Saturday, December 05, 2015

Oak Island - Season Three

I suspect that we’re about halfway through the new season of The Curse of Oak Island and they have made some interesting progress. They have remotely explored the cavern at the bottom of the bore hole using a variety of technology that suggests there is a chest down there as well as some human remains. They’ve begun to clear out the bore hole so that they can send a diver down, though I’m
Oak Island in the late 19th century.
not sure that’s such a great idea. And they believe they have located the original site of the Money Pit. Some great progress, I would say.

But we are still being diverted by the nonsense. We have a couple of guys, who using some of their new technology, believe they have located other areas on the island that might hold some treasure. They did dig a pit where some iron was spotted by that technology near the surface and they did find a cable, which, of course, isn’t treasure but did suggest the technology might not be completely bogus.

A test hole dug to find gold failed, but they did find some blue clay in which gold is sometimes found. Of course that would be gold ore as opposed to gold coins, but it did suggest gold might be there. They didn’t find any though.

And they keep getting diverted by trivia. We were treated to an “expedition” to some boulders not all that far from Oak Island that had some interesting carvings on them. One was identified as a Portuguese Cross that might suggest a connection between that European country and Nova Scotia but certainly doesn’t get us any closer to what might be found at the bottom of the Money Pit. They thought the carvings were old but had no evidence of that other than their somewhat amateur examination.

Sure, I get that they have a lot of time to fill and while the results of the summer activity are known to those who were on the island last summer, getting right to that point would not allow them to fill another ten or twelve hours of programming. Why do in a two hour special what you can do over several weeks so that you can sell more advertising?

I was a little surprised by their attempts to pull one of those long pipes out of the bore hole. It was taking up space that would be needed for the diver when they finally get to that so they decided to pull it out. They had some success, but as they pulled it up and then cut off the first twenty feet of pipe, I wondered about the wisdom of what they were doing. I could see in my mind the chain slipping and the bottom of the pipe falling back into the hole. I though they should make a better effort to ensure that the pipe didn’t slip. They got the first twenty feet out, and when the cut the second section free, the other 140 feet of the pipe fell back into the hole, causing them additional work. They solved their problem. Now, before they cut away a section of pipe, they put a cross piece through it to ensure it couldn’t fall. With that, they were able to remove the whole thing. I just didn’t understand why they didn’t anticipate the problem and put in the cross pieces from the beginning.

I’m also thinking that they keep being diverted by things that don’t have much of a point. It delays what they are attempting to do, which is find out if there is anything of value at the bottom of the Money Pit. They drain the swamp (in seasons past), but find nothing of value for all the effort. It did fill a couple of hours of programming however.

They did toss dye into the bole hole to see if it connected to the ocean but that failed. I’m not sure of the mechanics of that but it simply didn’t work. Had I been there and someone suggested the experiment, I would have been on board, though I would think that if there is salt water in the pit, that would establish a connection to the ocean. I would think that the depth of the water in the pit, as it rose and fell with the tide, would have been another hint.

I wasn’t impressed with the discovery of old Spanish coins on the surface of the island (which they had to take to Florida to have a coin expert there examine… you have to wonder if there weren’t any coin dealers or experts in Canada that could have done that). Had they dug them up near the pit, that would have been something, but a coin found on the surface just smacked of someone tossing out these rather cheap, old Spanish coins to add a little drama… which is not to say that anyone associated with the program did it. Anyone who had been on the island for any reason could have done that. I know of people salting a couple of the Roswell crash sites with modern debris (such as fiber options) in the hopes of creating some excitement.

There have been some interesting revelations this season, but they keep dragging all this out. I guess the thought is that once they get to the bottom of the Money Pit or the bole hole, the show will be over. We’ll have the answers and there might not be much of a mystery left…


But wait, if there is a treasure down there, no matter what form it takes, it would seem to me that they would want to find out who put it there, how long ago they did it, and where did they originate. The coconut husks found lining the beach and the water traps suggest some elaborate engineering, and that would make an interesting follow-on series. But this continued dragging out of this with all the sideshows and nonsense trips is becoming annoying. If there is an answer, let’s get to it before this season ends. I don’t know about others, but my patience is wearing thin on this. 

