argon-
auts sailing away to this lonely spot
in the Pacific in search of gold, for
there are literally thousands OF per.
sons, particularly on our Western
coast. who believe implicitly in the
treasure. The amount of the treas
ure is growing, too.
This Victoria report says the de-
posit is $60. .o0O, 900 in gold, but it is
not so long ago since the amount was
but sls. .00O. 900 worth ofgold bricks,
fianked by a subsidiary treasure
composed OF 175 tons of silver dol
lars. q collection of gold -hilted
swords, and several bushels of dia-
monds.. These details were given
in 1895 by "some one' in Panama
who had been to the island and
brought away 81, 900, 900 for his inn
mediate need, and presumably be-
cause he could not conveniently car
ry the rest away with him.
1t used to be generally believed
that the pirate Dampier had stocked
Cocos with his loot, for the island is
only about 400 miles from Panama
and a convenient place on which to
careen when the barnacles became
too thick. In the course of time the
pirate brig Relampago' was be-
lieved TO have left the money on
the island one day in 1922, but
the Relampago theory gave way later
to the tale which credited the bring
ing OF the loot to the privateer
and slave ship Lark. One Charles
Henderson, OF Wauseon, O., broke
the news, but it was q plain, unvar-
nished tale, with much too moderate
an amount Of treasure, for only $72,-
900 was mentioned.
Henderson is said TO have made
one Of the LArk's crew, which was
chased by o British man-of- f-war, and
in trying 10 escape ran upon q rock
and sank. The Captain had the
$72, 600, and he took It with him in q
boat containing seven other men and
buried it on the island. Believing
all hands OF the Lark s crew to be
drowned, the man-of-war stood away
and left the eight men 20 their fate.
All died but Henderson, who was
rescued by passing ship. He did
not reveal the fact of the treasure
just then, but he has tried since to
raise money to charter q vessel to
seek for il.
In 1893. however, the Mary Deer
yarn was first heard in Boston, and
thence came the story of how cer-
tain cities in Peru gave up their
gold during the revolution of 1870.
As told by Mrs. Richard Young, the
story was as follows:
"Mr. father was John Heating, a
native of st. Johns, Newfoundland,
and one Of the crew of the Mary
Deer. After burying the treasure
the schooner was captured by a Pc
ruvian man-of-war and all the crew
but two were shot. The survivors
were my father and William Thomp-
son, who jumped overheard and
were picked up by an American
whaler. For three years they cruis-
ed Tor whales.
Then they went to England and
secured q vessel, the Edgecomb,
Captain Boag, and went TO Cocos
Island and got some OF the treasure.
Returning, they were shipwrecked
near Panama. aud Captain Boag was
eaten BY 0 shark. Then Thompson
died Of fever. leaving my father sole
survivor. My father reached New
foundland with 81 800 in gold. Mer-
chants Of Newfoundland built YES.
sci. the Gauntlet. and he sailed AGAIN