The San Francisco call., 1905-01-13
GOLD HUNTERS
full OF HOPE
City of Panama Meets the Co.
cos Island Treasure Expe-
dition at Punta Arenas
SECURES A CONCESSION
Earl FitzWilliam Has For
mer Rear Admiral Palliser
With Him on Veronique

The steamship City of Panama,
which arrived yesterday from the 18TH
mus, was at Punta Arenas on her home
ward trip in company with the British
steamer veronique. The Veronique
had on board Earl Fftzwilliam and a
party of British treasure hunters, going
to Cocos Island to gather up the Peru
Wan gold buried there, so the legend
runs, many years ago and diligently
searched for ever since. According to
cable dispatches received here since the
City of Panama left Punta Arenas, the
Veronique either broke down on the
way to Cocos Island or was unsuccess-
full in finding the treasure, for she ar
landed the titled gold hunter, who is
now on his way back to England.
The Veronique is a British tramp
steamer, but by virtue of her mission
and the title borne by her charterer
she figures in the cable dispatches as
yacht and when the Panama's Off
GERS saw her, was flying the flag of
the Royal Yacht Club. On board the
Veronique were fourteen passengers,
all members of syndicate formed in
England by Henry ST. Leger Bury Pal
User, formerly rear admiral in the
British navy and once commander of
England's Pacific squadron. Palliser Is
on board the Veronique. This is the
third attempt he has made to find the
Cocos Island treasure.
The secret of it's hiding place was
confided to him when he commanded
hn Do Ao Ia
money and without a word to his goy-
ernment headed his flagship. the Inn
perieuse, for the island. He landed
three hundred blue jackets and after
satisfying himself that there was some
thing In the story of hidden gold and
that he held the key to It's hiding place,
he withdrew his men and sailed back
to EsQuimault.
Meanwhile the Costa Rican Govern
nent protested to the British Govern
ment against Palliser's action in land
ing an armed force without permission
on Costa Rican territory. Palliser was
recalled and retired from the service.
He had lost his job, but still held the
key to the treasures hiding place, or
thought he did. At any rate, he con-
vinced his friends that he was in pos
session of a secret that was worth
money. The British steamer Lytton
was chartered to carry home the gold.
That expedition was a failure. The
hiding place of the treasure was found,
but so deeply buried under rocks and
earth that recovering the gold was a
bigger undertaking than the expedition
was in condition to carry out. After
landing Palliser and his party at Pana-
ma the Lytton came north and put in
here October, 1903. short of fuel
The Earl Fitzwilliam party, say the
officers of the City of Panama, obtained
a concession from the government of
Costa Rica to search for the treasure
on Cocos Island and. like all previous
seekers after the buried Klondike, were
full of hope and convinced that they
had a get-rich-quick cinch. The Ver-
unique had a crew of seventy-fou men
and the Earl was prepared to shovel
the whole island into a sluice box If
ordinary efforts failed to bring about a
negotiable realization of the Admiral s
dream. When it was all over the treas
ure-laden Britishers were to land al
| Panama, return to England with haste
and buy marble palaces and fast auto
mobiles. The Veronique, no longer a
| yacht, would be released from her
charter and allowed to go tramping
again. She might visit this port, her
/ officers said.