" 38 " : - ) - , r THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTE31BER 2, 1906.
MYSTEmy
n
n
AY STACK
:gKt;agii?.'..v.aWi--i-
HAY STACK ROCK, OFF THE
TILLAMOOK COAST.
IT MAY be remembered by those who
read 'the account at the time what a
profound mystery surrounded the dls
appearance in August last of the "Old
Man." as he was generally referred to
by those who knew him at all. Indeed
lie was knowii by no other name, and I
myself have never learned what his real
one was, although I have made many In
vestigations. The "Old Man" lived on the sea coast
a-, few miles south of Seaside, Or., near
the mouth of Elk Creek, where he was
occasionally seen by those who included
Elk Creek among their expeditions.
It was on such an expedition that I
llrst met the old man and formed an ac
quaintance whlah resulted fatally for
him and so unexpectedly for me.
I was spending my vacation of three
weeks at Seaside, where I had quite ex
hausted the ordinary round of amuse
ments. I had gone bathing in the surf
nearly every day, taken a trip around
Tillamook head at low tide. visited
Thompson'"? Fails, Gearhart, and other
points of Interest in the vicinity, had
gone clamming, crabbing and rowing, and
was now longing for other worlds to con
quer. , It was at this time that I heard of Elk
Creek and how far the beach at that
place surpassed In beauty the one at Sea
side. I Immediately resolved to take a
trip thither and see it for myself. I per
suaded a young Dr. H , of Portland,
to accompany me. He wag equally en
thusiastic with myself, but unfortunately
his time was limited to a single day,
while I still had a week. However, as
the distance was only about nine miles
we could easily make it in the time
specified, although we were resolved to
walk one way at least. We were both
indefatigable walkers, and expected to de
rive from the tramp itself half the pleas
ure of the entire trip.
We set out as early as possible on the
morning of Tuesday, July 31. and were
soon striding along with the most joy
ous hearts in the world, little anticipat
ing what startling events .were to be
fall, and in what altered circumstances
I, at least, should return along that road.
Our way lay for some distance up the
winding Necanicum, and I have no doubt
that many a fish in Its waters received a
sore fright at the thundering voice of my
companion as he made the welkin ring
in the excess of his gayety.
W'e continued on our way rapidly In the
cool freshness of the morning. The thick
bushes on either Bide were covered with
dew and sparkled brightly as we passed.
The tall firs and spruces rose high in the
air on all sides.
After passing over the ridge connecting
with Tillamook Head and descending for
some distance on the other side, we be
gan to hear the sound of the surf and
concluded that we were nearlng our
destination. A moment later we caught
the first glimpse directly ahead of what
was to play so vast a part in my for
tunes. This was a high, cone-shaped
peak, of which we could see only the
green summit over the intervening trees.
:"That will be an elegant climb," ex
claimed my companion, rapturously, for
lie was an ardent climber.
jWe hastened on and suddenly emerged
In full view of the beach. At our left
was a large house, evidently used as a
hotel. We did not stop, however, but
went on to the creek, which was backed
up by the high tide from the ocean at our
right.- We crossed on a floating plank
and walked flown toward the edge of
the surf, which; was still nearly half a
mile distant.
The tall peak was still some distance
down the beach. Our plan of climbing it,
however, we saw to be entirely out of
the question. It was not, as we had at
first supposed, a part of the mainland,
or even a projection from it. On the con
trary It rose directly from the midst of
the dashing breakers, while between it
and the sandy shore lay a strip of calmer
water some 60 or 60 feet in width. But
even had the base of the peak been ac
cessible, the idea of scaling its summit
would have been absurd. It was, in
fact, nothing more nor less than a solid
rock rising nearly perpendicularly on all
sides to a height, as nearly as we could
Judge, of 200 feet. The bright green color
which we had observed before was due to
a heavy growth of moss, which covered
the summit and even the . sides where
they were not absolutely perpendicular.
At the foot of this huge rock were multi
tudes of smaller. ones Jutting above the
surface of the water and continually
washed by the foam and spray which
dashed over them.
