The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-11-11

rections how to find the treasure
| Thompson. died under mysterious cir
cumstances a little later and the
suspicion grew that Heating killed
| him. However that may be, Heating
sailed to Cocos island In 1914 with
| Captain Bogue, a seaman Of sufficient
means to finance the expedition. They
| found the treasure, but Bogue never
returned. Keati1 G said he was
drowned In the surf while attempting
to climb into a boat with his boots
and pockets stuffed with gold. 1t is
generally believed that Heating muir
dered him.
Heating made second visit to the
island four years later and again
! found the treasure In both trips he
| is supposed to have brought away gold
and jewels to the value of s150,000.
| He was prevented from recovering the
entire treasure by mutinous crews on
both voyages. Heating and Bogue are
the only men, so far as is known, who
ever recovered treasure from Cocos
island.
/ Heating passed his secret on to the
Hackett brothers, both seamen and his
neighbors In st. Johns. Heating had
lost or destroyed the chart which he
had obtained from Thompson. But he
drew another chart which he gave to
the Jackets with explicit Instructions
how to find the cave. Heating died in
1883 and Capt. Thomas Hackett, the
elder brother, sailed in 1885 on an ex-
pedition bound for Cocos, but the voy-
age ended with his death In Havana
from yellow fever.
i Capt. Frederick Haexett, who Is
about to undertake the latest Cocos
island treasure hunt, has himself made
two former unsuccessful expeditions.
Captain Hackett was formerly a
whaling skipper He has been sea-
man all his life. He formerly sailed
out of st. Johns, Newfoundland, where
he was born and grew ID. manhood
For the last ten years ha has made
his home In Vancouver, British Column
bia. where lie is engaged In the fish
ing trade He is a bluff, rudy, beard
ed old sea dog, hale and vigorous de-
i spite his three score years, and full
of boyish enthusiasm over project
that has been his one dream for a
, quarter Of a century. So many expe-
J ditions to Cocos island have failed to
: find treasures that Captain Hackett
has had difficulty in raising funds for
: his present expedition. He succeed
ed in getting together 100000. and
, with this sum he has been able to pro-
j, vision his ship properly for years
voyage and to take along hydraulic
) mining machinery in which he is sure
8 lies the only hope of ever unearthing
] the Cocos island treasure.
3 81 have stood over millions, said
a Captain Hackett recently as he sat
a by the skylight on the quarterback OF
J. the Hesperus and watched his sailors
8 busy with final preparations for the
e expedition. ut was not lack OF
Y knowledge that caused me to fall in
j, nv two former voyages, but lack Of
d equipment and supplies. ! knew after
$ INV first expedition that picks and
d shoyels would not do in Cocos, and
e that the only chance to get the treas
+ ure was to tear UP the earth witt
g streams of water thrown by ny
e ldraulic mining engine. | have the
Z latest hydraulic machinery with me
v now, and / shall set out with perfec
h faith In the successful outcome OF my
5, voyage.
.sThe landslide that now lies on tor
e. of the treasure cave probably occurred
e in the middle of the last century dur
n ing the violent earthquakes that shoof
d the western coast of South and Cen
n trail America. Forest trees have grown
# ,,pon it, and the appearance Of tina
a. part of the island is vastly cnange'
n since the days of Bcnito, Thompson
n and Heating. But with my bear1ng
10 and chart and the instructions g1Vel
If ma by Heating in many long inter
views. / believe can locate within
Id radius of 80 feet the spot beneatl
"a which the treasure is buried.
n. ST knew Heating from youth up
10 CAPTAIN Hackett continued. He wa
N a rough, ignorant man who had pee
o. a fisherman and sailor all his HE
ID ut was because my brother ana
m hefriended him when most everyocd
ID else looked askance at him that ate
n. advancing years made it pretty Gel
q. tain that he never would be able
It. voyage to Cocos again, he decided
a. diyulge his secret to US. My brotne
and / owned the collier, Lord Du1Terll
at which was kept busy cruising up an
of down the coasts of Newfoundland an
OF New Brunswick. On one Of our vo5
N ages we took Heating with US. on
e stormy night as the old man sat .
er the table in the cabin over a glass 9
I'd stiff grog, he first told US how TO m
N the treasure. He began his strang
at story with an account of his first VS.
We to Cocos with Captain Bogue.
IS. at was a hot day in June. ne SAT-
is when he and Bogue landed. Inc
g, struck off through the tropical jung
n =