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600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island
The Guardian ^ | Monday September 26, 2005 | Jonathan Franklin

Posted on 09/25/2005 7:30:39 PM PDT by Candor7

The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island. A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.

"The biggest treasure in history has been located," said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10bn (£5.6bn).

The announcement set off ownership claims. The treasure hunters claimed half the loot was theirs and said they would donate it to non-profit-making organisations. The government said that they had no share to donate. It also prompted speculation about the contents of what is considered to be one of the great lost treasures from the Spanish looting of South America. Chilean newspapers were filled with reports that the stash includes 10 papal rings and original gold statues from the Incan empire.

The hoard is supposedly buried 15 metres (50ft) deep on Robinson Crusoe island, also known as the Juan Fernández island, home to Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, the adventurer immortalised by Daniel Defoe as Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk was dumped on the island and lived alone for four years before being rescued. His exploits brought worldwide attention to the islands.

For centuries treasure hunters have scoured the island in search of booty which was reportedly buried there in 1715 by Spanish sailor Juan Esteban Ubilla y Echeverria. Using everything from old Spanish ship manifests to teams of islanders with shovels and picks, foreigners have made so many claims of discovering the lost treasure that islanders are usually sceptical of the proclamations.

This most recent announcement, however, deserves greater credence because of the equipment used by the treasure hunters: a mini robot that can scan 50 metres deep into the earth. The robot, dubbed "Arturito", was invented by Chileans and over the past year has grabbed headlines by breaking some of the country's biggest criminal mysteries.

First, the robot detected the buried arsenal of a rightwing sect known as Colonia Dignidad. The guns and rocket launchers were buried at some 10 metres and while the authorities had searched for years, the robot found the buried weapons almost instantly. Then, in the case of missing businessman Jose Yuraszeck, Arturito was able to analyse the soil and identify the molecular composition of human bones, allowing investigators to dig straight to the body of the murder victim.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: alexanderselkirk; archeology; arrr; artefacts; avast; chile; crusoe; goldcoins; hunters; inca; peru; pirates; robinsoncrusoe; spanishpirate; treasure
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To: Hatteras

Sept 19 is TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY. With the hurricanes in the gulf I forgot all about it this year.


81 posted on 09/26/2005 8:01:20 AM PDT by buffyt (America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people. Pres. George Bush)
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Thanks FairOpinion for ably executing the GGG ping duties in my absence.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

82 posted on 09/26/2005 8:41:09 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Down with Dhimmicrats! I last updated by FR profile on Sunday, August 14, 2005.)
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To: gcruse
I don't suppose there's any move to give back to the Incans that which was stolen. Didn't think so.

You start going down that road, and the next thing they'll demand is Peru.

83 posted on 09/26/2005 8:51:42 AM PDT by kevkrom ("Political looters" should be shot on sight)
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To: strategofr
It's just a tabloid?

About as much as the NY Times is, so... um... never mind.

84 posted on 09/26/2005 8:53:32 AM PDT by kevkrom ("Political looters" should be shot on sight)
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To: woodb01

"...Get it (Arturito) over to Iraq! Uncover some WMD's and the whole National Media empire of the Democratic Party, and the democratic party itself will go nuclear!..."


Actually, not a bad idea!


85 posted on 09/26/2005 10:15:38 AM PDT by petro45acp (SUPPORT/BE YOUR LOCAL SHEEPDOG!!!!)
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To: kevkrom

"About as much as the NY Times is, so... um... never mind."

I got you. You mean it's MSM. I would tend to believe a story like this if I read it in the NY Times. It seems to me that their lies tend to be political in nature.


86 posted on 09/26/2005 11:23:47 AM PDT by strategofr (What did happen to those 293 boxes of secret FBI files (esp on Senators) Hillary stole?)
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To: coconutt2000
Treasure: 1) Find treasure. 2) Lose treasure. Reality sucks. :-)

Lesson: If you find a treasure, don't tell anybody.............

87 posted on 09/26/2005 11:25:49 AM PDT by Red Badger (In life, you don't get what you deserve. You get what you settle for...........)
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To: Sooth2222

Not!

Pope's were not widely traveled before the most recent.

Pope's do not surrender their rings. When a Pope dies, the ring is purposefully damaged because it contains the Papal seal, then it is destroyed or buried with them.


88 posted on 09/26/2005 11:50:05 AM PDT by ZOTnot ('We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good'--Hillary, 6/28/2004.)
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To: Candor7

This is going to fire up every potential treasure hunter in the world. Expect someone to be digging in a yard near you.


89 posted on 09/26/2005 12:05:40 PM PDT by wolfcreek
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To: MinuteGal

Sorry Leni,

It was an innocuous Incan Booty Photo.

It must have been censored.

You can see it here:

http://k41.pbase.com/u36/chidalgo/upload/39518586.020.jpg


90 posted on 09/26/2005 3:34:13 PM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: starfish923

Yeah,

I think the Biological Booty Photo was censored!

I thought it was border line innocuous and I apologize if it offended anyone.

For a view of the Incan Booty Beauty go to Miss Chile Reef Competition, there is no nudity, only provocative posteriors:

http://k41.pbase.com/u36/chidalgo/upload/39518586.020.jpg


91 posted on 09/26/2005 3:39:06 PM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: Squantos

I bet one of his descendants started the "Star" pistol company. I think the side of my old model B says something like "Echeverria Y Cia"


92 posted on 09/26/2005 3:42:53 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: flashbunny

Now that's just plain wrong! Bad Bunny!


93 posted on 09/26/2005 4:37:32 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear
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To: Candor7
A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era


94 posted on 09/26/2005 4:41:03 PM PDT by Clemenza (Giuliani endorsed Clinton and Cuomo)
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To: Candor7

Damn!


95 posted on 09/26/2005 4:59:47 PM PDT by ryan71 (Speak softly and carry a BIG STICK)
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To: LongElegantLegs

Thanks for the ping.How is everybody?What is Maria's color,pink or purple?And what is Cynthia's?


96 posted on 09/26/2005 5:44:15 PM PDT by Sarcastic1 (Don't make me adverb verb you,you adjective noun!)
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To: Candor7

I haven't heard anyone mention Oak Island in years.


97 posted on 09/26/2005 5:49:22 PM PDT by stockpirate (John Kerry & FBI files ==> http://www.freerepublic.com/~stockpirate/)
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To: yarddog

Wow I had to go peek at mine....your on yer game picking that up !

Well done !


98 posted on 09/26/2005 9:22:04 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: Candor7

600 barrels of loot on the island
600 barrels of loot
take one down, pass it around...


:-)


99 posted on 09/28/2005 7:20:31 AM PDT by Hegemony Cricket ("I don't care what you do, just DON'T throw me into the Breyer patch!" ~John "Brer" Roberts)
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To: Clemenza

They won't let me post the Incan Booty photo on here , so I give you these page references for Incan Booty ( Biological) page.

http://www.pbase.com/chidalgo/image/39518586

http://www.pbase.com/chidalgo/miss_reef_2005




100 posted on 09/29/2005 5:55:09 PM PDT by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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