Posted on 11/09/2005 7:14:42 AM PST by ZGuy
It may look like a fixer-upper at first glance, but what is buried beneath scrubby little Oak Island might just make its estimated $7 million price tag worth the investment.
Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, is famous for its Money Pit, a mystery that has endured two centuries, claimed six lives and swallowed up millions in life savings.
The Pit was discovered in 1795 by a local boy named Daniel McGinnis who, spotting an unusual clearing in the earth under one of the island's oak trees, was prompted to start digging. The discovery of layered planks, mysterious stone slabs, and mats made of coconut fibers descending deep into the ground turned his casual afternoon dig into an all-out excavation.
Investors and thrill-seekers would eventually jump in and continue the work, kicking off one of the world's longest running treasure hunts.
Complex trap
What appears to be a complex flooding trap has thwarted efforts to reach the bottom of the Money Pit ever since. Some think the pit was purposely flooded with seawater, via a series of artificial swamps and tunnels, to hide its contents.
Through the murk, drill borings and shafts dug by the island's series of owners have detected what seem to be cement vaulting, wooden chests, and scraps of parchment paper. Radiocarbon dating of these artifacts is consistent: whoever constructed the shaft likely did so sometime in the 16th Century.
Speculation about the contents of Oak Island's Money Pit range from the treasure of the Knight's Templar to Shakespeare's original manuscripts.
Oak Island's current owners, Dan Blankenship and David Tobias, have worked on the island since the 1960s, sinking millions of dollars into the project and revealing some intriguing clues of their own. For many who follow Oak Island developments, their abandonment of the treasure comes as a surprise. As recently as December of 2003, Blankenship told the Halifax Herald that he would announce some new, exciting findings in the following months. The revelation never came.
What's it worth?
The treasure's fate -- assuming there is treasure -- now rests on the outcome of the sale. Court-appointed liquidators in Nova Scotia are currently wrapping up the evaluation of Oak Island's market worth, with an announcement expected before the end of the year.
A growing movement led by the Oak Island Tourism Society calls for the governments of Canada or Nova Scotia to purchase Oak Island and exploit its potential as a major attraction. It seems for now the governments have little interest in throwing their hats into the ring of potential bidders, and that has many who've follow the island's saga breathing sighs of relief.
"The ideal candidate would be an individual or group with a genuine interest in and means to carry out professional archaeological work", Mark Finnan, author of "Oak Island Secrets" (Formac, 1997) told LiveScience in an e-mail interview.
Finnan believes Oak Island has not seen the last of the aging treasure-seeker Dan Blankenship, either.
"He has a strong hunch about the nature of the treasure and may yet pass on his findings to the new owners of the land or even participate in a new exploration effort," Finnan said.
A classic Dungeons and Dragons ploy. :-)
Exactly...just saw a special on the travel channel about this island. Makes ya wonder how they were able to dig that far down in the first place, considering back then "they" didn't have heavy machinery.
Does anyone think the buried chests are Algore's lockboxes? I'm thinking this is an elaborate hoax, nothing more.
Thanks!
I heard someone thinking that with the new cryogenic work being done they could freeze a waterproof line around the place and dig it up without fear of the water rushing in. Be kind of fun if they ever actually find something there.
Like the guys selling gold who are always hawking about what a great investment it is? If it is such a great investment, why are they selling it?
Ok, like I thought the pictures are available but only for a donation of $5.00.
http://www.oakislandtreasure.com/
Not a syllable about the island, the main subject of the article: exact location, size, maximum elevation, water supply, configuration of its shoreline; anything and everything that a prospective rational buyer might want to know.
Whatever was down there was found many, many years ago and secretly taken away.
So true... thinking back to the technology available at the time... this mystery CREEPS ME OUT BIGTIME!
Mysterious wonderful secrets finally revealed! Too bad I'm cheap.
Thanks for lookin'.
What gets me is no one grouting those flood tunnels and a big cylinder around the hole yet. Nothing in the wet digging department is impossible given a suitable application of portland cement slurry...
I have one of those in my bathroom.
I can't remember who wrote a fictional work on this. Turned out the pit was loaded with radioative material that killed anyone who got close to it. Great book.
Canada Ping!
Please FReepmail me to get on or off this Canada ping list.
Whatever you do don't tell the Liberals - they'll take it on as a public works project. Groupe Action will handle the promo.
That would be Riptide, by Douglas Preston.
Speaking of novelists, has Clive Cussler taken a crack at Oak Island?
What would be interesting, is to excavate the mess...by
stripmining...like making an inverted cone, and filming the
process, doing the physics, and talking about the
the building of"the pit" and the technology involved in
solving the excavation problem, etc, then cracking open the
"treasure vault", and selling the video, complete with
diagrams, technocrap, etc....Having read about the mystery
as a kid, I actually think I would buy the video...
They might even make more money than is
buried (if there is any). It would be a very educational
experience for lots of gearheads, explorers, and technomaniacs.
Don't know, but here's what Clive (my brother's name, btw) said about Riptide:
"There is no more fascinating story than an adventure involving a search for a great treasure. Riptide is a saga that sweeps the reader over the falls and makes him wish he was truly along for the ride. A GREAT READ."
Clive Cussler
You beat me. I think this would be a great project for NUMA and the real Dirk Pitt. (I still dream of having a hideaway like Pitt's.)
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