Classic AquaSport
General Aquasport Forums => Chum => Topic started by: gran398 on January 10, 2014, 03:24:45 PM
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The History Channel showed the first episode of their new show....and it's not the Oak Island some of us are familiar with.
It is one of the most amazing stories you'll ever hear. In the late 1700's on an island in Nova Scotia, someone dug a 200 foot shaft straight down to hide treasure. And to protect it, they rigged two side tunnels designed to flood the main tunnel with seawater should it be tampered with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island)
A talented engineer designed it...but who, why, and how?
Many of you have engineering backgrounds, thought you may be intrigued by this.
Next episode Sunday night at 10.
In the meantime, an old clip from Canadian Broadcast Company
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/s ... works.html (http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/science-technology/the-unexplained/monsters-myths-and-mystery-great-canadian-legends/the-oak-island-money-pit-how-it-works.html)
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To begin with, engineers, talented or otherwise never make enough money to bury so I'd side with the natural phenom, not unlike the area around Tallahassee only colder.
As to what's in the hole :scratch:
My guess is that Jimmy Hoffa sleeps there. 8)
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Looks pretty interesting Scott. I'm downloading the 1st episode from Pirate Bay (how appropriate), and I have the rest set to record on the DVR.
I'm thinking it's just a sink hole too, but it will still be entertaining to learn about the lore. The real treasure will probably be ratings.
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I believe I read about this at one time.
There was a guess that it was a vacuum sewer?
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The casual observer may consider it a sinkhole.
The existing archives suggest otherwise.
Every ten feet down...or the exact portion of a hectare...there is a horizontal row of tightly-fitted logs. Covered by palm hair and pine tar. Palm hair isn't indigenous of course, and neither is pine tar in a usable quantity.
At the 80 foot mark...a stone lay on the timbers. Engraved by human hand, it stated in code the treasure was forty feet below. This stone was found and recovered over 100 years ago.
The island features strange rock formations referencing the Knight's Templar and Masonic Order. One is a large, carved boulder of a man's head at the epicenter of a cross 800 feet in length. In terms of symmetry, and by recent measurement....the cross has exactly zero variance over the course of it's length and width. These formations are easily viewed on Google Earth.
This only scratches the surface. Check the Wikipedia entry thoroughly, and research the credits. They roll back to 1790.
The brothers from Michigan who in 2006 bought 50% ownership of the island... and spent millions....don't think it's a joke. One is an early-retired petroleum engineer with 40 years of experience.
Fact or fiction....neat stuff :thumright:
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I missed the first episode of that..... but it's not about about the Oak island in Nova Scotia?
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Yes it is :thumright:
Here's the History Channel link
http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island (http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island)
It probably will end up about ratings, and good with that. But as far as interest.. beats alligators, pawn shops, old attics and old barns hands-down :thumright:
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Yes it is :thumright:
It probably will end up about ratings, and good with that. But as far as interest.. beats alligators, pawn shops, old attics and old barns hands-down :thumright:
But not Oprah... :queen: :lol:
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Yes it is :thumright:
It probably will end up about ratings, and good with that. But as far as interest.. beats alligators, pawn shops, old attics and old barns hands-down :thumright:
But not Oprah... :queen: :lol:
NOTHING beats Okra.
Except maybe "The Housewives of Slutsvillle" :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Cool show. I looked and it was available "on demand" from my cable company. It's a series on the history channel. Definitely a very interesting mystery. Odd the stone tablet ... found during the dig that indicated 200 lbs of something was buried 40 feet below the tablet.... disappeared before any tracings or photos were made. Humm... Convenient? However, It seems simply too expensive and too big of an engineering feat for that time period (<1800) to be a hoax. (Unless, the thing isn't really that old). I would think it was built either to bury/secure something of great value or something "they" didn't want to ever be dug up. Being they are doing a "series" on it and it is geared toward entertainment and we haven't heard any remarkable news, I would guess its empty.
What's in the thing?:
Empty (as in, whatever was there was already plundered).
Hoax.
Some kind of engineering artifact that never panned out or was abandoned (i.e., no story).
Buried treasure of some sort (religious. wealth, or other).
Something someone wanted to hide forever (a dead body or something).
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I just watched the first episode, and all I've got to say is, forget what's down there in that hole, what's going on with that slightly out of place driftwood on the beach!!?? :) It's clearly yet another booby trap!!
The show is entertaining overall, and I'll stick around to learn about the history of the island, the theories and the expeditions, cause that stuff is really interesting. Like FJ said, it will likely be a lot of buildup to an anticlimactic series finale since we haven't read any news to the contrary. It's still better than the tired scripted pawn stars fodder, and it's leaps and bounds better than the ridiculous Ancient Aliens and MonsterQuest shows. History channel has really gone downhill...
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss320/MarshMallowe196/IMG_594304190321246.jpeg)
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:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Great stuff guys :thumright:
To be straight up....I'm infatuated with the mystery. Not the show, but the mystery.
SOMEONE did a terrific job engineering that shaft. Especially the feeder tubes.
Read thoroughly the Wikipedia entry. One theory is French Naval engineers were involved.