These observations we made while ap
proaching along the beach. As we drew
near another singular feature caught my
eye.
"Look," said I, as I directed my com
panion's attention to it, "see that cave
rignt at the water's edge. There, on the
outer side: you can't see it if you go
anjr nearer."
The cave was, in fact, on the ocean side
of the cliff, and was visible only at
long angle from it. A small opening
could be seen above the water, and that
only. at intervals when the waves receded
sufficiently to allow a fuller view. It
was impossible to tell how far into the
rock it extended.
"There is probably quite a cavern there
at low tide, observed the doctor, as he
walked on down the beach. I remained
lookinir at the cave for a few moments,
until I suddenly heard a loud whistle.
and looking up saw my companion some
distance ahead beckoning to me. 1 1
mediately rejoined him, and In answer
to my queries he indicated a point on the
side of the clin opposite wnere we naa
been looking, and said, "There is the
other end of your cave. It must go clear
throuirh."
Such appeared to be the case. This
Sfr&nish
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second cave was also just visible above
the edge of the- water, and the waves
dashed in and out with loud splashes and
roars. Occasionally, when they struck
squarely the side of the rock wall, the
spray would dash 20 feet in the air.
"That is quite curious, isn't it?" said
a strange voice behind us. We turned in
some surprise, for we had seen no one.
But there, standing motionless within six
feet of us, was an old man, who surveyed
us calmly, but, as I fancied, with some
appearance of mistrust, as though he
suspected us of some felonious intention.
This fancy, if fancy it was, was caused, I
suspect, by a strange glitter in the old
fellow's eyes, which reminded me at first
glance of the Ancient Mariner. A long,
unkempt white beard descended nearly to
his waist. His clothes were of a dis
tinctly nautical . type, his coat being, a
long oilskin, considerably the worse for
wear, and his hat of the same material.
He also wore large rubber boots wHich
reached to his knees. ......
"It is quite curious, isn't it?" he repeat
ed, glancing from one to the other of
us. N
"Yes," replied Dr. H , "recovering
from his astonishment at the old man's
unexpected appearance. "Yes, indeed.
We were just noticing the cave there. It
appears to be quite deep."
"Yes," rejoined the old man, whose not
least remarkable characteristic- was the
Incongruity between his dress and his
speech, the latter indicating a man of ed
ucation and culture. "Although," he con
tinued, "It is probably not so deep as It
appears to be."
"Have you any idea how deep it Is?" I
asked.
"No," he answered, with some hesita
tion; "there is no way of getting out to
explore -it, even at low tide. It would be
almost certain death to atetmpt It. And
probably not worth the trouble, either,"
he added, with a narrow glance at me
and the same appearance of suspicion or
mistrust which I had previously noticed.
I could not imagine the cause of this,
and was somewhat annoyed by it.
As we walked on down the beach we
continued our conversation with the old
man, who seemed to be strangely curious
and persistent concerning our movements
and Intentions, though Dr. H. Insisted
afterwards that it was merely my own
Imagination. Concerning himself the old
man was very reticent, saying only that
he had lived in the neighborhood for some
time, and was well acquainted with the
surrounding region.
He was a complete mystery to me, and
was evidently bent on remaining so. At
least, try as I would, I could get nothing
further out of him. His evident educa
tion, coupled with his present seemingly
poor condition. Interested me exceedingly
and I thought if I could only get at his
history it would make an excellent story
for my paper.
It was this fact largely which prevailed
upon me to prolong my stay at Elk
Creek, although if there, had been room
for me In the afternoon stage to Seaside,
in which Dr. H managed to find a
place, it Is probable that I would not
have remained. Upon so frail a chance
depended my stay and all the remark
able events 'which followed.
After watching the stage depart, I
, turned toward the hotel, intending to
Adventure
or reeeriT
secure a room for the night, but as I i
did so I perceived the figure of our
friend of the morning1 approaching-J
rapidly, as though wishinsr to over
take me. ' As soon as he "got within
speaking distance he accosted ;me
somewhat abruptly with, "So your
friend is going back?"
