Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07


the Andes and not far from
Lake Urcos, in which are said to be buried
treasures OF the Incas worth many millions.
When the Spaniards under Pizarro had
killed the Inca king Atahualpa they march
ed upon Cuzco. The Indians knew their
greed for the precious metals, and they took
most Of their treasures from the capital city
and secretly buried them. According to ira
dition, they threw millions of dollars worth
of gold into this lake, and with other things
the great golden chain that ran around their
main plaza. This plazaremained intact until
few years ago. 1t was about 500 feet long
and several hundred feet wide, so that the
length Of the chain was probably between
one and two thousand feet. The chain was
pure gold, wrought into links about foot
long and as large around as the wrist OF
man. The links were so heavy that man
could not lift more than one of them at
time, and it is said that hundreds of Indians
were required to carry the chain. They
took it up the valley Of Cuzco and threw it
into the lake, and there it is supposed to lie
to this day, although many have searched
for it in vain. The treasure hunters have
dived into the waters and clawed over the
mud near the shore. They have also drag
ged the lake with graphing hooks, but in
places it is exceedingly deep and so far the
treasure has not been discovered. At one
time a syndicate was organized to drain the
lake This syndicate had a capital of S.
100000 and its plan was to tunnel the noun
tansde. But the rock was too tough and
the enterprise was abandoned.
The treasures of the Incas were not con-
fined to Cuzco. | have heard stories Of
buried boards all along the Andes from Pan
anna to Lake Titicaca They had vast guam
titles of gold and silver in Quito, and at
Cerro de Pasco found party of Ameri-
cans and British who were prospecting for
one Of these boards They have already
spent thousands of dollars, and are sinking
more every day. While | was before the
vault of the Cuzco cathedral | was shown a
golden box weighing SO pounds, made, of
the plates that were torn from the Inca
Temple of the Sun, and was told that that
cathedral was largely built by Inca gold
understand that the treasures of gold
Sun and the Moon were thrown into Lake
Titicaca, and l hear other traditions of the
vast amounts of gold and silver the Span
iards failed to get. That which they OBJ
tanned was greater than the wealth Of Croe-
sus The amount taken from the temples of
Cuzco alone is said to have been worth more
than $4,000, 900, and part of this went to
Cajamarca to free the Inca emperor, Atahu-
alpa, when he was treacherously imprisoned
by Pzarro. The Inca emperor had come in
. friendship. He was carried to Cajamarca in
a litter of massive gold covered with cloth
embroidered with the plumes of tropical
birds. This cloth was studded with gold
and silver plates. Atahualpa's hair was dec
Grated with gold. He had on golden
crown, and around his neck was collar Of
emeralds.
At the start Pizarro treated Atahualpa
well, but a little later on charged him with
treachery, and put him in prison about IA
feet square. The Inca king took stone and
scratched a mark on the wall as high up as
he could reach, telling Pizarro that he would
fill the room to that height with gold if he
could only be free. This proposition was
accepted, and gold in the shape OF vases,
utensils and plates was brought in from all
parts of the empire 1t was melted down by
the Indians, under the direction of the Span
iards When the prison room was filled to
bove the mark made by Atahualpa, he. was
released. But he was still kept under sur
VIGILANCE, and a. little later was accused Of
plotting against the Spaniards. He was