Post by Joe on Jan 16, 2007 22:03:50 GMT -5
Tales of treasure located on a small island off the Nova Scotian coast have existed for centuries. This tale would weave Franklin D. Roosevelt (a former US President), and actors John Wayne, Errol Flynn.
The story of the Oak Island Treasure Pit has been written about in countless books. Treasure has not been uncovered, but glimpses of what are purported to be part of the treasure have been reported.
What this reported treasure might be:
* Captain Kidd's plundered jewellry and gold
* works of William Shakespeare which may have been written ny Sir Francis Bacon buried in the 1500's
* the crown jewels of France, which may have found its way to Louisburg and later moved to Oak Island
The location of the actual treasure pit was always known to many treasure seekers. The Oak Island treasure has been sought by many individuals and corporations for over 200 years. It has attracted all strata of explorer from: the three teenagers who first discovered the site; to Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former US President, whose company Old Gold Salvage group searched in 1909; to the swash-buckling actor Errol Flynn who wanted to search Oak Island in 1940, but was discouraged when he found the search rights belonged to a company owned by fellow actor John Wayne.
Excavation of the pit has never been successful because of numerous traps contained underground. In the mid-1860s, while excavating at 90 feet, fortune seekers encountered soggy ground. This was not too surprising because the Pit was only 500 feet from the coast line and high tide of the ocean was about at the 32 foot level. At 98 feet they struck an extra hard surface. They took the rest of day off and the next morning found that the shaft of the Pit was filled with sea water to the 32 foot level. We now know that the miners had inadvertently opened a series of channels to the beach which had been installed as a booby trap to protect the treasure.
In the over 200 years that adventurers have searched for the Treasure Pit of Oak Island, they have encountered oak log platforms every ten feet or so to the thirty foot level. From there, a drill probe used in 1849, encountered multiple layers of charcoal, putty and coconut fibre. At the 98 feet level, a spruce platform guarding two oak chests containing loose metal pieces (pieces of eight?) was discovered.
Further excavations down to the 133 feet lever revealed a hard clay, a cement block at 153 feet, and an iron wall at 170 feet.
Most recent excavation finds from the treasure pit was a stone bearing a coded inscription. Experts have concluded that the code indicates the treasure's value may be in the millions.
The story of the Oak Island Treasure Pit has been written about in countless books. Treasure has not been uncovered, but glimpses of what are purported to be part of the treasure have been reported.
What this reported treasure might be:
* Captain Kidd's plundered jewellry and gold
* works of William Shakespeare which may have been written ny Sir Francis Bacon buried in the 1500's
* the crown jewels of France, which may have found its way to Louisburg and later moved to Oak Island
The location of the actual treasure pit was always known to many treasure seekers. The Oak Island treasure has been sought by many individuals and corporations for over 200 years. It has attracted all strata of explorer from: the three teenagers who first discovered the site; to Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former US President, whose company Old Gold Salvage group searched in 1909; to the swash-buckling actor Errol Flynn who wanted to search Oak Island in 1940, but was discouraged when he found the search rights belonged to a company owned by fellow actor John Wayne.
Excavation of the pit has never been successful because of numerous traps contained underground. In the mid-1860s, while excavating at 90 feet, fortune seekers encountered soggy ground. This was not too surprising because the Pit was only 500 feet from the coast line and high tide of the ocean was about at the 32 foot level. At 98 feet they struck an extra hard surface. They took the rest of day off and the next morning found that the shaft of the Pit was filled with sea water to the 32 foot level. We now know that the miners had inadvertently opened a series of channels to the beach which had been installed as a booby trap to protect the treasure.
In the over 200 years that adventurers have searched for the Treasure Pit of Oak Island, they have encountered oak log platforms every ten feet or so to the thirty foot level. From there, a drill probe used in 1849, encountered multiple layers of charcoal, putty and coconut fibre. At the 98 feet level, a spruce platform guarding two oak chests containing loose metal pieces (pieces of eight?) was discovered.
Further excavations down to the 133 feet lever revealed a hard clay, a cement block at 153 feet, and an iron wall at 170 feet.
Most recent excavation finds from the treasure pit was a stone bearing a coded inscription. Experts have concluded that the code indicates the treasure's value may be in the millions.