"Yes," I replied. .
"And you," he continued. " ' -"I
shall remain for a dav or two
long-er. I wish to make a few inves
tigations and would be glad if I- could
have your assistance." -
What Is the nature of your inves
tigations?" he asked, glancing at me
so keenly that I half suspected he had
already divined my purpose with rela
tion to himsejr.
"Well," said I. a little at a loss, "I
merely wish to look at the scenery and
examine the natural peculiarities of
the surrounding country."-
i tie Old man smlleH sliffhtlv nnn
said: "Suppose we start in at once. I
fancy I shall be able to show you
something: rather curious."
As it was- still early in the after
noon, I readily consented. and we
started down the beach. I noticed
that he glanced furtively at me from
time to time and appeared about to
speak and then to think better of it.
At length he remarked: "If you will
come to my cabin I will show you
something interesting."
Accordingly, we proceeded on down
the beach until we arrived directly op
posite the large rock, which the old
man told me was named ITavstai-k
Rock, when we turned to the left and,
climbing an - abrupt sandy slope,
reached a level plateau- covered with
low bushes and gnarled and stunted
pine trees. Near the edge of this
plateau and sheltered by a couple of
small trees stood the cabin or shanty
of my guide. ,
Upon entering I perceived that it con
tained but one room, and that a very
small one, and supplied with the most
meager furnishings so meager, in fact,
that I wondered at the necessity for a'
lock and key. Of this, however, the old
man seemed very careful. After closing
the door he turned to one corner of the
room, where I had already noticed a
long, low trunk or chest. It was riveted
with steel bands and appeared to be ex
ceptionally strong.
The old man drew a key from beneath
his shirt, and, unfastening it from a chain
around his neck, bent down to- unlock
the chest. As he inserted the key in the
lock he turned to hje and isaia: "Before I
go further, promise me that if you refuse
the assistance that I am depending on
you for. you will at least not betray to a
living soui tne secret I am about to Te
veal to you."
Startled by the old man's earnestness, I
hesitated, but. after being assured that
by listening to his story I should be un
der no obligation to extend the desired
assistance unless 1 should see fit, I gave
me required promise.
Satisfied with this, the old man contin
ued: "I am about to reveal to you one
or the most wonderful secrets of the cen
tury, a secret that is worth a fortune
or rather, one that is a fortune, if we but
stretch forth our hands and take it."
As he said this, his eyes gleamed like
fires arid his whole being evidenced an
excitement which he could hardly control.
"I reveal this secret to you," -e went on
without pausing, "because I need your
help and because you, when you have
heard what I shall teU, will not re
fuse it."
My first surprise gave way to a fear
of early iim
cieaef - oy Hubert ty.Mymeirt.
r
that the old' man's mind was unbalanced.
1 was resolved to see- the adventure out,
however, and even as the thought crossed
my mind he resumed in a calmer tone
and with an observation well calculated
to dispel my half-formed suspicion:
"The event, of my being mistaken is, of
course, not impossible; but I will never
admit it until a trial has been made."
With this the old-man turned the key
in the chest and, raising the lid, revealed
to my expectant eyes nothing more than
what appeared to be an ordinary block
of wood about a foot long and about four
Inches wide by one thick. The edges and
sides were perfectly smooth, as though
by long contact with 'the waves of the
ocean. This he placed in my hand, ana
In reply to my look of astonlsnment said:
uo you see nothing uncommon aDoui
that piece of wood?"
I looked more closely "and now perceived
on one of the fiat surfaces a number of
characters burned into the wood as
though by the point of a sharp tool or
weapon heated red hot. They were near
ly worn away, however, and had become
so Indistinct that I could make nothing of
them except that they seemed to repre
sent a rude map or drawing of some kind
and that words also were scattered
around somewhat promiscuously. In one
corner was what I took to be the signa
ture, but at length made out to be mere
ly four figures placed in a row, 1765.
