Once
again we’re teased with a find and then learn nothing new about it. They were
using an airlift to dredge up material from the bottom of Borehole 10X. While
scraping through the muck, one of them found a small bone. They put it in a bag
and suggested that if it is human then it is evidence of the treasure. We learn
nothing more about it.
They
do examine more of the material brought up including an old piece of wood that
also excites them. It has saw markings on it, but not those of a modern
circular saw. No, these are old saw marks that suggest the wood is much older,
and this too is evidence about what had gone on so long ago.
We
do learn that they are going to attempt to find the drainage system that
flooded the Money Pit so long ago. They are using an inflatable coffer dam that
will allow them to dig up part of the beach to see if they can find evidence of
the booby traps. Of course, there is a catastrophic failure of the dam that
puts that bit of investigation on hold until they can get the thing repaired.
Nothing new is learned.
And
then, suddenly, we’re in New York, at Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential library
where they find documents showing Roosevelt’s long interest in the treasure. He
might have participated in more than the one expedition that everyone knew
about. But that really doesn’t prove anything other than Roosevelt was
interested in Oak Island for a long time. It doesn’t advance the search for the
treasure on the island, doesn’t prove that there is a treasure, just a
suggestion in one of the letters that the treasure might by the lost jewels of
Marie Antoinette, at one time the Queen of France who lost her head during the French
revolution.
When
we are done, there is nothing new here. Wood from deep underground that could
easily be from one of those many tunnels that lace the area. A bone that is
unidentified so we don’t know if it is human or an animal that fell into the
hole sometime after the hole had been bored.
Or,
in other words, there is nothing in this episode that did anything for me. I
spent an hour waiting for something new, but all they have found are bits of
wood which isn’t all that astonishing, given how much construction, digging and
tunneling that has gone on, there is plenty of buried wood to find.
To
recap… they tell us repeatedly that a three link gold chain has been recovered,
but that was more than a century ago and it may well have been planted… they
show us a Spanish coin that was found, but it was on the surface and may well
have been planted… they tell us of a stone with strange symbols on it was
recovered at the 90 foot level, but there are no photographs of it and may well
have been created to induce investors to supply money for various corporations
wanting to dig up Oak Island. There has been nothing substantial found that we
know of and the few things recovered do not point to a huge treasure buried on
the island. I have about reached the end of my rope unless they come up with
something really spectacular in the near future… but I’m not holding my breath.
Dan Blankenship always brings up the point, after throwing bags of stuff that he had found in borehole 10X onto the War Room table, that there is something down there because of the interesting debris he recovered from the hole. Most of it looks to be small stuff, nothing large. I had a thought that perhaps it could be stuff brought in from the sea that got through the coconut fibers that were meant to serve as a filter to the (supposed) drainage boxes and booby trap tunnels. The bone too could have just been from the sea, a bird perhaps, who knows.
ReplyDeleteThe gold chain link from what I have read may well have been salted, and the stone inscription I never believed in from the start. It came at a time the team responsible at the time desperately needed funding.
Ive come to the conclusion that there is nothing there, and it there ever was, Samuel Ball got the loot, and there is some evidence for that (he became suddenly rich, bought lots of land on Oak Island when there were more feasible options elsewhere, apparently purchased things in town with old Spanish coins). But I still don't mind watching because its part of Oak Island history itself; we never got to see Onslow or Trident or Blankenship going at it, but at least we see the Lagina brothers' efforts, and I for one am grateful for that, seeing it from that perspective.
..if thought they come back with that is was a 'human bone' then that will certainly give a little food for thought... well, we shall see.
Looked like a chicken thigh bone.
DeleteHi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteYour last paragraph also summarizes my view on the subject. The history of vaporous, baseless and no-longer-available-for-examination discoveries covers this whole legend in a shroud of wishful darkness, in my opinion.
All the best,
Woody
You may recall a season or two ago the brothers visited a woman (in Canada?) that supposedly had a golden bejeweled box (or cross?) which her family claimed was part of the treasure (sold by Ball?). Of course no one can prove it came from the pit, just an old family legend.
