Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

gon, the late President-elect Of Mex
leo, has sprung one of the strangest
expeditions Of modern times.
- Jason, in the person Of a hard
headed miner who has won and lost fortunes
in Mexico. hopes to take from the backs OF
10000 sheep that roam the slopes of rocky
Socorro enough fleece to recoup his wasted
millions.
And there's a possibility that 81 200 900
treasure, buried on Socorro and the secret Of
its whereabouts lost when bandit ship was
sunk nearby in the storm, may be recovered
to add to the fortune of fleece.
The gold and fleece that lured H. K. Cheno-
weth first to Socorro, lonely, rock-bound
island $40 miles south of San Diego, Calf, have
drawn others there ahead of him.
Other expeditions have failed, but none of
them approached the problems of rounding up
the sheep with the same scientific method
Chcnoweth employs
He was on the island in 1919 prospecting for
ore. In his early manhood he looked on the
west coast of Mexico as place where he rcrht
earn fortune and now. in his later days, he
hopes Socorro will provide the means.
CHENOWETH thanks the late Obregon for
providing the opportunity. Chenoweth and
the Strong Man of Mexico" were boyhood
friends. 1t was at Chenoweth's Sonora home
that Obregon became engaged to be married.
Before he left the Presidents chair, Obregon
gave Chenoweth 19-year concession covering
the four islands-Socorro. Clarion, San Bene-
dicto and Roca Partida-and the water ada
cent. These islands extend $50 miles along an
east-west line and are the most isolated on the
Pacific Coast.
Chenoweth made his first trip to Socorro as
q miner. He had heard from Gen. Gordiano
Guzman, who later was killed in the Carranza
revolution, that valuable ores existed on Socorro.
Then he saw large band of sheep, which
then numbered fully 10000, and decided some
day he would return and clip their fleece.
Socorro's highest point protrudes through the
fog to an altitude of 3,707 feet and is known as
Mount Evermann, named during expedition
from the California Academy of Sciences in
1925 for DIR. Barton w. Evermann, director.
The sheep have been on the island since
1865 when an Australian expedition brought
rs head of cattle and 100 sheep there on some
sort of exploitation venture. Just what that
group hoped to accomplish does not seem clear,
but the cattle died from heat and the members
moved on leaving the sheep to thrive on the
luxurious vegetation.
: The island is credited by some historians with
once having belonged to the territory known
long ago as Nueva Galicia, which at one time
was composed of the Mexican states now known
as Aguas Calientes, Jalisco, Michoacan and
Colima.
Socorro was discovered in 1908 by Spaniard
known as Capt. Martin Yamez de Armida. who
that rich treasure of gold was buried on the
island He set out in a small boat, accom-
panied by his wife, six mariners and woman
servant to find the treasure
The captain apparently believed the tradi-
ton of the buried treasure until he commenced
his unsuccessful search. Soon the party aban-
doned the quest and Armida named the island
Socorro in honor of his wife, who bore that
name.
Regarding the treasure that Chenoweth be-
lieves may be buried there, he does not know
whether or not it is the same as that for
which Armida searched.
According to the stories handed down from
generation to generation, in the early l6O0s,
when gold being shipped along the west
coast of Mexico, pirates thrived, taking gold
and jewelry.
On one occasion the crew and a pirate chief
came intoxicated after considerable loot had
been taken and during storm, their craft
struck q hidden reef and never again was seen.
Meanwhile, members of the crew had boasted
in a coastal town of the cache and Chenoweth
believes the treasure exists somewhere on the
island. Most of it Is supposed to be gold rob-
bed from the San Ignacio placer gold camp, in
Lower California. Two members of Cheno-
wetlls crew spent several days looking for tie
treasure during the recent trip.
GGT>HE possibility of making Socorro into a
profitable sheep RANCH according to DR..
c. Dallas Hanna curator Of the department of
paIeontology California Academy of Sciences,
who accompanied an expedition from the acad-
envy to Socorro four years ago, was discussed
considerably by our party and 1t did not seem