"Don t you see? said the old man ex
citedly, "it was in that year, in 1765,
that that drawing was done."
I looked up in amazement and incredul
ity. "What!" I exclaimed, "in 1766."
"Certainly. Don't you see the date?"
pointing at the figures I had deciphered.
"But that is impossible," I cried.
"Impossible or not," he answered, posi
tively, "it is the fact. I will tell you
how I came in possession "
"But tell me first," I interrupted,
"what is the meaning of the writing?"
"In due time, in due time; the other
first. It is a simple enough tale and
will take rjut a moment."
I restrained my impatience, therefore,
and prepared to hear how the blocK of
wood had been found and with it the
great secret.
You have doubtless heard," said he,
"some of the many tales of burled treas
ure which have long been current along
this coast. Indeed, they originated, I be
lieve, with the native Indians years De
fore the advent of the white race. And
yet, with -all these tales, or traditions,
there has yet been no account of any
find. It Is to one of these Indian leg
ends that I owe my good fortune. You
may have heard it. :
"Long ago. say the Indians, there ap
peared off the coast near Mount Carney
a strange vessel, or huge white bird, as
the astonished natives at. first supposed
It to be. This vessel dropped anchor
some distance- from land, and- a small
boat being lowered, a number of men
rowed ashore, taking with them a large
chest and a strange black man, whom
they killed. They then dug a deep hole
and buried both the chest and the mur
dered negro. This done, they carved
number of Inscriptions on the face of the
rock, after which they returned to their
ship and sailed away.
"This legend excited my historical .and
antiquarian Interest, and I made several
attempts to learn more about it from
the Indians themselves. The idea of
searching for the treasure myself,, how
ever, scarcely occurred to me. S "
"Four years ago I went to Mount Car
ney to see the Inscriptions on the rock.
AltPr examining mem iur aum nine x i
decided to make a copy of them, but I
found, to my extreme vexation, that I
had forgotten to supply myself with .ma
terials, and in fact had not a scrap of
paper of any kind about me. I began to
look around for a substitute and soon
came upon the piece of wood which you
hold in your hand. It was lying half bur
ied in sand where it had been thrown
from the bottom of a hole by some treasure-seeker.
Finding that It answered my
purpose admirably. I reproduced on it
the characters carved upon the rock and
took it home with me.-
"It was -some time, however, before I
discovered the presence on the board of
inscriptions infinitely more valuable than
those I had placed uporr it. I' was trans
ferring the latter to a sheet of paper,
and, having finished the task, was about
to consign the block of wood to the fire
when my. eye fell upon a figure which I
was convinced I had not made. I exam
ined it more closely and found that it
had not been done by a pencil, as mine
had been, but that it had been burned
into the wood by a sharp-pointed instru
ment. My curiosity was excited, and
after a careful scrutiny of the whole
block I perceived that it was covered on
that side with similar figures or letter,
and that, in fact, they seemed to form
an inscription of some kind. They were
very old and dim, however, and it was
with extreme difficulty that I succeeded
in deciphering the first few characters,
as well as the date, which you have
also deciphered. I accomplished enough,
however, to convince me of Its value,
though even then I had no suspicions
that its' value was so great as I am now
confident it will prove- to be.
"I washed the block very carefully and
was delighted to perceive that as the
dirt and dust were washed off the letters
became more distinct. I saw also that
It was not, as I had supposed, a writing
merely, but a chart, of which the writing
was explanatory. The few words that
were decipherable were in Spanish, a
language with which I am, fortunately,
somewhat familiar.
"After several hours of intense appli
cation I succeeded in making out most
of it, supplying a letter or a line here
and there, so that finally I was able to
make the copy which I have here. It is
nearly exact as I could make It."
With these words he produced a sheet
of paper, upon which was the following
very crude drawing:
I examined this closely and with great
interest for several minutes.
Co&st
iSequ&i
"I suppose." said I, "this is a picture
of Haystack Rock."
