Catoctin clarion., 1906-09-06

In small city once situated Ill
Londonwall news is anxiously await
ed from man who is sitting on the
edge of mountain lake in Colum-
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,
SO experts say, at least 9100,O00,00O.
The hero of the vigil is Mr.. H.
Knowles, managing director in Bo-
gotta of Contractors, Limited. The
story of tho company is one Of the
most amazing romances of treasure
seeking in history.
The Lake of Guatavita, in Colom-
bia, lies in the basin formed by the
cone of an extinct volcano. 1t stands
nine to ten thousand feet above the
sea level, and Is but few miles from
the thriving little coal city of BO-
gotta. Many centuries Ego it 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" AT devoutly believed
that their deity made his homo at
the bottom of the Lake of Guatayita.
Periodically they are declared to have
made pilgrimages to the lake, when
they 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
that the lake contains untold treas
ure. Humboldt, the famous traveller
and historian, was one Of those who
estimated its value at 500, 100000.
Quesada, the Spanish cOnqueror of
the Chibchas, was told the story of
the treasure, and succeeded in re-
ducing the water of the lake, then
214 feet deep, to fifteen feet. Then
the sides fell in, and all his labor
was wasted. Further attempts were
abandoned, and the lake regained to
a very large extent its former depth.
Where the great Spanish admins
traitor f?iled, 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 concession OBJ
tanned from the Colombian Govern
ment to drain the lake and recover
for their own uses the treasure be-
leved to be hidden by it's waters.
Among its directors are Mr.. X. j.
Price, NJ. p. for the eastern division
of Norfolk, chairman, and Mr.. c. j.
de Murietta. Its capital was origin
ally 100000, and was increased to
935, 900 in 1903.
After six years of hard work, how
ever, some of those connected with
the company are beginning to be-
.lieve 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
time 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
nine miles in length, and unforeseen
difficulties were continually con-
fronting the workers. The most har-
assing 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