HUNT FOR PIRATE GOLD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9601, 8 September 1921, Page 3

HUNT FOR PIRATE GOLD.

SOUTH SEA EXPEDITION. Another quest for the £20,000,000 Peruvian treasure buried m the mystic south seas by ancient pirates has failed, adding another chapter to the long story of fruitless searches for the cache of gold doubloons. Only a' few cannibal bones hidden beneath a native altar rewarded the expedition m its search for heavy sea chests of treasure. Captain James T. Houghton, surgeon to the expedition, lias told the story of the hunt. The hunt for the buried gold centred on the island of Tubai, a reef ring 15 miles across, and also the most northern one of the Society group. Acting on a lead obtained .from an aged sea captain who had sailed the South Seas during the" most romantic days, a Captain Brown, the expedition^ spent three weeks digging and blasting on the island. Only after every hiding place had been searched did the treasure seekers decide to give up the queßt and return to New York to confer again with the aged mariner. The party left New York on December 11 m the yacht Genesee. She reached New York on the return trip m June. Before starting on the hunt the promoters, including Captain Arthur L. Crowley, of Boston; Captain James Munn, of Texas; Captain Leonard Miller, and Captain Edward Kendall, of Babylon, L.1., bought the sailing yacht for £15,000, equipped her for several months' cruise, and, posing as an expedition for making moving pictures, obtained from Captain Brown directions where to find the supposed treasure r Captain Houghton said : " Brown's tale that he knew where the gold was hidden was carefully investigated before the expedition was organised. Brown said ne had learned of the treasure when he was a cabin boy sailing the South Pacific. He sailed under a sailor who really knew where the treasure was originally hidden on the islands of Cocos. Then one day Brown said his- captain went to Cocos and removed most of the gold to Tubai. Then the captain turned pirate, and. capturing three other vessels, added them to the cache. t All of his statements were carefully verified before the promoters started out to sell 200,000 dollars' worth of stock. In London it was learned tliat ships had disappeared under the conditions as described by the old sailor.^ The old sailor also said that his captain had taken 500,000 dollars^ of the treasure to Australia and deposited it m a bank there. It was also learned that several hidden expeditions m search of the Peruvian treasure supposed to have been hidden m Cocos had failed, the leaders expressing a bp.lief -that the gold had been removed. This checked with Captain Brown's statements. Thereupon the Brown Exploration Company was organised, and to finance that company the South Pacific Film Company was formed. The stock was sold, one-half of the proceeds to be divided among the stockbrokers and the other half to co to Captain Brown. On February 27 the varty sailed from Tahiti for Tubai, and, -pretending that the_ object of the expedition was for making a motion picture drama, the search for the treasure began. The 20 members of the crew were not m the secret. Then when the native altar where Captain Brown said the; treasure was buried, was found, there was great excitement among those m the know. But after digging down to water no sea chests were found. Several other altars were dug up, but nothing was found but the bones of natives. Some of the piomoters still believe there is something m Captain Brown's bale, and axe nreparing to make another search for the hundred million dollars or more m doubloons and Australian gold dust. '