1 August. 
Buccaneers still guard 
their treasures 
16 Days out 
COCOS ISLAND 
On the morning watch the precipitous outlines of Cocos Island hove 
into view. Forty five fathoms of chain rattled through the starboard hawse 
pipe before the anchor touched bottom in water so clear that one could 
almost follow the chain down, link by link, to the anchor. 
This verdant green clad island stirred up thoughts of buried gold, 
silver, and jewels which had been put there by buccaneers early in the 
eighteenth century. They had looted the churches of northern Peru, con- 
cealed the treasures in caves on the island, and left only a few of their 
number to guard them. . . . the souls of these murdered buccaneers having 
protected the treasures through the years. Everyone on the ship wanted to 
set foot on Cocos Island. Recreation parties were allowed to go ashore, but 
a good soaking and lots of difficult climbing turned out to be their only 
rewards. 
The Presidential Party put out their trolling lines at once in the quest 
of sailfish which were reported so numerous here. They caught them, 
too, — fish that weighed one hundred and thirty pounds and were over 
ten feet in length. 
No treasure found 
— 58 — 
m 
Cocos Island Waters Yield Sailfish 
17 Days out 
The first mail of the cruise arrived in the Dallas with Admiral 
W. N. Vernou, Commandant of the 15th Naval District, aboard. All hands 
forgot fishing and buried treasures for a few hours to read how the folks 
back home were surviving the cruise. 
After the mail was carefully taken care of, boats again put out for 
fishing. More sailfish fell victims to the trolling lures so that all members 
of the Presidential Party, except two, qualified for membership in the 
sailfish club. 
18 Days out 
For the last time fishing parties left the ship to get results. Then at 
1400 the shores of Cocos Island bid a fond farewell and the ship slowly 
swung out on a phosphorescent wake towards Panama, five hundred and 
forty five miles away. 
— 59 — 
