Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-05-03

Little of 1t has ever been recovered; the average
man prefers to work for few dollars a week.
But the history of the hundreds OF treasures, some
of them well known and rich in narrative. some OF
them but vaguely chronicled is something OF absorb
ing interest to the with the true spirit OF ad
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 worlt
had ever known in its history The Spanish Mair
reeked with 1t. The Indians from Mexico to Peru
had much that they had for it. Shiploat
after shipload went to England. Spain and Portugal
Pirates and privaeers raided the ports and the gal
Icons. Governors often cached the treasures OF
city to them from the raiders; bishops ant
priests hid the wonderful solid gold affairs, ratings
vessels and so FORTH to keep them safe. Often thu
governor slain captured perhaps removed
and in many cases the cercs suffered similar tates
Hundreds of millions have been recovered, but tn,
sums remaining unbound are so vast as to be stag
gering
II is of those unrecovered only partially recoy
cred that write giving all the facts that bee
able to find, hoping to start the seekers to thu
quests Some of it seems easily recoverable tina
one could go and almost lay ones hands on 1t; NOR
of it would require patient effort digging draining
diving, searching; still other portions will be fount
only by the purest chance, the clues too vague
There is one astounding store OF gold the histor.
OF which is so clear and definite, and the obstacles
to recovery slight, that will state its claims first
On the Cundnamarca plateau in the Republic o
Colombia is little pond quarter OF mile across
In the exact center of this pond supersttouS Indian
dumped gold in fiber bags in such quantities that
on the bottom lie hundreds of millions, perhaps
several billion dollars worth One chief dropped
in $500 pounds in day TO the life of
sick daughter. and the votive process went on I'M
interruptedy for hundreds OF years 1t is easy to
see 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 IDdians near thpl n nkn foru
witnessed the one incident cited
AT the time OF the conquest the lake was called
Guatavtta, "Caretaker OF Life The Indians be-
lieved that in the lakes and springs dweit the sub
deies 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 use
was for decoration and religious or superstitous
offerings
Even today they still hide the secrets OF the
deposits. appearing in the towns with little leaf
baskets the bottoms OF which are covered with
gold. which they to buy all the print t-coths
arms, food and oaubles that make up their sim
pie needs then they go away to their huts IN the
mountains When the Spanards first the
Indians laughed to find the white men SO eager
for what they deemed OF so little value but
when they the white men killing and tortur-
ing their brothers, wives and children they grew
silent ard ever since have hidden all their kuowl
edge OF gold among themselves. An indian who
leauS lne way TO an Indian mine signs his
deah-warrant.
Fray Pedro Simon's account of the lake says
that 1t was one of chain, that 1t was SO small
that two fiber ropes could be stretched across it,
marking 1t into quarters They crossed in the
exact center. Rats moored on.shore and
the Indians coming from aar laden With gold
would heap II on these rats in fiber and skin
bags, use the ropes to guide the rats TO the cen.
ter and then throw in the gold an old and sacred
man o the tribe or family reciting inyocations to
the spirit OF the lake.
What have related has been common property
among men interested in treasureseeking 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 heen given There is today
on the plateau lake called Guatayita, but 1t does
not answer Fray Pedro Simon's description
On the 18th of April 1913 there set sail from
what is now Colon the Spanish galieon Santa
Marta, commanded by master-at-arms called Eel
Tigre de Joasco, and bearing vice governor Her
nando Arojas Alencon, with considerable COM
pany of wounded and feverhroken Spanish sol
diers scattering of priests and some business
travellers
She was headed for Cadiz and vigo Her cargo
almost entirely gold to the value of about
$25.000000,
II was not supposed that any one aboard was
aware that there anything extraordinarily
valuable aboard, except the master Governor
AroJas, and two priests Of the ships company.
Some one organized mutny among the return
ing soldiers and sailors and, while the shin
heavily armed to defend herself against pirates
or privateers. she was very easily taken over by
her own some time during the first week
out
Two boatloads OF prisoners were abandoned on
the sandy shore of the PALISADES of the harbor
of Kingston. jamaica, but E Tigre de Joasco and
Governor Arojas were not among them ana
somewhere in the chinks OF history their fate mas
slipped through and been lost.
The murooned people We're very quickly picked