Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-24
Hoards of Gold and Silver
Buried Around Panama.
BOOTY OF BUCCANEERS
REGION WAS ONCE THE RESORT
OF PIRATES.
Story Of How q Millionaire Earl and
an English Admiral Sought
Treasure at Great Cost.

Copyright, 1905. by Frank g. Carpenter)
Special Correspondents Of The Star
PANAMA.
There Is a great chance here for the
formation Of a treasure-hunting syndicate
! to prospect the Isthmus of Panama, the
mountains between here anG Colombia and
some OF the islands Of the Pacific and the
Caribbean sea. This whole region was
for generations the resort Of pirates and
buccaneers. Brigandage was common in
the days Of the Spaniards, and robbery
rife when the forty-niners from California
crossed the Chagres with their loads of
gold. All the gold and silver that Pizarro
squeezed out Of the Incas was brought to
Panama and taken by horses and men
across to the Atlantic. That treasure alone
was enormous. Silver was so common that
the soldiers had their horses shod with 1t
and 1t was brought here by the ship load.
One of the first expeditions to Peru resulted
In the capture Of Atahulapa, the Inca king.
Pizarro offered to ransom him II the In
dams would fill the prison room where he
was kept with gold. This pI ison was seven
teen feet long, twenty feet wide and nine
feet high. The gold was brought in
and piled up until the whole was
filled. 1t comprised mass Of gold plate
torn from the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco.
hundreds of drinking cups, dishes and gold
basins, and beautiful gold vases wonder
fully carved There was SO much of 1t that
1t took the Indian goldsmiths, working
day and night, a whole month to cast into
ingots. The successors of Pizarro carried
other treasurers to Panama and the gall
Icons of Spain for generations brought
silver and gold from the western coast Of
Mexico and South America. and even from
Manila. to be taken across these mountains
for shipment to the mother country.
The Booty of Buccaneers.
Many of these expeditions were attacked
by pirates. Buccaneers were common and
they hunted for treasure not only on sea,
but also on land. The buccaneer Morgan
marched across the isthmus In 1911 and
took Panama, which then one of the
richest cities of the hemisphere. He burned
it to the ground, killed many of the inhab-
itants and held others for ransom. He tor
tured them to discover where their treas
ures were hidden, and when he went away
he had 175 horses laden with jewels, silver
and gold
The Golden Lake of Guatavita.
Tie Indians are said to have buried treas
ures in different parts of this region. There
is now an English syndicate draining the
lake of Guatavita which lies on the top of
a mountain in the neighboring state of Co
lombia. This lake is sacred to the Indians,
and 1t is said that they have for genera
lions cast gold images into it offerings
to their divinities. These images range in
value from SIG to many times that sum. l
have seen them for sale by the money
changers at Panama. They are of various
shapes-some rude birds, some frogs and
some images of men and women half as
long or as long as ones little finger, and of
solid gold. Many of those already dscov-
cred have come from the borders of the
lake. The English conceSsionarieS have
pierced the mountain by a tunnel, so that
the water be gradually drained Off
They have. / understand made their tun-
mel trif1e too high to strike the bottom of
the lake, and it will have to be deepened
In the meantime they have sent to Eng
land for more money for this purpose.
The Mona Island Millions.
I heard the story of a live treasure on
my way to Panama. The captain of one
of the ships which sail from New York to
Colon is financially interested In it, and it
Is from his mouth that l have the story.
The names, with the exception of the pi-
rates, are changed, as the man who owns
the secret is still living, and the several
prominent Americans who have been hunt
ing the hoard do not care for publicity.
Said the captain:
"Our treasure lies somewhere in the Is
land of Mona, and We have chart which