ReplyDeletethat's the thing Brian, I think the most solid facts - Ball died wealthy, Ball bought more plots of land on the island, a cross which we have on hand was apparently passed down the generations - point to the conclusion that there was likely treasure and it was likely found. The other evidence we have, apart from the Spanish coins (which may perhaps have been dropped or missed by Ball himself) just pale in comparison.
ReplyDeleteBrian, TheDimov -
ReplyDeleteHad you been paying attention, you would have read on this very blog, that Ball had originally been identified as one of the three "lads" who discovered the Money Pit in the late eighteenth century. You would have also know that the women who visited the Money Pit last season, with a recap this season, were descendants of McGinnis, one of those who found the pit, and who, according to the family, had retrieved a chest of treason... one of three found. That would mean, of course, that all the treasure might have been recovered and the rest of this is a lot of nonsense that has been going on for more than two centuries.
I still say that the term, "Money Pit," is accurate because they're throwing a lot of money into it.
Don't misunderstand, I don't think anything is in that pit or on the island. I've watched every season but this one. The ongoing nonsense is just a History network gimmick to generate ad revenue IMO.
ReplyDeleteThere may have been treasure, but it's long gone. Most likely small too, and not all the items the centuries have conjured up as legendary possibilities.
No Ark, no King Solomon's treasure, no Viking loot, no Templar secrets, nada.
Brian is a skeptic after my own heart.
ReplyDeleteI personally am open minded about all this, I find it all rather intriguing. Also remember though that the Spanish coin was found in the swamp along with a 18 foot plank and what was identified as a deck plank nail all of which was dared in the 1600's some time. The last episode at the end said some thing about finding a gold coin that is going to air on the 2 hour finally next sunday.
ReplyDeleteLidar. Why have they not used lidar to try and "see" what under the soil?
ReplyDeleteIt's believable as long as that goof Jovan H Pulitzer isn't involved. What a goober!!! Roman sword lol
ReplyDeleteI think it was loot stolen from the British government by a group of rogue naval officers. Collected from several civilizations in there conquering spree. They loaded a ship down. And sailed off with it. Not hard to imagine naval engineers planning and executing something like this. I think everything near the surface was put there on purpose. But it's hard to explain parts of a Spanish ship coming from 150ft underground. I think it was loaded and beached. Dismantled to build the structures needed carry out such an excavation and the vault itself. I also believe it was hidden this feel so that they all had to return to retrieve it. The treasure at the surface was each man's hoard. Small deposits made by each on his own. So that they had wealth on their own. I also believe that the area was previously known and used as a gold trade route. Especially considering that gold river is less than 20 miles from the island. The Templars were the first bank. Makes sense. It's a central location to where they coming from and going. Maybe the tunnels on the island were part of older mine shafts and were common knowledge. Just hard to dismiss the parts of the Spanish ship being brought up from 150-160 ft underground.
ReplyDeleteStill better than 90% of the garbage on TV... treasure hunting, becoming an astronaut, sailing around the world, being a pit mechanic in the 500.. all things that I dreamed of doing as a kid, not sure however, in this economy worldwide, that I would be dumping that much of my or anyone else's money down the 'money pit'. BUT I would still love doing it. So if I have to live out my childhood through the old man blankenship and the bros, so be it.. besides its one night/1 hour out of the week where I can sit back and watch it unfold. I have some of the same reservation as many here,, the never to be vetted finds that are no longer found,, that's a good sign of salting and then never EVER letting that artifact be tested.. coins and artifacts on the surface, keeping the show alive and things of that nature. The things not really explainable and right there in front of you,, boulders with geological verification, that have symbols that are definitely proof of early times visitations from people whom were known to be crooks, wealthy and buried their ill gotten gains in many places-some found, and lost much to the bottom of the sea and were recovered.
ReplyDeleteDo not think for one minute that this show hasn't been a reward for all involved!
DeleteYeah well who knows....guess we'll just have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteThis show is super entertaining :)
ReplyDelete