12 comments:

  1. There was a real opportunity to do good programming touching on civil engineering, metallurgy, geophysics and so on and, predictably, it became Amateur of the Week in no time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I kind of differ on this. I also was someone who read the original Money Pit article in the Reader's Digest way back when, saw any rare documentary there was prior to "Curse", and have lapped the mystery up for decades, so for me I cant get enough episodes : even digging, simply seeing them dig on Oak Island gives me a thrill, I guess I've got the same bug as the Lagina's, "We're digging - on Oak Island!" - I share that feeling! After having waited for so long for a documentary of any length, I'm just grateful to see clear, lengthy footage about Oak Island and I just cant get enough.

    Some of the theories people come in with where they change numbers, turn maps around etc annoys me because they are wildly shifting the goalposts and I wouldn't even bother with them but I understand they see an episode from it, so fair enough. It doesn't bother me, I just love that there's a show about the Money Pit. I guess I simply love the enduring mystery, and about what it "could" be.

    I realise though

    ReplyDelete
  3. I watch the series too. I think it is a great subject to explore but my complaint is the story telling production. The constant recaps after each commercial break is annoying. But the slow story telling showcasing planning and execution is so s l o w. I agree with you about the new technology used to show promising areas on the island are not fully investigated. Did they use that technology (aerial mineral identification) on the joining islands? Did they get similar results?

    I read the story of Oak Island in a magazine during the 1970s. It has fascinated me ever since. Good to see someone to doing extensive work (with seemingly endless money) to determine what is below the surface.

    I enjoy your blog quite a bit. Being located in Cedar Rapids too its best to support each other. You also gave me one of your book (via my wife who helped your wife sell some things a few years ago.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Like I said some months back, if they really believe there's something worthwhile down there,and the original shafts are either too badly damaged or not pinpoint identifiable any more...then the simplest solution is to quarry for it. The flooding of sea water wouldn't matter then. Divers could finish the job off in safety.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Having heard about the money pit on a radio program about 65 years ago, I think it remains one of the great treasure hunting mysteries of all time. The slow pace of the current show irritates, but it's better than nothing. The original engineers of the money pit should have known that normal treasure hunters would render their treasure unrecoverable, kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Why would they design a system that would in effect destroy their treasure for all time? With this in mind, I wonder if the money pit is a misdirection ploy, and that the real treasure my still be somewhere else on that island, so I really like the other non-pit searches that occur on the show. They really do attract some crackpots on the show as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I find myself wondering why they didn't do some of the things that they are doing this year right from the start, such as pulling the old pipe and sending down the ROV that is coming in the next episode, even though it will likely be too murky to see anything clearly. Marty is an engineer and made most of his money in the oil business so he surely would be aware of the latest technology for sensing underground structure. I'm not sure quarrying would be an option though. The Lagina's and Blankenship's own most of the island, but I think the Canadian government has the final authority. They mentioned having to get permits in the first season.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Reader's Digest must have had one heck of a circulation back then, because I remember reading about it there, too. Hey, it's something for me to watch, while I'm waiting for Appalachian Outlaws to return!

    ReplyDelete
  9. We have to remember that these shows are really made to generate advertising revenue for the networks. It seems obvious the long drawn out saga is meant to keep viewers coming back season after season. These brothers have enough money to have already bought the island, which they did, but the side tracking of nonsense theories and partial digs seems contrived and dictated by the network, not the brothers.

    Based on their progress so far, I have a feeling they are chasing a fictitious legend passed through generations of treasure hunters who believed the stories to be true.

    The wood they dig up is clearly newer than the 16th Century and most probably remains from the diggers from the last two centuries.

    If they really did find gold, or the Ark or Grail, I think we would know by now since the shows are taped months in advance.

    I'm pretty sure the Ark and the Grail are down there. Gold? Maybe, but probably too much.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brian -

    Did you bother to read my post? I said, "Sure, I get that they have a lot of time to fill and while the results of the summer activity are known to those who were on the island last summer, getting right to that point would not allow them to fill another ten or twelve hours of programming. Why do in a two hour special what you can do over several weeks so that you can sell more advertising?"

    So, we get that it has to do with advertising revenue... and ratings.

    I would like to know how you know the wood is newer than 16th Century. What sort of visual analysis did you perform?

    I think we all know what they're going to find after they drag this out as long as they can.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 16th Century wood isn't going to be looking fresh after being burried in wet muddy ground soil for nearly 450 years. But if you want to believe it's that old that's really your choice.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brian -

    Didn't say that I believed it was that old. Did notice that neither did the Lagina Brothers. They thought it was part of a structure created one hundred years ago. Did suggest that your analysis might be flawed because it was based on your observations on a television screen rather than a first-hand observation of the material.

    ReplyDelete