The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-11-12
Kansas City Adven.
turers Hope to Find
Treasure
HAVE CHART TO
GUIDE SEARCH
Real Old Salt Will Pilot
Party to New COcOs
Island.

KANSAS CITY. Nov. Ian ex.
petition left Kansas City recently
to search for q new Treasure Island
In the Pacific Ocean. At the head
Of the party was a sure-enough old
sea captain. grixzled, weather beat
en-. white whiskered. and as mystsr-
ious and romantic looking as If he
had just stepped out OF the pages
Of Robert Louis Stevenson's book.
And to make II all the more real,
the old sea captain carried in a
whale-skin pouch next his heart a
map Of the island. with arrows
pointing to the cave where tle
pirates treasure lies.
II In staggering. but these are the
words of the old captain himself:
| IT know that treasure. I've seen
it. I've handled It. l help bury II.
| I've stood over IT. I've seen dead
men by the score lying around
| there. I've seen a score of men
murdered for that treasure. I know
how much there Is Of IL. It's be-
tween three hundred and four hun
dred tons I figured II out to be 90
million dollars worth or there
abouts. The treasure Is In gold
sovereigns, gold bars. bullion. sill
YER dollars. There are gold crosses.
gold plate and gold angels. that
they took out Of churches, and
plenty Of diamonds, great diamonds
as big as hazelnuts. was hrst
mate, and when 1t came on board
I took count and entered IL In the
book"
That In the way James Brown,
the old sea captain. told 1t to the
men In Kansas City, Springfield and
Mountain Grove, No. who put In
thousands OF dollars to back the
expedition which departed from the
Hotel Muehlebach last Thursday
night
James Brown, the old sea cap
tain went along. Of course. SO did
Frank p. Blair, a clerk at the Hotel
Muehlebach. who resigned his posi-
ton to voyage to the island In the
South Seas where the treasure lies
buried.
Blair's father. John T. Blair. lives
in Marshall. Mo. Young Blair told
him he was going to San Francisco
to see the exposition. But IL is
mighty little he will bother about
the exposition when his head is
filed with dreams of a mysterious
sea-swept island, its shore line
dashed by the surf into vast cav
ems. in one of which reposes
enough glistening gold and spark
ling diamonds to make a kings ran
som.
The financial hackers of the ex-
petition are thirty business men o
Springfield and Mountain Grove
Among them are r. c. Hardin
secretary OF the Mountain Grov,
Grocery company; c. A. Swenson
lumber dealer: f. j. Greene. bank
cashier. all OF Mountain Grove, and
III Fred Ellis and Lyle Ellis, in
surance men: Alva Milligan. presi
dent OF the sMilligan Grocery com
pany. and president OF the Missouri
Wholesale Grocers' association; J.
II. Hinerman. contractor and city
councilman; W. 3. Lee. travelling
salesman. and DIR. A. A. Lowe, OF
Springfield.
These and others, convinced that
the old sea captain was telling the
truth about the treasure. incorpor.
ated the South Sea pearl fishing
expedition. with thirty stockhold-
ers and shares at $3.50 each.
Great secrecy attended the form
alton OF the company and its de-
psrture from Kansas City. Captain
Brown said this was necessary. be-
cause the treasure island to which
they were going belonged to Great
Britain and n Johnny Bull found
out that the treasure was about TO
be lifted. he would send a warship
to watch. when the treasure was
found he would demand 20 per cent
OF II. Browns theory was that
finders should be keepers and ne
didn't propose to let the British
government find out anything about
II. no stree. and so nothing about
the expedition leaked out until af-
ter the party was far on It's way TO
San Francisco.
There the Kansas City party will
take ship for Sydney, Australia,
where 1t will charter a schooner
and sail for the island, the exact
location Of Hhich no one knows ex-
cept Captain Brown.