The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-12-21

Eel Dorado" he said softly. "El Dorado after
centuries. The gifts OF the golden man. The
treasure of the sacred lake
Out Of the Indian legends of centuries ago. the
wonder.tales of the Spaniards in the New World.
the man with the cigar box explained had come
these strange bits of gold and precious stones.
Modern enterprise Is discovering the lost treas
ure Of a South American superstition The sa-
cred lake of Ell Dorado. the water of Guatavita
Into which Andean tribes threw their riches to
appease their gods has been drained here are
lsome of its treasures
4 Hartley Knowles the man with the cigar oox.
II an English engineer who has made the exca-
vations and has now brought some of the things
70 America He says himself that they are all
exceedingly valuable as antiques, and. intrinsic
ally as gold and gems One OF the Americans
tn whom Mr. Knowles has showed his treasures
adds that the excavation of the sacred lake OF
the Andes brings with 1t a possibility that the
.excavator has apparently not thought OF tn dis
coveries as to the lives Of prehistoric peoples
and IN civilization of prehistoric times
The story that lured modern Englishman to
South America, and Is interesting American col
Iectors in South American discoveries. Is the
same story that four and half centuries ago
called the Spanish adventures to conquest In
the unknown western world. 1t is the story OF
Ell Dorado 1t is tale that most OF us have
heard long age. and long ago forgotten. II IS
the legend of the holy lake.
Upon the original story of the sacred lakes OF
. the ChfbCha tribes In the northern part VI Oouth
America innumerable myths have been built. The
early tales themselves welnigh shrouded in
mystery and somewhat obscured by legend yet
the story of Ell Dorado has its historical founda-
ton, and the tale Of the sacred lake OF Guata-
vita or Guatabta, is accredited by historians TO
day Much of the wonder-tale of El Dorado as
the Spaniards and their followers built II on
the first substructure is probably untrue But
the story of the lake. far as historians nave
been able to ascertain. Is a bit OF real history
the tale of people and their sacrihces, the rec
ord of wealth thrown away in religious cere-
monial as offering to the gods, the true story
of an ancient superstition.
According to the legends told by travellers and
the facts set down by historians, the Andean
tribes of the Chibcha venerated the mountain
lakes Of their province. and into them threw
their Jewels. Great feasts and great Hastings. the
;accessions of rulers the celebration OF pilgrim
age the prayer for the tribes good fortune
these were all accompanied by gifts Of the gods;
the gifts were thrown into the lake. or these
mountain lakes Guatavita was the largest and
most important: here most of the feasts were
held. the offerings made to the gods. And here
sexcayators and engineers have gone from Eng
land with the latest dredges and engines and set
sup modern apparatus to drain the lake.
The lake is drained nearly dry as the
-excavators dare to make II. Quantities OF pot
terry gold and precious stones have been taken
out The excavations are still going on. and II
Is believed that the discoveries have only begun
Various attempts have been made. in the last
four centuries to find the treasure OF Chfbcha
-piety this latest effort is proving successful
81 should say that the gold and gems alread,
taken from the lake bottom amount to abou
$4,000" said Mr.. Knowles How much there
'is left shouldn't dare to say. But think thai
we are Just reaching the most interesting par
or our work and discovery.
II thiuk that most of what have taken on
Nh to date Is from the sides of the lake WI
tkvs not vet dug down to the bottom. and VI
sson.t krow Just how much more have to dis