The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-15
LONDON. July a.. Il.

LONDON. ] ulyt AZ.
I'm "A small city Office situated N Lon
| don-wall news is anxiously a waite" 81 t's
II from a man who Is ST ting on the edge
Of q snountain.lake in Colombia, Central
America, waiting for rain. Il 81
Heavy, rain may mean for him and for Or
those in the city Office in. London y wa q
tho recovery Of treasure worth. SO s'. OK OK
pcrts say, at least $500 ooo. 900 The hero 81
the vigil is Fl Il Knowles. managing dlrec-
tor in Bogota OF Contractors, Limited.
The story Of tho company Is one Of y %
most amazing sromances of treasure-se g
Ing In history. a \, Il
Tho Lake Of Guntayita, in Colo bla, lies
in tho basin formed by the cone OF an ex,
tlnct volcano, It stands 5000 to 100 feet
above the sea level and is butaTfew miles
from the thriving tlittle8coal city Of }l3ogo-
ta.l Many centuries ngo 1t was the Sacred reg
Lake OF the Chibchas, Il q i race 5Rlichi 4 az at
the time Of the Spanish conquest num-
bered owe r j ,00O, 900 individuals
Tho Chibchas worshiped the "Gilded
Man, and devouty believed that their
delty%made3 his home atEthe bottom OF i no
Lake OF Guatayita. Periodically they are ire
declared to have made pilgrimages to the
kind iof treasure, gold. silver and Jewels
Into tho waters with the object of pro-
pitiating tho Gilded Man. Who through
Ills armysof priests. Threatened all kinds
Of pains and &ppnnlti unless the treasure
were offered in5sufllcientg qunntt ties.' i{t
Bss Tho story d tho sChibfhtss has many
times been investi gated by tray elers. and
ali agree IN believing that the lake com
'taing untold treasure Humboldt, tho fa-
u !, totrr Ia,
those who estimated Its Value 4 at $500, +
10000 Y q - q, rs a & ~ &
A 55 An Early Failure. az n II.
couosa da. the Spanish conqueror Of the
Chibchas was told the story of the treas
ure. and suaceeded In Sreduc cling the water
Of the lake, hen .2l4 fee deep. tosii fteen
feet. Tban the sides fell In, and all his
labor was wasted Further q tempts We're
Abandoned, and the lax Q !, regal lled TO q q
very large extent Its former dep u 49,
Where the great Spanish adm tor
failed, however, Contract tors, mlted 4, g
prosaic British syndicate, formed Just llat
over six year re- ago, has detcrmine g sue sue
coed. " VI :. K; ii III 5ls
The syndicate was formed for the p BY! !,
pose Of exploiting q concesslo on obtained
from the Colombian Government to- drain
tho lake and recover for theirs own uses
the treasure believed to be hidden by \ y
waters Among it's directors nreS r. Y
Price M, a, for the Eastern Division q
Norfolk chairman, and 81 de Murletta,
It's capita. las originally $3.50, 600, and was
Ia $l75, 900 IN 1903. 5s.s 81 *
!, After six years OF hard work, no yer,
some Of those connected VIII Il the co a.
pany are beginning to bell tha y nc
|SGiided Man. is Til "a the bottoms Of
the lake guarding his treasure iincel'r-'
aging finds of isolated gold and silr Yer
|gods and sjeWelcd goadesses have from
time To time supported the tradition OF the
treasure but SO far the dreams Of untold
wealth have not ma terialize
an easy task, 'forfit Ia some nine miles IN
length and unforeseen difflcul les were
continually confronting the workers. rho
most harassing Of these was the constant
rain, which, winter and sunn.e hardly
ever ceased, KS N 8sss u