The Oak Island Mystery (19 page)

Still Unsolved: Twenty-First Century Developments

O
ur
research into the Oak Island Mystery goes back some forty years to the time when co-author Lionel was lecturing on the psychology and sociology of unexplained phenomena for Cambridge University's Extra-Mural Board. The Oak Island Mystery formed an important part of that syllabus. During those forty years we have read almost everything available pertaining to the Money Pit mystery in books, articles, and on the Internet. We have met several of the most significant researchers and investigators — including Dan Blankenship and Dan Henskee — and discussed the mystery with them first hand. Forty years of research have not solved the mystery, but they have led us to conclude that there is a genuine mystery down there. We warmly welcome this opportunity of updating our book, and adding to the original seven theories centred on the Oak Island mystery.

The first and most exciting theory is that the Money Pit could have been built by highly intelligent and technologically advanced constructors way back in the very distant past. Were they survivors of the hypothetical catastrophe that overwhelmed ancient Atlantis and Lemuria? Is the mysterious “treasure” protected in the deepest depths of the Money Pit a scientific and technological treasure, a treasure of
knowledge
, rather than jewels, gold, and silver? Believers in Atlantis and Lemuria think that they were very advanced civilizations that existed well over ten thousand years ago.

Readers of the Akashic Records, very talented and perceptive individuals including Madame Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, and Edgar Cayce, are of the opinion that those mysterious records contain references to Atlantis and Lemuria. Also referred to as “The Book of Life,” the Akashic Records are believed to be an almost infinite “library” of every thought, word, and deed in the cosmos. They are, accordingly, a primary source of information about the Lost Continents.

Atlantis, according to the Akashic Records, enjoyed solar power and very advanced hydraulic systems. When rival groups of Atlanteans quarrelled, their super-technology led to devastating destruction. A few of them escaped and made their way to island-studded Mahone Bay, on the coast of Nova Scotia, where they designed and built the Oak Island Money Pit to protect their deadly, dangerous artefacts. The equally advanced civilization on Lemuria, which later vanished below the Pacific, was thought to have been equally advanced scientifically and technologically.

The second, closely related theory, involves extra-terrestrials instead of Atlanteans or Lemurians. In outline, this theory suggests that there are scientific and technological treasures concealed in the farthest depths of the Oak Island Money Pit. It runs parallel to the von Daniken theories of ancient astronauts from elsewhere in the universe. One version suggests that their spaceship developed a fault, and that the best they could hope for was to preserve part of their technology in the labyrinth with its flood-traps that they built below Oak Island.

On October 4th, 1967, what became widely known as the Shag Harbour UFO Incident consisted of numerous reports of a strange object falling from the skies into the Gulf of Maine near the small fishing village of Shag Harbour on the southern tip of the eastern coast of Nova Scotia. The reports of the crash of the unknown aerial object were thoroughly investigated by the RCMP and the Canadian Coast Guard. The Royal Canadian Navy and Air Force were also involved, in case it was a plane that had gone down near Shag Harbour, and any survivors would be in urgent need of rescue. Armed forces from the U.S. were also involved in the investigation. The search undertaken by the Royal Canadian Navy included underwater investigations. As the search proceeded, it was ascertained that no scheduled plane was known to have gone missing.

The first reports of the incident were made by five Nova Scotians who lived in the Shag Harbour area. Laurie Wickens and his friends were driving through Shag Harbour along Highway 3 when they saw what they described as “a large object” falling into the water not far from the harbour itself. They said that it had gone in about 300 metres offshore. Subsequent, expanded reports — including evidence offered by divers — gave the impression that not one object but
two
were involved, and it was even hypothesized that the second mysterious object had gone below the water deliberately to “rescue” the first one.

There can, of course, be no guarantee that the Shag Harbour incident was a genuine UFO, but if it was, it adds some credence to the possibility that the Oak Island Money Pit was the work of extra-terrestrials.

A third strange theory of the Oak Island Mystery can be built from the trustworthy and reliable accounts in George Young's excellent book
Ghosts in Nova Scotia
. In 1973 visitors to the island were surprised to see what they described as a very small man, a dwarf, or midget, walking in old-world costume alongside a normal-sized man dressed in black. Thinking, understandably, that they were actors dressed up as part of the tourist attraction to the island, the visitors followed them. The strange figures suddenly vanished as if they had crossed into an unknown dimension. They were seen again two years later, and again vanished with disconcerting suddenness.

In 1968 another witness was looking out towards the island when she saw an old-style sailing ship approach it and anchor there. She was amazed to see a column of British Redcoats in eighteenth century uniforms disembark and march over the island. Her first thoughts were that these were extras — part of a film crew. Next time she looked, there was no sign of the ship, nor of the Redcoat soldiers! What if Oak Island stands at some strange intersection of our own plain, solid, simple three-dimensional universe and a mysterious, unknown dimension? Are the avant garde physicists right in postulating the existence of parallel universes,
the worlds of if?
What if time can experience warps and glitches in the same way that matter does? What if Oak Island is a portal, a strange gateway between normal reality as we understand it and some weird unknown place? Could beings from that
other place
have created the Money Pit for enigmatic purposes of their own?

