Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-05-03

ships sunk in shallow waters.
Little of 1t has ever been recovered the average
man prefers to work for a dollars q week.
But the history of the hundreds Of treasures. some
of them well known and rich in narrative some OF
them vaguely chroncled, is something OF absorb
ing interest to the man with the true spirit OF ao
venture in his blood
More gold and silver produced from the new
ly discovered Western Hemisphere by the early
Spanish and Portuguese adventurers than the world
had ever known in Its history The Spanish Main
reeked with 1t. The Indians from Mexico to Peru
had much that they had no use for it, Shipoad
after shipload went to England. Spain and Portugal
Pirates and privateers raded the ports and the gal
Icons Governors often cached the treasures OF
city to them from the raiders; bishops and
priests hid the wonderful solid gold atars railings
vessels. and SO forth, to keep them SAFE Often the
governor slain captured, perhaps removed
and in many the clerics suffered similar fates
Hundreds of millions have been recovered. but the
remaining unfound are SO vast as to be stag
gerng.
1t is of those unrecovered only partially recov
cred that write giving all the facts that have been
able to find. hoping to start the seekers on to the
quests. Some of it seems SO easily recoverable that
could go and almost lay ones hands on it; more
of it would require patient effort. digging draining
diving, searching still other portions will be found
only by the purest chance, the clues too
There is astounding store of gold the history
of which is clear and definite. and the obstacles
to recovery slight, that will state its claims first
On the Cundinamarca plateau in the Republic OF
Colombia is little pond quarter of a mile across
In the center of this pond supersous Indians
dumped gold in fiber bags in such quantities that
the bottom lie hundreds of millions, perhaps
several billion dollars worth One chief dropped
In 5000 pounds in one day to save the life OF
sick daughter and the votive process went on un-
interruptedly for hundreds of years 1t is easy to
how stupendous the treasure must be and how
difficult to estimate accurately.
The bulk of the definite Information concerning
the lake comes from the journal of Fray Pedro
Simon. Jesuit missionary who dwelt among the
Chibcha Indians near the lake for many years and
witnessed the incident cited.
At the time OF the conquest the lake called
Guatavita, "Caretaker of Life" The indians be-
eved that in the lakes and springs dwelt the SUBJ
deities and all the tribes in northern South Amer
lea believed that in this wonderful little pool,
with its clear cold springs and beautiful shores.
dwelt the deity. who had power to save and heal.
Gold was to be found everywhere Its sole
for decoration and religious superstitious
offerings.
Even today they still hide the secrets OF the
deposits, appearing in the towns with little leaf
baskets the bottoms of which covered with
gold, which they use to buy all the print-cloths.
arms. food and baubles that make up their sim
pie needs; then they go away to their huts in the
mountains. When the Spaniards first the
Indians laughed to find the white men eager
for what they deemed of little value. But
when they saw the white men killing and tortur-
ing their brothers, wives and children they grew
silent and ever since have hidden all their knowl-
edge Of gold among themselves. An Indian who
leads the way to Indian mine signs his own
death-warrant.
Fray Pedro Simons account OF lake says
that it was one of chain; that It was small
that two fiber ropes could be stretched across 1t.
marking it into quarters. They crossed In the
exact center. Rats were moored on-shore. and
the Indians coming from laden with gold
would heap 1t on these RATS in fiber and skin
bags, use the to guide the RATS to the GEN.
ter and then throw in the gold. old and sacred
man of the tribe family reciting invocations to
the spirit OF the lake.
What have related has been common property
among men interested in treasure-seeking and
parts of the facts have been printed both in Amer
lea and England, but this is the first time that all
the known facts have been given. There is today
the plateau lake called Guatavita, but 1t does
not answer Fray Pedro Simon's description.
np th, IN nf Anvil thara
what is now Colon the Spanish galleon Santa
Marta. commanded by master-atarms called El
Tigre de Joasco. and bearing vicego Her
nando Arojas Alencon, with considerable
pany of wounded and feverbroken Spanish SOL
diers. scattering of priests and some business
travellers.
She was headed for Cadz and vgo. Her cargo
was almost entirely gold the value about
s25.000,000.
It was not supposed that any aboard
aware that there anything extraordinarily
valuable aboard except the master. Governor
Aroias and two priests of the ships company.
Some one organized a mutiny among the return
ing soldiers and sailors and. while the ship
heavily armed defend herself against pirates
or prvateers she very easily taken by
her own crew time during the first
out.
TWO boatoads of prisoners were abandoned
the sandy shore of the palisadoes OF the harbor
of Kingston. Jamaica. but Ell Tigre de Joasco and
Governor Arojas not among them, and
somewhere in the chnks OF history their fate has
slipped through and been lost.
The mnrooned people we're very quickly picked