Nova Scotia stretches 500 kilometres on a southwest-northeast axis from Cape Sable to Cape North, the shape of the province is often compared to that native delicacy, the lobster, with Cape Breton Island representing the outstretched claws, preparing to nip unsuspecting Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait.
The coastline of the uplands region is deeply indented, forming many good harbours, some of which are considered outstanding. Hundreds of islands dot the landscape along the entire Atlantic coast, most notably at St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. Reefs and shoals abound, accounting for the many lighthouses erected along this coast. In many ways the Atlantic uplands coast epitomizes the North Atlantic coastline with its bare granite sheets plunging headlong into the raging surf to produce an awesome cataclysm between land and sea. When people think of Nova Scotia, they usually envisage the rocky granite shores of the uplands. Oak Island Mystery
Oak Island has become known as the most elusive treasure in the world, and the Money Pit and its adjacent works the greatest piece of engineering on the American continent.
The unique precautions taken by those who made the original deposit of treasure on Oak Island were intended to protect the treasure from all who might learn of its existence, and those same precautions and safeguards have successfully protected its secret for more than 170 years since its discovery and foiled the efforts of scores of capable, intelligent engineers, at a cost of many thousands of dollars. Who made the deposit? For what purpose was a pit opened to a depth of nearly 200 feet? Who constructed the subterranean sea-guarded vault, and protected it with water tunnels and other devices? Every new attempt to solve this mystery has made it more puzzling.
It is a fact that a vast amount of work was done at some remote period in an exceedingly well-conceived and efficient manner, in order to conceal and safeguard something of very great value. Men do not undertake such stupendous works from mere caprice, or for the concealment of trifles.
Competent engineers have estimated that it took an army of men, working for at least two years, to make this excavation. Their work was competently done, defying all later efforts to recover the treasure.
Each attempt to recover the deposit, after the discovery of its existence in 1795, has been based on, and encouraged by, information obtained directly from predecessors, and as the work progressed from one attempt to another additional evidence of the original work was disclosed, but always without leading to complete success.
One interesting fact that stands out throughout the 170 years of history is that men of high reputation and skill have persisted in believing in the existence of treasure buried on Oak Island, and this in spite of the ridicule of others. It is also noteworthy that from the beginning to the present day many of those who have been identified with one search have hastened to become identified with the next, and that with every succeeding exploration the evidence and probability of ultimate success has steadily grown until it has become almost a certainty.
Failure to recover the treasure after the conditions became known has been due to lack of funds, or lack of engineering skill, or lack of proper equipment, or all three. Money was often raised in too small amounts, the work was conducted in too haphazard a manner, or no well-considered plan was ever adopted and carried persistently and aggressively to its logical conclusion.
It was always the confident belief of those identified with the operations that the recovery of the treasure would excite a much greater interest than was aroused by the discovery of Tut-ankh-amen’s tomb; for the reason that the treasure on Oak Island was believed to be one of even greater size and value.
Just thought you might like to know that last week, the new owners of Oak Island received their Treasure Trove Licence and are set to begin excavations later this year! It’s so exciting that another troop of enthusiastic treasure hunters are going to give Oak Island another go.
I run Oak Island Treasure where you can read all the latest news, view photos, join the forum, etc.
It’s http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk if you’re interested.
Comment by Jo - Oak Island Treasure — October 23, 2007 @ 4:44 am
Greetings !
You would help people (and perhaps yourself) if you would provide some details of how to search to see the island. Google Earth did not find it for me as Oak Island, NS, Canada. I had to read miles of text to discover the landmark Chester, Nova Scotia. Then I asked Google Earth to find Chester, NS, Canada. Then I had to drag the map all around to spot some profile similar to the island. It happened to be in the bay west of Chester.
I had almost lost interest prior to finding it. No wonder the diggers gave up.
Perhaps you could provide simpler ways to locate and view the little island.
Do the latest hunters know about Ground-Penetrating Radar? It is extemely capable. It often shows everything beneath airport runways, refineries, etc. If the mystery is buried beyond the reach the best science in the world today, it can be advertised as a wonder of the world: a true Treasure Island.
Yours truly
Comment by HARRY KEEN — October 9, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
I was interested so I looked, I have an unpublished manuscript copyrighted March 21st, 1995 called ‘Radius of Doubt’ Library of Congress (USA) TXu 689-510. I must commend your efforts to provide updates and information to the public. It is appreciated, only thru efforts like yours and mine (and others), will the mystery of Oak Island be revealed.
I have been on OI, June ‘84, July ‘85 and April ‘87. And had some contact with ‘The Daily News’ in Dartmouth, partially from a tourist story done for the Oak Island Inn from my first visit.
My manuscript decodes the inscribed stone symbols not as letters, but into a sequence of steps to recognize and understand. I give in the manscript the place to stand, a bearing along a line and a distance to a spot which is the ‘Radius of Doubt’. This is from the apex of the stone triangle on the south shore, a bearing of 11 degrees East of True North for a distance of 567 feet. The ‘Radius of Doubt’ is a circle of 30 feet about that point, and requires then the idiots plain text message of the inscribed stone for the depth to dig. Use picks and shovels, no machines; you read the manuscript you will see why.
Good luck on your webpage!
Dave Moeller
12319 N. 40th Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68112
Comment by Dave Moeller — April 8, 2009 @ 10:50 pm