"Yes,": said he, "a very crude and
simple one, to be sure, but I am none
the less certain that such is the case.
You can see that It resembles very close
ly in outline the shape of Haystock Rock,
which is very singular, and unlike any
other on this part of the -coast. More
over, its position is pointed out the
45 53' cart refer to nothing but its lati
tude, which is, in fact, as I have care
fully ascertained, very nearly the pre
cise location of Haystack Rock. This is
so exact as to leave little room for doubt.
Besides you can see the entrance marked
by the arrow in the same relative posi
tion in which you observed the cave
with which you . were so much- struck
this morning."
"But," said I, "another difficulty, and
as it. seemed to me, a very formidable
one presenting itself, "how do you know
that this is genuine? It seems incredible
that a piece of wood like this should
have withstood for 140 years the constant
exposure to the elements to which this
must have been subjected."
- "Your objection is a " natural one and
indeed one of the first which occurred to
me. But you forget that this piece of
wood was taken from a depth of several
feet, where it had lain for we know not
how long. But I grant that even then its
preservation for so long a time would be
very marvelous, to say the least, had it
not been originally hardened by a compo
sition of mercury, whose presence can
even yet be detected."
"Granting all that, what value do you
attach to it? Do you believe it points to
the hiding place of some vast treasure?"
At the word "treasure" the old man's
eyes began to gleam again and his fea
tures grew tense.
"Why not?" said he. "I see no reason
to doubt it. At least we will try. We
have the place marked definitely for us
by the cross, and to let an opportunity
like this pass we should be fools indeed.
It is unfortunate that the words near the
cross are illegible, but they are probably
unimportant."
"Why do you. reveal this secret to me?
Do you propose to divide the treasure?"
"I need your help. Do you suppose I
would divide it otherwise? I have made
two attempts to reach the cave and near
ly lost my life both times. It Js mos
sible for one man alone to succeed. r
TH r7CSSSH52T THAT LED
TO THE
1 weeks I have lived here guarding the
treasure, fearing lest someone else should
discover It and take it from me. Finally
resolved to confide my secret to the
next comer that should appear suitable
and together we would force the rock to
give up Itsjpspoils. Providence sent me
you and to you I give this chance of a
thousand years.
The old mans excitement, wiuur.ii
upon me until I was nearly as omu-
siastic as himself, though Dy no mBa.ua
so confident of success. "It will be an
exciting adventure, at any rate, even
f it proves to be nothing more, miv
I to myself.
However, as night was by this time
fast approaching, I thought of return
ing to the hotel. But to this the old
man vigorously protested- ' ro, no.
aid he. "you must stay here, we win
make the attempt tomorrow morning
"Tomorrow morning!"
"Yes. You do not hesitate.' do you?
The tide will be low about 5 o'clock.
In the meantime we will eat supper
and get what sleep we can, for . I warn
you we will need our strength."
We rose before daylight after a
troubled sleep and made preparations
for our venture. First we made two
torches of pine knots wrapped tightly
with greased cloth. These we pur
posed to use after reaching the inside
of the cavern.
Leaving the cabin, we made our way
as rapidly as possible in tne siowiy
growing dawn down the steep bank
and out toward the sea. Its muffled
roar came to my ear with a sinister
foreboding. A light gray mist filled
the air and touched our faces coldly.
After picking our way carefully over
the driftwood for a short distance, my
companion, who had spoken scarcely a
word, but who was trembling in his
excitement and whose eyes gleamed
with an unnatural lustre, drew me to .
one side and. after rummaging among
the debris for a moment, began tugr
ging at what appeared to be a raft. It
was made of three logs about six feet
long, securely fastened together. Al
though quite heavy, we managed to
drag it down to the water's edge.
I saw that the tide was much lower
than it had been at my previous visit.
In fact, only a narrow strip of water
separated us from the rock, which
rose dimly from the white foam of the
breakers. The small rocks we could
barely discern. It was from these, tho
old man explained, that our greatest
danger lay, as we might be dashed
against them and crushed. The ad
vantage of a rnft was that, while more
difficult to propel and steer than a
boat, it could not sink. We were both
provided with long, iron-pointed poles.
