Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-08-28
Lost Guataxita.
From the Boston Transcript.

FROM the Boston transcript.
Money and romance have but little,
quently they come into antagonism,
and then romance takes flight before
monetary pressure, whether this be In
the form of plethora or of paucity. The
mysterious. too, in physical affairs,
has to retire and disappear when
discovery of fact. Thus it is that
mystery and romance have fled from
the sacred lake of Guatavita. This
lake was beloved of the Muyscas, the
original inhabitants of the Colombian
plateau of Bogota. who in their time
world only second to the Aztecs and
the Incas. On that fertile tableland,
averaging height of some 5000 feet
above the sea, they had their seat of
empire. their religion their civiliza-
ton; and tradition says that Guata-
vita which is about 40 miles from the
present capital of Colombia, had for
them religious significance that
caused it to be made the depository of
offerings to u diety, believed to be the
sun. Accordngs to travellers tales.
beginning as far back as the middle of
the Sixteenth century. the so-called
| Indians practiced as a rite the casting
of precious stones, gold dust and gold
and silver vessels and ornaments into
the sacred lake, which reflected the
shining face of their god. This early
| tradition is crowned by the later one
to the effect that when the Spaniards
| broke the power of the Muyscan en-
pire in 1886. the conquered people
threw all their treasures into Guata-
| vita. 1t has, therefore, long been sup
posed to contain enormous wealth. An
estimate which could only have been
IL wild guess-made about 100 years
ago. put the value at no less than So
10000 900 And it waited for heirs.
An English company bearing the
brief name of Contractors has this
month decided to wind up it's affairs,
and for that purpose has called a
meeting of it's creditors in London. The
| old romance and mystery. the very
lake itself have peen brought to an
end by that company.
1t is not in human nature to refrain
from trying to uncover and secure sc
vast "A treasure as that which Guata-
vita was reputed to hold. A number OF
attempts have been made. The Span
iards are said to have succeeded at one
time in lowering the water to depth
OF only IA feet. when the sides OF the
lake fell in, causing the abandonment
4 of the work. Twenty years ago a
\ Colombian company was organized te
find the precious things of the ancient
people. but it was deficient both In
Engineering skill and the requisite
plant for such an undertaking. ana
after spending $1,000 1T went OUTSIDE
the country to invite expert aid. mus
1T came about that the English com
pany Contractors, was formed in the
year 1900, with nominal capital Of
100000, and took over the work. Inc
anticipated reward was SO per cent OF
the fabulous wealth to be won-enougr
to attract any number OF treasure
Il hunters
There is nothing to say against the
work of the company. 1t was appar-
entity we'll done. by means OF scientift
engineering. In three years the lake
found to be 46 feet at Its deepest was
entirely drained away. by means OF
tunnel LOO feet long. carried 20 fee
workers gazed not upon gold ana sll.
Yer and previous stones. but upon =.
feet of mud What might that hold
Specifically it offered them re"
Jewels and ornaments as an encour'
agement to seek its secret-proving a
without foundation. But Contractors
had by this time spent its cash capita
of $4,000, and. therefore, In 1904 y
increased it's capital to 6 $4,000 ans
four years later had to Increase y
further to C 100000 Meanwhile the
mud had dried to something like halI
baked brick, there being no water Il
soften 1t; and the only thing to do was
to bore shafts and channels into 1t
and break up the excavated material
The net result is the recovery OF SINAI
, ornaments and jewels valued at no
much more than $4,000. in return fol
the company's expenditure, of f., a .loo,
than one respect. The world OF imag
nation is poorer by the loss of a gold
en- dream. drawfed almost to nothing
ness. Colombia Is poorer by the los
of all that made a sacred place on tn
plateau of her capital. There is nov
no lovely lake round , which romano ON IN
treasure, no ripping water to be ;
veil of mystery; nothing is left blu
an ugly scar on the face ,t Of nature barton
+ of sun baked mud. So perishes LAX
, Guatavita. victim of laundering Gu
pidity.
A new electrical tool for removing
scale from. boilers, an English in
vention, delivers 5000 hammering an