Ducky
05-14-2009, 12:12 PM
Mystery Of Oak Island (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A6084399)
I've always been intrigued by this subject and being that I had lived downeast in and around the Halifax region, wanted to explore this island for myself.
Unfortunately, at that time, all access was barred to outside visitors save for local inhabitants already residing there.
Speculations as to whether there was a real treasure at the bottom of a money pit, or in the surrounding area still thrive to this day.
There is a local saying/legend that goes something like this:
"When all the oak trees have been cut down, and 7 men have perished, the treasure will finally be found."
There are only a handful of oak trees left, and at least 7 men have gone the way of Davey Jones' Locker - many have drowned in the pit while seeking fortune and fame.
[offsite:3ukjphof]Conspiracy theorists have for years talked about the disappearances of Shergar and Lord Lucan. They have dreamed up ideas about who really killed JFK and up until recently they have speculated about the true identity of Deep Throat. There is one world mystery that until recently has been known to a few people but has not gained much recognition. Yet, whatever it is that is down there in the 'pit', for years now treasure-hunters and theorists have been drawn to this quiet corner of Nova Scotia1 and they are still no nearer discovering the truth.
The Beginning
It is all supposed to have started in 1795 when a 16-year-old Nova Scotian named Daniel McGinnis decided to explore the uninhabited Oak Island in Mahone Bay, just south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He entered a small wood and noticed a large depression about 16 feet across. Standing over the depression was an ancient oak tree that showed all the scars of rope burn2. The depression looked just as if someone refilled a freshly dug hole and McGinnis immediately started to dream of buried pirates' treasure. Without any tools McGinnis could achieve nothing so he returned home and solicited the help of two friends, John Smith (19) and Anthony Vaughan (16). They began digging and four feet down found a layer of flagstones not native to the island's geology. This increased their excitement and they continued digging as the days and then weeks progressed. Ten feet down they found a platform of oak logs, closely set together and embedded in the walls of the shaft. Now, even more excited, they removed the logs and found yet more loosely-compacted soil. A further 20 feet down they discovered another timber platform and then yet another at 30 feet, however by now they were getting tired from the weeks of fruitless digging. They abandoned the site but didn't completely forget about... (story continued in above link)[/offsite:3ukjphof]
Obviously, pieces of gold were found after treasure seekers broke through these layers; enough to tantilize and whet their whistles to continue digging.
The main question I have to ask is, "IF there isn't any treasure to be had in the 'money pit', then why did someone go through the expense of constructing the elaborate layers that decended downwards?"
I've always been intrigued by this subject and being that I had lived downeast in and around the Halifax region, wanted to explore this island for myself.
Unfortunately, at that time, all access was barred to outside visitors save for local inhabitants already residing there.
Speculations as to whether there was a real treasure at the bottom of a money pit, or in the surrounding area still thrive to this day.
There is a local saying/legend that goes something like this:
"When all the oak trees have been cut down, and 7 men have perished, the treasure will finally be found."
There are only a handful of oak trees left, and at least 7 men have gone the way of Davey Jones' Locker - many have drowned in the pit while seeking fortune and fame.
[offsite:3ukjphof]Conspiracy theorists have for years talked about the disappearances of Shergar and Lord Lucan. They have dreamed up ideas about who really killed JFK and up until recently they have speculated about the true identity of Deep Throat. There is one world mystery that until recently has been known to a few people but has not gained much recognition. Yet, whatever it is that is down there in the 'pit', for years now treasure-hunters and theorists have been drawn to this quiet corner of Nova Scotia1 and they are still no nearer discovering the truth.
The Beginning
It is all supposed to have started in 1795 when a 16-year-old Nova Scotian named Daniel McGinnis decided to explore the uninhabited Oak Island in Mahone Bay, just south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He entered a small wood and noticed a large depression about 16 feet across. Standing over the depression was an ancient oak tree that showed all the scars of rope burn2. The depression looked just as if someone refilled a freshly dug hole and McGinnis immediately started to dream of buried pirates' treasure. Without any tools McGinnis could achieve nothing so he returned home and solicited the help of two friends, John Smith (19) and Anthony Vaughan (16). They began digging and four feet down found a layer of flagstones not native to the island's geology. This increased their excitement and they continued digging as the days and then weeks progressed. Ten feet down they found a platform of oak logs, closely set together and embedded in the walls of the shaft. Now, even more excited, they removed the logs and found yet more loosely-compacted soil. A further 20 feet down they discovered another timber platform and then yet another at 30 feet, however by now they were getting tired from the weeks of fruitless digging. They abandoned the site but didn't completely forget about... (story continued in above link)[/offsite:3ukjphof]
Obviously, pieces of gold were found after treasure seekers broke through these layers; enough to tantilize and whet their whistles to continue digging.
The main question I have to ask is, "IF there isn't any treasure to be had in the 'money pit', then why did someone go through the expense of constructing the elaborate layers that decended downwards?"