A fourth, pragmatic and practical historical theory suggests that the Money Pit was created during the American War of Independence, also referred to as the American Revolutionary War, of 1775 to 1783. The then-thirteen British colonies in North America wanted their independence and fought against King George III. The French, under King Louis XVI, secretly supported the colonists with general supplies, weapons, and ammunition. There are several variations of this theory of the Money Pit's construction and use: it may have been built by the French to hide what they were supplying to the colonists; it may have been built by the colonists; it may have been the work of British Army Engineers to keep their army payroll safe from both the French and the colonists.

A fifth theory concerns the boldly adventurous Sir Francis Drake. In his otherwise well-documented history, there are several missing months. The buccaneering Drake would have been more than capable of relieving a Spanish treasure galleon of its contents, but making no official report of it. With the undivided loyalty of his staunch Devonshire crewmen, he could have made a trip to Oak Island, constructed the Money Pit, and deposited their treasure there — perhaps as a pension fund for all of them when their sailing days were over. Drake's character and ability were such that nothing would have been beyond him.

Theory number six suggests that pirates made the Money Pit and deposited their spoils in it. The two names that come to mind are William Kidd (1645–1701) and Ned Teach, known as Blackbeard (circa 1680–1718). Either might just possibly have been responsible for creating the Money Pit and concealing their treasure in it, but it is far from likely. Pirates tended to prefer a quick hole in the sand with landmarks such as distinctive trees or rock formations nearby. There are rumours and legends, however, of “pirate banks.” These are described as being very similar to the Oak Island Money Pit. A deep shaft with booby traps such as flood tunnels is constructed and left with obvious indications of its existence: the tree with the lobbed branch and the old ship's block and tackle hanging over the top of the shaft. The treasure, however, is actually buried relatively close to the surface and very easy to recover — provided the owner knows its exact location. Although the decoy shaft goes down a very long way, the diggers strike upwards again towards the surface at an
angle
to the main shaft. Meticulous measurements are made — not a difficult feat for a skilled nautical navigator with a good quality compass — and with these the treasure can be recovered by going down a few feet through virgin soil yards away from the decoy shaft. The pirate theory makes more sense if such a “pirate bank” had been built on Oak Island at some time in the past and then used by numerous pirates, including both Teach and Kidd. If the Money Pit is just the decoy shaft for a pirate bank, it is possible that the easy access point lies below the Oak Island swamp.

Another version of the pirates' treasure theory concerns Sir William Phipps (1651–1695), who was Governor of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 until 1694. In his earlier career Phipps had been a ship's carpenter and later established a shipyard beside the River Sheepscot in Maine. He was later commissioned to find the remains of a Spanish treasure ship
El Concepción
, which had been wrecked on the notorious Silver Bank in the Caribbean. Although he formally handed over some £300,000 to his government backers, he had ample opportunity to conceal a significant share for himself on Oak Island.

The seventh theory — for which George Young deserves the credit — is that a group of religious refugees, probably Coptic Christians from Egypt, led by their Arif, reached Oak Island and set up a small religious community there. When their revered Arif died, his followers constructed the Money pit as a protected grave for him. He was laid out in all his bejewelled robes and vestments 100 feet or so down the shaft. The oak logs were laid across the shaft at ten-foot intervals in order to prevent the weight of the soil from crushing the burial chamber. The flood tunnels were built to dispose of any grave robbers. When the 19th century treasure-hunting expeditions brought up a few links of gold chain and a jewel on their drills, these were not from buried treasure but from the Arif's ornate robes.

Co-author Patricia on the edge of the mysterious central swamp on Oak Island.

Theory number eight revolves around the mysterious scrap of parchment brought up on a drill, and its possible link with the Bacon-Shakespeare controversy. Among Bacon's pioneering scientific work, he experimented with preserving manuscripts in mercury. This is recorded in his book
Sylva Sylvarum
. Fragments of old flasks of mercury have been found on Oak Island from time to time, and in 1610 King James granted land in Canada to Bacon. This would have provided Bacon with access to Nova Scotia and Oak Island. Brilliant Oak Island researcher Keith Ranville was looking at the first edition of our Oak Island book (1995), in which he studied the Baconian watermark codes we had reproduced there, and from which he established a significant link with the Oak Island triangle. Bacon undoubtedly had the intelligence to design the Money Pit. Did he preserve his original manuscripts there? If they could be recovered, they would bring a definitive end to the Bacon-Shakespeare controversy.

The ninth theory links the Money Pit to the adventurous, epic voyages of early Welsh sea-rovers, and of Norsemen. Did fearless Celts or Vikings get across the Atlantic centuries before Columbus? Would they have had the skill and excavating experience to design and dig the Money Pit? They certainly had the strength and determination. But if they were responsible, what was their purpose? Did they create the Money Pit as a grave for some great war leader?

The tenth theory involves the fearless Knights Templar. They were treacherously attacked on Friday, October 13th, 1307, by the odious Philip IV of France, nicknamed Philip le Bel because of his attractive appearance that disguised an evil heart and mind. The Templar fleet escaped from La Rochelle before Philip's minions could apprehend it. What were those Templar ships carrying? Where did they take it to be safe from Philip? Could they have crossed the Atlantic and reached Nova Scotia? The Templars were expert navigators and superb architects and builders as well as fearless warriors. They had the motive. They had the skills. They had the disciplined manpower. They could have constructed the Money Pit to conceal and protect
something
of immense value.

The
other
Oak Island on the opposite side of the Nova Scotian peninsula.