The engraved stone was recovered, deciphered, and sat at the hardware store in town for many years, or so say the townfolk.
The palm hair glued down on the timbers every ten feet??? That's thought provoking. How far away was the closest palm tree in 1785? :shock:
Whatever they buried is still there. The booby-trap flood tubes did their job, 100+ years back.
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I, too, am curious as to what is down there. Unless there was a good group of practical jokers with a lot of time on their hands and a lot of knowledge to boot, there is something of great value down there.
The tech is there to go get it, it's just a matter of who wants to spend a few $$ to get $$$$...or maybe nothing...
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In order to pump the shaft....they must seal the seawater feeder tubes. One enters the vertical shaft at seventy feet, the other at ninety feet.
The easiest method is to find and plug the inlets out in the bay. But...how many inlets, and by estimate (paint discharge from the money-hole) the two tubes enter the bay a couple thousand yards apart.
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Could keep doing the dye trick and plug em up as u find them. At every step, better watch for booby traps.
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Damn good thinking!
CAS will solve this riddle :thumright:
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I just watched the first episode, and all I've got to say is, forget what's down there in that hole, what's going on with that slightly out of place driftwood on the beach!!?? :) It's clearly yet another booby trap!!
The show is entertaining overall, and I'll stick around to learn about the history of the island, the theories and the expeditions, cause that stuff is really interesting. Like FJ said, it will likely be a lot of buildup to an anticlimactic series finale since we haven't read any news to the contrary. It's still better than the tired scripted pawn stars fodder, and it's leaps and bounds better than the ridiculous Ancient Aliens and MonsterQuest shows. History channel has really gone downhill...
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss320/MarshMallowe196/IMG_594304190321246.jpeg)
Couldn't agree more Jesse, SOP for History Channel these days. Let's create a show where we can have the audience draw engineering conclusions based on 150 years of speculation and keep them in suspense for weeks, sells commercials though. I think I'll wait until they actually find something (if ever) and then someone will put together the facts and we can actually learn something.
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Episode #2 tonight at 10 EST.
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I just watched the first episode, and all I've got to say is, forget what's down there in that hole, what's going on with that slightly out of place driftwood on the beach!!?? :) It's clearly yet another booby trap!!
The show is entertaining overall, and I'll stick around to learn about the history of the island, the theories and the expeditions, cause that stuff is really interesting. Like FJ said, it will likely be a lot of buildup to an anticlimactic series finale since we haven't read any news to the contrary. It's still better than the tired scripted pawn stars fodder, and it's leaps and bounds better than the ridiculous Ancient Aliens and MonsterQuest shows. History channel has really gone downhill...
(http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss320/MarshMallowe196/IMG_594304190321246.jpeg)
that pic reminds me of the episode of southpark http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-ep ... anksgiving (http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s15e13-a-history-channel-thanksgiving)
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The flooding side tunnels remind me of this little historical gem...a little lengthy, but certainly worth watching!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlrGkeOzsI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlrGkeOzsI)
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The flooding side tunnels remind me of this little historical gem...a little lengthy, but certainly worth watching!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlrGkeOzsI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddlrGkeOzsI)
OOPS! :roll:
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I remember reading about this too, many moons ago. I seem to recall it being in a children's book story.
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WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT
I still think there is an argument on either side but I read up on some history of the Oak Island and the "Money Pit".
There was a scientific study performed a few years back that indicated the pit was a natural phenomenon. They think it is a sinkhole (common in region) and the platforms were formed by flood events that periodically carried logs, etc., into the hole. Then natural erosion and rain events would bring soil down and cover the logs, etc. Years would pass and then another flood event would bring more logs down (forming another platform) .. And the process would repeat itself.
The box drains were argued to be constructed as part of a salt mine operation that was believed to have been in operation many years prior and have nothing to do with the flooding of the pit. Not much of any supportive information was provided on this and I would really like to hear more details.
The presence of coconut fiber was confirmed but carbon dating is sometimes not very accurate in marine environments.... But that fiber certainly pre-dates 1795, when the pit was first discovered. One must understand that the date rendered would only indicate the date of which the fibers were harvested. Theoretically, it could have been harvested 600 years ago but brought to and placed on the island 100 years ago... Coconut fiber was commonly used in the past as a durable packing material and had many other uses. I could speculate someone needed a place to dump the material and an open pit seems like a perfect spot. They found this coconut fiber on the beach at Smith' Cove and it has been determined the cove is indeed man-made. Interesting enough, in my business this stuff (coconut fiber matting) is often used to stabilize lakeshore or other water environments that have been cleared for replanting (shoreline restoration). Perhaps they brought the fiber in to stabilize the shoreline during their work. However, that coconut fiber is pretty old and I really don't know whether coconut fiber is stored for long periods or reused in a way that would bring dated fiber to Oak Island (e.g., for the salt mine operations or any other such activities).
I'm sure there is still room for argument from either side but the show is not sharing all the facts (at least not yet). The show portrays the platforms as being of formal construction (I.e., parallel logs stacked against one another to form a flat surface). which seems to conflict with the results of a scientific study that indicated the pit was a "natural phenomenon" and not man-made. I would be very interested in hearing about the specific appearance of the platforms. Do they consist of parallel logs that are secured to some extent or are they just piles of wooden debris and logs that would be consistent with the deposition of debris during flood events?
