TREASURE ISLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIII, Issue 13716, 5 April 1905, Page 3

TREASURE ISLAND.

At last the prolonged ‘ ‘ mystery of che Veronique " is solved, and it is now possible for the first time to publish a detailed and authoritative account of iiarl Jl'iczwiliianTs alleged treasure hunt m the islands of the Pacific. Tfie subjoined statement was furnished to a representative of the “ Daily mail ” by Lord Fitzwilliam. Earl Fitzwihiam liad evidently recovered from die puysicai effects of his experiences, aitliuugn his yachting cap concealed an ugiy-moking scar some inches in length, extending irom near tne crown to the uack of tne head. “ i'cs, I suppose it was the narrowest escape irom aearh i have had,’ J he said, with a grim little smile, “ except on one occasion during the South African war, when tno train 1 was riding in ran over a quantity of dynamite.” Lord h itzwiliiam made no attempt to disguise tno amusement he derived from .eading the reports winch have appeared during lus absence in various newspapers, Lngiish and foreign, regarding .o objects ot tiio expedition, and the amazing adventures that were supposed uQ nave befallen the party in the seldom visited but treasure-laden islands in the racilic Ocean. Lqually astonished was ne at the public interest displayed in his voyage as evidenced by a number of craft containing Press representatives from' Loudon and other parts of the Aiugdom that unavaiiingiy hovered iioouc the Orinoco.’ A THREE WEEKS 1 CRUISE. Lord Fitzwilliam commenced by repeating a statement already published mat there was no definite plan to seek lor hidden treasure, ‘‘nly time is too much occupied to devote to that purpose,” ho said. After spending a few, uays in New York he proceeded to Panama, , where he joined the Veronique, a commodious' vessel, which Belonged to'the Union Castle-Company f aad--.was- known-as the- narlech Castlebefore being purchased by the earl last .autumn. “ We left Panama, on the Veronique for a three weeks’ cruise in the racific,” Earl Fitzwilliam continued. ‘‘ VV'e called at several small islands, some of them uninhabited. From what i learnt during our peregrinations in chose latitudes, I am inclined to think that treasure may have been deposited at some period on Cocos Island, and weight is lent to tiiat belief by the many exploring expeditions that have been from time to time fitted out, priu cipaiiy in the United States. “ Tfie fact that Admiral Palliser accompanied me and that he entertains certain opinions regarding this treasure appears to have assisted in bringing about the conclusion that we were engaged in disvovering it. But surely the lact that I took out with me a staff of trained miners with the implements of efieir occupation should have been sufficient to dispose of these illusions. Moreover, it was incumbent upon me to be back in Loudon for the opening of Parliament ; hence there was no time for a systematic quest of treasure, even had I been so disposed.” THE LANDSLIDES. ; Nevertheless the earl admitted that the party did make “ a passing call ” at this latter-day Treasure Island. And there a thrilling incident occurred which resulted in Earl Fitzwilliam receiving a rather serious scalp wound, and in others being injured. He denied, however, that any member of the party was killed, as has been frequently stated. “ On tlie island in question,” he went on, “ we desired to examine some rocks which appeared to contain traces of a certain metal. A charge of gelignite, an explosive used in my Yorkshire collieries, was fired by members of the party in order to dislodge one of these rocks, but without the desired success. 'Therefore a second charge was laid.

‘ 1 Meanwhile, I had gone on board my steam launch to visit another side of the island. The launch, however, had not proceeded more than a few cable iengtns from the shore when my attention was directed to the fall of a considerable quantity of rock.’ There appeared to bo some commotion in the vicinity, and I immediately ordered the launch to return. On landing again I was met by some of my party, who informed me that several of the workers, having gone up to look at the effect of the second charge tod soon after the explosion, had become involved in a land-slide, which had occurred in consequence of the disturbance of the rock. “ A rescue party was at once formed to extricate the men from the debris, and while this work was proceeding a second landslide occurred, overwhelming practically all the rescuers. Only one or two escaped unhurt. RESCUING THE ENTOMBED. “ I myself was hurled to the ground, and received a severe blow on the head from, presumably, a sharp-edged piece of rock. I had only just time to get out of the way when a huge boulder, as large as a hansom-cab, came hurtling down. No doubt we all had one of the narrowest escapes from death that it would be possible to conceive. Happily, no further landslide took place while the entombed men were being released. It was also fortunate that my party included a doctor, and that we had a plentiful supply of medical necessaries on board the Veronique. Although the injuries contracted by koine of the party were of a serious nature none of the sufferers died.” Lord Fitzwilliam smiled at the suggestion made in various papers that a desperate encounter had taken place between his party and the expedition conducted by Mr Harold Gray. The yacht Roseinarine, owned by Mr Gray, was seen in the harbour of Punta Arenas (Costa Rica), some three hundred .miles from the supposed scene of conflict. On Cocos Island there was only one man who could have disputed any intrusion. This man had lived

there with his wife and two native servants for sixteen years. The name of this solitary inhabitant is believed to be H. Gissler, and he is credited with hav ing sought in vain for the tons of silver, the bars of gold, the jewels, and other treasure supposed to have been buried - on the island by pirates in 1820. Resuming his narrative. Lord Fitz- : william said: “Had my engagements permitted, I might possibly have spent :, a few days on the island to investigate the authenticity of these stories. How ■ ever, this is not the first expedition I • have fitted out to Central America and • other parts of the world, and it will probably not be the last. The chief object of the trip which has just terminated was to look for certain minerals on the mainland of Central America, and on some of the islands situated a few hundred miles out in the Pacific.'

“I am convinced that these minerals,including coal, do exist, although not indicated on the geological survey. The - object of the expedition has been in the main achieved, although the necessary concessions have not yet been finally approved. Therefore as with, the various countries concerned are still in progress it is impossible to furnish further details.”