Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-14
RIVAL BANDS OF
TREASURE HUNTERS
On the Island Of COcOS, the Ira
dictionary Resort Of Pirates,
They Have Fight.
LORD FlTzWILLIAMS BEATEN.
Forces That Defeated Him We're Led
BY Harold W. S. Gray Costa RIGA
Has Sent a Guuboat

New York, Jan. 1i--B'rom Costa Rica
the news OF an encounter between rival
bands OF treasure hunters on Cocos ISL
and, where traditlonary pirates hoard
Is said to be buried, cables the Herald's
Panama correspondent.
The expedition under Lord Fltzwil-
liam was the dispatch continues, de-
feated by the men under command of
Harold w. S, Gray
Lord Fitzwilliam and his party
reached the island on the yacht Vero-
nique to find 1t had been preceded By
the Gray expedition on the yacht Ros
Marine, The latter party claimed to
have Costa Rican concession 20
search for the treasure and objected TO
the presence Of the Fitzwilllam force.
a fight is said to have followed and
Fitzwiniams and his company were
beaten off
The Costa Rican government has sent
the gunboat Turrialba TO establish and
preserve order on the ISLAND.
The above dispatch is the first init
nation Of an encounter between rival
gold seekers on the island of Cocos. A
dispatch last week brought the infor-
nation that the Lord F'itzwilliam par
~ had met with an accident In which
several men We're hurt but that the
leader of the expedition was safe and
had sailed for England by steamer
having given up the search. His yacht,
the Veronlque, was IN Panama harbor
two days ago.
According TO English yacht registers,
Harold W. $. Gray Is also a resident
Of London and a member OF the Royal
st. George Yacht club, Kingston. Ire
land Of which the Prince Of Wales Is
commodore,
In the Yachtman, of London, Dee.
20, under the caption List Of Move
ments OF British yachts at foreign and
colonial ports the following report Is
found:
RIOS Maraine. steam yacht, arrived
ut Punta Arenas Nov ls, from PAM
anna, and left for Cocos lslaudi
Lloyds reglstep gives BaroN w $.
Gay as the owne; OF the RIOS Marine,
Failure OF the f'it2wlillams venture
ends another of the numerous expedi-
tons to the romantic isle where are
supposed TO TIC nNlltu buNlOllt paw
and Jewels estimated TO be worth from
$4,000. 600 70 Sl00,000,O00.
For nearly century individuals,
corporations and even a government
have made periodical visits to the ISL
and, striving by every means TO un-
earth the carefully hidden treasure
which since 1890 Is supposed TO have
laid undisturbed. While the history OF
the treasure Is regarded as more or
less OF a myth. many men have sunk
fortunes In a vain endeavor to peue-
trate the mystery which has surround
ed the oft-repeated story that, follow
ing n revolution In Peru the citizens
Of Callao removed to the island of
Cocos, 600 miles southwest of Panama,
y their plate, bullion and valuables, re-
turning to perish during n chaotic per-
lod when governments were changing.
Hard headed men Of business have
invested thousands of dollars with q
view TO clearing the mystery and en-
riching themselves and expeditions
have one after another pursued fruit
less search for the treasure.
When Earl Fitzwilllams purchased
the Veronique, formerly the Halleck
Castle. used In the South African trade,
the British press was led to believe that
the boat was fitted up solely with a
view to scientific research. The earl is
one Of the wealthiest peers In Envy nd.
Cocos is one Oft he most picturesque
spots In the world. il Is OF volcanic ORR
gin, and the shore Ia buttressed by
high, ragged cliffs, indented here and
there by caverns into which the sea IL
hurled and flows back In shlmmerlng
streams The interior ls thlckly COW
cred with a rich growth OF cedars Trop-
teal vines, undisturbed for centuries
have entangled themselves among the
cedars so that now II Is almost i'm
possible to penetrate into the interior,
Numerous pirate bands are said 10
have made their headquarters there,
and It was a well known hiding place
for buccaneers after the war OF 1872.