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Here's a little more rain on the parade.
Assuming the sinkhole theory, my current abode resides in a county (Leon) noted for the same geological occurrences. Leon Sinks is fewer than 20 miles from the coast and is littered with sinkholes. Go slightly north to Lake Jackson and one encounters a formidable sink that completely drains the lake periodically.
Over the years, locals have attempted to "plug the sink" with anything they could find. First timber, rocks, wagons and tons of lake bottom. Later they would try old cars, trucks, concrete bags and again trees (we live in a forest here). The last opening resulted in construction of a coffer dam surrounding the sink and again locals calling for (and throwing chit in) the sealing of the hole with a re-enforced concrete structure covering yet again tons of lake bottom to be deposited in the hole. During this time (prior to environmentalist lobbying the coffer dam removal) locals tried stuffing home appliances down the hole.
Point is, 1000 years from now, archeologist digging around a dry lake bed north of of Tallahassee might find all manner of "high tech engineering" in the mysterious Jackson's Pit. :shock:
Fodder for yet another series.
Just random thoughts.
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Point is, 1000 years from now, archeologist digging around a dry lake bed north of of Tallahassee might find all manner of "high tech engineering" in the mysterious Jackson's Pit. :shock:
Fodder for yet another series.
Just random thoughts.
Like John Pinette on the low carb diet...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdNTMa1xZA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdNTMa1xZA)
Love watching the dude!
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Great points all.
Of course, it is more fun to believe the pirates/Knights Templar/ French Jewels, etc. theories...but for sure it could be a sinkhole. Unfortunately, regarding the shelves of timber every ten feet...they are long gone.
Here is the account of early "Money Pit" history from the trusted leader :roll: in internet fact, Wikipedia. Link appears in first entry above.
In 1795, 18-year-old Daniel McGinnis, after observing lights coming from the island, discovered a circular depression in a clearing on the southeastern end of the island. Adjacent to the clearing was a tree with a tackle block on one of its overhanging branches.[3] McGinnis, with the help of friends John Smith (in early accounts, Samuel Ball) and Anthony Vaughan, excavated the depression and discovered a layer of flagstones a few feet below. On the pit walls there were visible markings from a pick. As they dug down they discovered layers of logs at about every 10 feet (3.0 m). They abandoned the excavation at 30 feet (9.1 m).[3]
This initial discovery and excavation was first briefly mentioned in print in the Liverpool Transcript in October 1856. A more complete account followed, again in the Liverpool Transcript,[3][4] the Novascotian,[5][6] British Colonist,[7] and A History Of Lunenburg County[8] (the last source based on the Liverpool Transcript articles).
About eight years after the 1795 dig, according to the original articles and the memories of Vaughan, another company examined what was to become known as the "Money Pit." The Onslow Company sailed 300 nautical miles (560 km) from central Nova Scotia near Truro to Oak Island with the goal of recovering what they believed to be secret treasure. They continued the excavation down to approximately 90 feet (27.43 m) and found layers of logs or "marks" about every ten feet (3 m) and layers of charcoal, putty and coconut fibre at 40, 50 and 60 feet (12, 15 and 18 m ).
According to one of the earliest written accounts, at 80–90 feet (24–27 m), they recovered a large stone bearing an inscription of symbols.[4] Several researchers apparently attempted to decipher the symbols. One translated them as saying: "forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried." The symbols currently associated with the "forty feet down..." translation and seen in many books first appeared in True Tales of Buried Treasure, written by explorer and historian Edward Rowe Snow in 1951. In this book he states he was given this set of symbols by Reverend A.T. Kempton of Cambridge, Massachusetts.[9] Nothing more is known about Kempton's involvement in the Oak Island tale. The pit subsequently flooded up to the 33-foot (10 m) level. Bailing did not reduce the water level, and the excavation was abandoned.
Investors formed The Truro Company in 1849, which re-excavated the shaft back down to the 86 feet (26 m) level, where it flooded again. They then drilled into the ground below the bottom of the shaft. According to the nineteenth-century account, the drill or "pod auger" passed through a spruce platform at 98 feet (30 m), a 12-inch (300 mm) head space, 22 inches (560 mm) of what was described as "metal in pieces", 8 inches (200 mm) of oak, another 22 inches (560 mm) of metal, 4 inches (100 mm) of oak, another spruce layer, and finally into clay for 7 feet (2.1 m) without striking anything else.[4]
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Here is the account of early "Money Pit" history from the trusted leader :roll: in internet fact, Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is pretty darn accurate. It's said to be as reliable as information obtained from Encyclopedia Brittanica.
Anyone can edit and add information, but that information requires citations, and if there are no citations given, the Wikipedia article will state this, so you can be confident that what you're reading is almost always spot on. Everyone is fact checking everyone, so any bad info doesn't stick around for long. Even the author of Skeptic Magazine has said Wikipedia is about 99% accurate, and he makes a living being skeptical.