Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-09-08

In a small city Office situated IL
Londonwall news is anxiously await
ed from a man who is sitting on the
edge of a mountain lake in Column
bia, Central America, waiting for
rain.
Heavy rain may mean for him and
for those in the city office in London,
wall the recovery of treasure worth
10 experts say, at least 600, 1000, 900
The hero of the vigil is Mr.. H
Knowles, managing director in Bo'
gotta of Contractors, Limited. The
story Of the company is one of the
most amazing romances of treasure.
Ieeking in history.
The Lake of Guatavita, in Colon
oia, lies in the basin formed by the
;one of an extinct volcano. 1t stands
line to ten thousand feet above the
sea level, and is but few miles from
The thriving little coal city of Bo-
gotta. Many centuries ago 1t was the
Sacred Lake of the Chibchas, a race
which at the time of the Spanish
conquest numbered over 100000
individuals.
The Chibchas worshiped the
'Gilded Man." &C devoutly believed
hat their deity made his homo at
The bottom of the Lake of Guatavita.
Periodically they are declared to have
made pilgrimages to the lake, when
!hey cast every imaginable kind of
treasure, gold, silver and jewels into
The waters with the object of pro-
pitiating the "Gilded Man." who,
through his army of priests, threat
ened all kinds of pains and penalties
Unless the treasure were offered in
sufficient quantities.
The story of the Chibchas has
many times been Investigated by
travellers, and all agree in believing
hat the lake contains untold treas
Ire. Humboldt, the famous traveller
Ind historian, was one of those who
estimated its value at &1OO,OOO,OO0.
Quesada, the Spanish conqueror of
he Chibchas, was told the story of
he treasure, and succeeded in re-
lucing the water of the lake, then
TIA feet deep. to fifteen feet. Then
he sides fell in, and all his labor
was wasted. Further attempts were
abandoned, and the lake regained to
very large extent its former depth.
Where the great Spanish admins
!rator filled, however, Contractors,
Limited, a prosaic British syndicate,
formed just over six years ago, has
determined to succeed.
The syndicate was formed for the
purpose of exploiting a concession OBJ
!ained from the Colombian Govern
ment to drain the lake and recover
'or their own uses the treasure be-
Iieved to be hidden by it's waters.
Among ltF directors are Mr.. X. j.
Price, NJ. P. for the eastern division
If Norfolk, chairman, and Mr.. c. j.
lie Murietta. It's capital was origin
ally 100000, and was increased to
$4,000 in 1908.
After six years of hard work, how
ever, some of those connected with
ShO company dAC pObAihlll6 W DS-
!ieve that the "Gilded Man" is still
At the bottom of the lake guarding
his treasure. Encouraging finds of
ISOLATED gold and silve-' gods and
jeweled goddesses have from time to
lime supported the tradition of the
treasure, but so far the dreams of
untold wealth have not materialized.
First the lake was drained. 1t
was not an easy task, for it is some
line miles in length, and unforeseen
difficulties were continually con-
fronting the workers. The most har-
lssing of these was the constant rain,
which, winter and summer, hardly
ever ceased.
At last, however, toward the end
of 1903, the welcome news reached