After lashing our torches, a small
pick, rope and an extra pole securely
to the raft, we dragged it into the
surf and pushed off. The water be
tween us and the rook, being compara
tively sheltered, was quite calm, and
it was with no small gratification that
we perceived we were able with our ,
poles to force the raft quite rapidly
and easily toward the dark hole which
we could see dimly through the gray
mist some ten yards distant. About
the mouth of the cave the water was
rougher, though by no means'so rough
as I had seen it the previous day. The
opening also was much larger, owing
to the low . tide. We knelt on the raft,
to : which we each had one foot tied,
in such a manner as to be easily re
leased In case of necessity, however, so
that we should not be knocked or
washed oft.
Ae we grew gradually nearer, the
difficulty of keeping our raft from be
ing dashed against some of the jagged
rocks sticking up on all sides, or from
being washed back to land, grew every
moment greater. Several times we nar
rowly escaped Jisaster, and more than
once we would have been thrown into
the water but for our precaution in
fastening ourselves on.
After physical exertion that would
have been impossible, except in our ex
cited state of mind, we reached the
mouth of the cave. At the same in
stant a wave, larger than any we had
yet encountered, struck us and knocked
us against the side of the rock with
such force us to daze me and nearly
twist my foot off. Fortunately, how
ever, we clung to our poles and were
able to use them in time to prevent be
ing driven back. In fact, it was now a
comparatively easy matter to make our
way inside; as all we had to do was to
let each wave carry us in and then hold
ourselves from being taken out with its
return. , .
As we advanced, the TaIIs of the cave
became lower, and we were obliged to
take extreme care not to smash our
heads as we rose and fell with the flood
of water that poured in and out. The
light grew dimmer and dimmer-until
we could barely distinguish the out
lines of the passage about us, -while
ahead was nothing but a rushing, echo
ing darkness.
All at once we seemed to be seized
by a strong inward current and were
swept with irresistible force into the
darkness ahead. We thrust out our -poles
but they met nothing. Suddenly
we felt our raft scrape along the bot
tom, tip slightly, then stop. We were
stranded.
After making sure that we were in
deed firmly fixed our first care was to
light one of our torches. These - we
found had been washed with water,
but the grease with which they were
saturated was soon afire and a bright
flame shot forth. We gasped with
amazement at the scene that was light
ed up.
We were at one end of a large rock
room, whose floor was a black, seem
ingly bottomless expanse of heaving
water. Tne walls rose about us, smooth
and wet and black, except where par
ticles of salt had collected and shone
with a dead whiteness. The shape of
the room was like a dome, broken only
at the further end, where it extended
farther than we could see.
After this general survey we ex
amined -our immediate vicinity more
closely and perceived that we were
stranded on a rock where the still
ebbing tide would soon leave us se
cure. Upon glancing at the wall at our
side our attention was attracted by a
rough narrow ledge extending gradual
ly upLrd toward the right. At sight
of this my companion smiled in a. tri
umphant manner and said something
which I did not hear above the soun'1
of the water. However, he stepped upon
the ledge and I, after securing the raft
as well as . possible, followed.
We made our way cautiously up the
slippery path, in danger every moment of
being precipitated into the gulf below.
After reaching a. height of ten or 15 feet
above the water the ledge came to an
abrupt end. The old man turned in
blank amazement and despair. I myself
was almost as much astonished . as he.
although what I had expected to find T
did not very well know. I asked myself
if this was to be the end of our hopes.
At the same moment I leaned heavily
against the wall and nearly fell head
long. A large rock at that particular
spot had given way to my weight and
fallen in, disclosing a large cavity. Into
this cavity we thrust our torch. Our
first glance fell npon a human skeleton,
lying face down, and with shreds of cloth
ing still clinging to it.
Recovering in a measure from the hor
ror of this spectacle we entered, and the
(Concluded on Page 45.)