A TREASURE HUNT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19135, 1 April 1924, Page 7

A TREASURE HUNT

EXPEDITION TO COCOS ISLANDS. DEPARTURE,NEXT SATURDAY. Proa AjmmUHm-Bj CopyrisW LONDON, March 00. Miss Cheeaeman (curator of insects at the London Zoo), Mr Alfred Duggan (a son of the Marchioness of Ourzou), Dr Crossman (marine biologist), and Mr L. Chubb (geologist) will sail on April 5 on the 1000-ton auxiliary steam yacht St. George on a scientific cruise in the South Pacific. They will investigate the treasure sup--1 osed to be buried on the Cocos Islands and will visit the island of Juan Fernandez (supposed to be the locale of Robinson Crusce).—A. and N.Z. Cable. The cruise, which is being undertaken by the Scientific Expeditionary Research Association has a dual object.—the collection of ' seentitic data and, if possible, the collection of treasure. It is believed that buried treasure worth some £7,000,000 lies hidden at Cocos 1 Islands, which are 550 miles out in the Pacific Ocean south-west from Panama, and are not to be confuaed with the Cocos or Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, where the Sydney accounted for the Emden during the mr. A century ago the British ship, Mary Read, calling at Lima during the war between Chile and Peru, was made the temporary receptacle of gold plate, valnod at 12,000,000 dollars. The crow absconded to the Cocos Islands and buried the loot, but were pursued, overtaken, and shot. A man recently comrmrtiicated with the organisers of the St. George expedition, saying that years ago he had met the cabin boy of the Mary P,cad, who had escaped, and had given him the exact hearing and location of the board. The leader states that he is confident tlwit the treasure was buried at Cocos Island, hut the difficulty will be to unearth it after numerous previous attempts, cs blasting and excavatmg have disturbed the ground, which is now overgrown with tropical vegetation. The treasure, he says, is probably buried under 100 ft of earth. Other expedition* this year include one to Guinea., under Neal M‘Neil and Lucius Connolly, two Australian*; one consisting of 70 people, under Commander Worslev, who was sailing master of the Quest in the last voyage of Sir Ernest |Shackleton to the Antarctic, which will attempt to film the Empire’s scientific wonders, and one led by Mcsdame* Diana Strickland and M. Greene, to the Belgian Congo.