Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-03
QUEST FOR $500, OO0, 900


who Is sitting on the edge OF a rno,Intai in
lake IN Colombia Central a mario. ua,t,, .
| ,or ra4r 49,
thass - ,ha ., a nea :. ,oa n.an anu .ol
| recovery of treasnra uvorth GO oxnarts
at least e1Ooono ooo The bpro ~ tha ,.is,,
is Mr.. II. Knowles managing airactor. l.,
Bogota OF Contractors. Ismited T.e s,or,
of the COMPANY Is one f,f tha r,ost :,
romances of treasure-sea,k,ny q, h;s,or,,
/ Tha 1920. r,..s.s..ss' =,
AsaAe =. uualasila' IN Soiompia, Hes
~ ,Iie pasin formed py the cone OF an ex-
tinct volcano. 1t stands nine to ten thou
! sand feet above the sea level ana ia hut a
| few miles from the thriving little coal citv
of Bogota. Many centuries ago II was the
| Sacred Lake of the (,hihchas q raca rbinh
at the time of the Snanish CONQUEST n,,n,-
! bered over LOCO goo individuals
| The Chibehas worshiped the "G,Ided
| Man" and devoutlv believed thai their
| deity made his home at the bottom Of the
Lake of Guatayita Periodicailv tber arc
declared to have made pIlgrimages tn the
lake, when they cast eyery ina giTable kind
| Of treasure gold silver and level, into the
| waters with the object of propitiating the
| .Gilded Man." who through his army ~
| priests, threatened all kinds Of maine ana
penalties unless the treasure were offered
| In sufficient quantities
The story Of tha Chihchas bac n,ry ttn,a.
| been investigated nv trayelers mr., Al, GO
| in believing that tba Iaka con+ains unsald
| trea snra Hnnho,dt tha fas,o,," .aeI
mated ifs vaI,,a ~ e1no 600 600 Wv es
| = oo'eoo0V0'
An Early Failure.
onasad, tha ca,n,..
c,., 80 VI 'ae
ohipchas' was tolo the story or Lie treas
| ure, and succeeded In reducing the water
=. eAe iahe' tnen IA lee. oeep, 10 10 feet.
heii .he sues heii III anu All MS LABOR was
Maseeu r uI.her Attempts were abandoned,
| tent lie former dan.h sc ca
Where the great Spanish administrators
failed however Contractors limited a nro-
years ago has determined to succeed
The syndicate was formed for tha ,,,,rnoso
of exnioftinp a concassion ahta,naS 49, 49,
| the Colombian povsrnment ~ ,iras,, tha
trsasnra baIiay,ad - j.. '' 49,, o"I uses Tue
| tars sr,on.s a. AZ a;u ue niuueh ny IT'S wa
I pn;a At n 80. -, uiie tas aie MI. n. ..
foII caa,rr, aui sire me eas.e,n olVislon Oh NOT
si.. ia Gnu WI, I, y; ue 4hurielta.
ncreaead ~ Coz nns 9 Ioos ana was
~ s saseo " Soo'Vo IN 1910.
Aleer SIX X Years OF marc work, however
soino VI 'iose eohNec.ed Win me com
p i.Guy aie oesihifInS 10 peieVe that me
Ioeu Nlan 40 sun al the oo.loin OF ,iie
a tahe sea luins ms treasure f.heourda'Iss
Nus "a lsola.eu soiu anu siiser eoos anu
5o"eu sou i nave tioiu .iiiie 10 III. :
suppoit s Inc eIaaision OF the trstsure, put
~ iai ale vi GAINS vi uii'ofo wealth. nave no.
iii ~ .eI .a.iAea;
FIRST me lake was drained. 1t was nor
M ~. - - sge atiie lines "a
.eIisl III anu unforeseen aiiiicuitles We're con-
siius.las coiidfo is lle WORKERS me mos
I.aias'ihs " ahese was me eolislaIle ltni,
mnicn; winter ana summer hardly ever
oe""eu'
Lake Ofalheo.
At last however toward the end OF 1902
the welcome news reached London that
NJ U,,o,fa. ,,,a -. .aee - o,,rf.ss,,. -
1Ai iAno".eS anu ms stai u eAsiiieeis anu
WorKmen had succeeded IN cutting through
the basin of the lake. and the water had
been drained off successfully. There was
great jubilation, and preparations were
| made for the large consignments of gold
silver and jewels which might be expected
TO arrive by the next boats.
,ha nnIv homese oe IS n
Man has to rely for the safe-keeping Of
ms treasure Inc )anliation In LONDON
staffnp that twenty-fiye feet ~ soiis mud
or some 30. DOC. 600 cubic feet in all. still Jay
between the treasure seekers and their
quest.
But what Is 100000 CUBIC feet OF mud
when G10O, 100000 Is at stake? A new en-
cheering feat was decided on-the con-
structfon of q great dam across the hole
made in the side of the basin, termina ting
in shaft through which the mud should
be. washed and carefully precipitate ted, so as
to secure the gold and silver treasure as
they were disturbed from their hiding mace
of centuries
The dam was constructed, and with 1t
the cleansing shaft but while the work
was In progress a strange thing had hap
pened. The "Gilded Man was evidently at
work again.
For over three years the engineers had
worked in the rain in such a downporr,
indeed, as was unprecedented in Ceniral
America AS the water ran from the lake,
however the rain had stopped and
drought equally without a parallel III the
history of the country set In For more
than two and a. half years not a drop of
rain has fallen at the scene of the opera-
lions. and when the engineers had COM
nIstea the consumption Of the dam II was
onlv 10 find that the sun had baked the
SO0OooOO cubic feet of mud into the con-
Hidden Wealth.
Then metaphorically speaking. the epgf-