Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-31
A NOVEL INDUSTRY
Projects for Discovering
Buried Treasures.
PLUMBER OF PIRATES
ABOUT THE LOST
WEALTH OF THE INCAs.
Experience Of a Colorado Man Who
Searched Throughout Cocos Island
-Favorite Resorts Of Buccaneers.

Written for The E1ening Star.
American canal control at Panama is CIV
ing rise to a new and unexpected industry.
It Is that Of hunting for buried treasure.
Within the last fortnight have had a num-
Der Of requests for Information on this sub
ject and also have received hints of various
important enterprises. Necessarily these
are secret and mysterious.
Panama is the natural center for many
of these quests Much of the wealth OF
Spain poured across the isthmus and much
of it was sacked by the buccaneers. The
old-time pirate as a rule spent everything
that he gained and his booty was distribute
ed through the natural channels of trade.
Yet the filibusters occasionally did find it
necessary to bury their plumber and some
times it happened that having the misfor-
tune to be strung up to the yardarm of
hostile ship they did not come back to
claim it.
If all the stories which are among the
traditions Of Panama could be credited Sir
John Morgan and his merry murderers hid
enough gold along the shores of the Carib-
bean and on the Pacific coast to keep the
world supplied for century.
A Westerner's Efforts.
One of the most promising fields for the
treasure hunter Is Cocos Island, which lies
off the coast of the republic of Panama,
though it is under the sovereignty of Costa
Rica. Two years ago an enthusiastic west
erner appeared at San Jose, the capital OF
Costa Rica. He had been sheriff in Colo
RADIO and a great many other things. He
claimed to have been remarkably success
full in locating lost mines. From this he
advanced to locating buried treasure. He
had divining rod which may or may not
have had magnetic qualities His plan was
to stick this strip of iron and brass into the
soil and then get his bearings.
This ex-Colorado sheriff was plausible.
He gave tests in San Jose and even con-
WINGED two or three of his own countrymen
that there was something in his scheme.
They buried various metals, he pushed his
rod into the earth, waited few moments
and then started off and dug up the find.
OF course, something of this kind might
have been worked by an experienced mind
reader working on the muscles, but the
that there was no holding of hands and
that either it must have been genuine tele-
pathy or else there must have been some
virtue in the divining rod
Government officials were somewhat inn
pressed with the Colorado mans demon
STATIONS. He had heard about Cocos ISL
and as had everybody else. The officials
gave him a squad of soldiers and detailed
Mr.. PETER. the Swiss scientist, who was
in charge Of the government surveys, to
accompany him.
Cocos Island is not very easy of access.
but the expedition finally reached it. For
a week the Colorado man led the scientist
and the soldiers lively chase through the
swamps. They were nearly bitten to death
by the MOSQUITOES and the other insects.
Two or three times the divining rod gave
indications" but the treasure proved too
Elusive. The soldiers became mutinuus and
were threatening to hang both the scientist
and the treasure-hunter In these circum-
stances Mr.. PETER decided 1t was time for
no tn rct1I 70, no fp1a n
The Colorado ex-sheriff protested that he
was getting his bearings and that with
time and patience he would surely locate
lot of buried gold. But when the choice
was given him of remaining alone or of
returning with the expedition he returned.
He protested that he had not been given
a fair chance. and he was disguised that
the company which had been organized de-
clined to furnish him further funds He
disappea red. and heard he had returned
to Colorado to relocate some lost mines
there.
1 suspect that some of the secret expe-
ditions which are now being fitted out at
Panama or San Francisco are organized
with a view to exploiting Cocos Island. But
the organizers probably are not familiar
with the search made there and the ex-
ceptional opportunities given the buried
treasure to disclose itself. Yet Cocos ISL
and was a rendezvous for the pirates and
they may have left some of their booty.
Several Treasure Islands.
Off the Ecuador coast are several treas
ure islands. and most of them appear on
the charts under the name Of Isla de Plata
or Silver Island. The one with which am
familiar is pretty well up the Guayas
river. Capt. Macdonald Of the S. S. Impe-
rial told me that this was the genuine
treasure island trove and that the genuine
tons about the pirates having made it
their Headquarters were correct. But he
ALWAYS
out into the channel that he never could
find time to go ashore.
That is the experience of most of the
ship captains. They get the reputation of
being skeptics. Notwithstanding that every
body is welcome to their information. Once
In great while one Of them does organ
ize company and go In quest of the plum
der. But with regard to the Ecuador coast
1t is possible that the confusion as to which
is the real Silver Island is the reason why
no buccaneers booty has yet been dug UP.
In the Interior of Peru.
In the interior of northern Peru are many
buried treasures of which traces have come
down from the time of the Incas, but the
traces never developed into actual finds. A
few months ago 1t was reported that the
very treasure Of the Incas, which they hid
from Pizarro, had been located away off in
the interior of Bolivia, 1000 miles from
where it was supposed to be. This was the
peared when the greedy Pizarro broke his
word with the Incas. Since this find was
reported have heard no particulars to con-
firm it.
However it does happen occasionally that
small treasures are found In the interior of
the South American countries. At the time
of the struggle for independence from Spain
many wealthy families buried all their
wealth, which was in gold and silver, and
in some instances those families were swept
out of existence. So it might occur that
gold and silver In these days would be
found in the most unlikely places.
The Incas' treasure has fascination that
appeals to many minds and to some pocket
books. Joint stock companies actually have
been organized to prosecute the search for
1t. year and half ago an Englishman
In Peru was said to be very successful in
floating stock for his company In London.
He had adopted a cowboy habit, and his
appearance in Lima at first caused sensa-
ton. But when 1t was known that he was
merely the promoter OF the company to
hunt for the treasure of the Incas interest
In him ceased. That was too common to
concern anybody in Peru.
Proposed Drainage Of Lake.
The Engiishman's scheme, as explained to
me. was to drain some mysterious lake and
find the gold and silver at the bottom. A
tradition is that much wealth lies at the
bottom of Lake Titicaca, and 1t may be
that occasionally canoe or straw hoat