Evening star., 1935-01-13

bars. But the poor lumber camp oper-
ator soon became president of the
Gainesville bank and an influential
property owner. Today the next gener-
alton of his family ranks Importantly
in both the financial and social life of
the State.
This, however, accounts for only one
of the three chests of gold. 1t Is be-
lieved that the other two Golfers still rest
unmolested at the location where the
pirates left them some 100 years ago.
The search for the Suwannee River
gold continues.
In 1928 little group Of civil engineers,
on road construction near Tampa Bay,
picked up casual tale about pirates gold
buried on the shores of the Suwannee.
One of them, a certain Mahon, declared
that if gold were really buried there, he
had an instrument that would locate it.
The upshot of it was that when the road
work was completed the three surveyors
loaded an old Ford with the necessary
provisions and struck out for FowlerS
Bluff. From this point on, the story
emerges from the dimness of the past.
Subsequent events are matter Of record.
1uc GIlTcc surveyors dIIANCu az tAlCAA
destination-three intelligent men in the
heart of the wilderness, looking for
buried treasure. Mahon set to work i'm
mediately assembling the instrument he
had brought along.
Most of us, at some time in our lives,
have encountered one of those strange
old men who with hazel switch can
locate water for a well. These gold
finding instruments are further de-
velopment along the same line, though
the Bureau of Standards is still some
what hazy as to the principle. Yet such
rods are successfully used in locating
water mains and various mineral de-
posits and are frequently employed in
the oil fields.
Mahon had no sooner got his rod as
sembled than he felt pull" The
indicator pointed to an oak tree near
the rivers edge. Whatever position was
taken, the instrument indicated the
base of the tree. 1t was an enormous
old oak, and the three men soon realized
that pick and shovel were uSeleSs-the
tree would have to be removed first.
They came to the conclusion that $500
would be required for the job, and they
had no money.
At this point H. L. Nelson, from Jack
sonville, while on fishing trip, heard
some one mention the three men who
were digging for treasure. Out Of curl
osity he drove to the bluff. There the
three squatters were. Their story in
terested him; he decided to help them.
But the men were squatters and he told
them so. Being a man of good business
judgment and considerable means, Mel
son investigated and found that the land
belonged to syndicate in Chicago. Con-
vinced that the investment would be a
good one, he went to Chicago and Sc
cured mining lease on the 10000 acre
tract.
p ETURNING to Florida, Nelson drew up
a contract with the engineers who
built the CARING Hotel in Jacksonville.
The tree was dug up and at a depth of
8 feet they encountered a stonelike chest,
5x3x2E feet in dimensions. Speculation
became a certainty in Nelson's mind.
A cofferdam was then erected out of
steel girders. As they began to dig in
under the chest to make way for the
graphing hooks they encountered that
special nightmare of engineers-Quick-
sand. Ooze began to show where they
had excavated for the tackle. A corner
Of the chest sank, slipped; the whole
thing began to disappear into the nav
of the soupy quagmire. The men could
do nothing but stand there and watch
their prize being engulfed by the suction.