'Lost Treasure' book shows mystery of Oak Island
I really enjoyed reading Steven Sora's book, "The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar: Solving the Oak Island Mystery," and I recommend it to anyone out there with a taste for the strange and mysterious.
I was a second-grader at Frisco City Elementary School when I first heard of the Oak Island Mystery, courtesy of a book about buried treasure in the school's library. Since then, I've been hooked on Oak Island and have tried to read everything I could find on the subject.
For those of you not familiar with Oak Island Mystery, here's the condensed version.
In the summer of 1795, teenager Daniel McGinnis was wandering about Oak Island in Nova Scotia, when he came across an unusual depression in the ground. Having heard tales of pirates in the area, he went home, got his two friends, returned to the island and began digging.
Over the next several days, McGinnis and his two friends worked the hole, and were astonished by what they found. Two feet down they came across a layer of flagstones. At 10 feet down they encountered a layer of oak logs. At 20 feet and 30 feet, the found the same thing, another layer of logs. Being teenage boys, they abandoned the dig.
Nearly 210 years later, after numerous attempts and digs by various, well-financed groups, no one really knows what lies at the bottom of the Oak Island pit. Over the years, various expeditions have made more than a few interesting discoveries:
* Diggers have found a wide variety of materials at regular intervals, including more oak logs, layers of charcoal, layers of putty, layers of coconut fiber and a stone inscribed with mysterious writing.
* Booby-trapped side tunnels that led to a nearby beach, causing the shaft to flood when diggers reached a depth of 90 feet.
* Researchers eventually discovered that the nearby beach, Smith's Cove, was man-made and featured an ingenious filtration system made of eel grass and coconut fiber that prevented the booby-trapped shafts from clogging with sand, silt and other debris.
Over the years, millions of dollars have been spent in excavations on the island, and in the 1960s, four humans lives were added to the cost. Tragedy struck in 1965 when explorer Bob Restall passed out while excavating a shaft and fell into the water at the bottom. His son, Bobbie, and two other workers attempted to rescue Restall. All four were overcome by some sort of gas, probably carbon monoxide from a generator, passed out and drowned.
Later that same year, Daniel Blankenship, the head of the Triton Alliance, the current searchers on the island, began his quest to unearth the Oak Island Mystery.
Their first major discovery came in 1976, when Triton sunk a 237-foot steel tube into the ground 180 feet from the original shaft. A camera lowered down to a bedrock cavity at 230 feet returned some amazing images. At first, a severed hand could be seen floating in the water. Later, three chests and various tools could be seen. Finally, a human body was detected.
After looking at these images, the decision was made to send down divers. Several attempts were made but strong currents and sediment made it impossible to see. Soon after, the shaft collapsed and has not been reopened. Blankenship and Triton still continue their quest today.
"The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar," published by Destiny Books, offers one explanation as to what might lie at the bottom of the Oak Island "Money Pit."
This 293-page book suggests that the Order of the Knights Templar buried an enormous treasure on the island, a treasure that is rumored to include the genealogies of King David and Jesus and other religious artifacts as well as gold and jewels.
This fascinating book also offers a detailed history of the pit's excavation and an even closer look at the possible explanations for its existence. Sora also presents an intriguing look at the Templar's beginnings, the historical climate surrounding their origins and then follows the secret society through the centuries to the present day. The book is also cool because it hits on a variety of other topics, including Viking history, the authenticity of Shakespeare's writings and the family line of Christ.
In the end, if you enjoy real-life mysteries, tales of buried treasure, the intrigues of secret societies and thoughtfully researched revisionist history, then I recommend this book for you. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the book an 8.
I was a second-grader at Frisco City Elementary School when I first heard of the Oak Island Mystery, courtesy of a book about buried treasure in the school's library. Since then, I've been hooked on Oak Island and have tried to read everything I could find on the subject.
For those of you not familiar with Oak Island Mystery, here's the condensed version.
In the summer of 1795, teenager Daniel McGinnis was wandering about Oak Island in Nova Scotia, when he came across an unusual depression in the ground. Having heard tales of pirates in the area, he went home, got his two friends, returned to the island and began digging.
Over the next several days, McGinnis and his two friends worked the hole, and were astonished by what they found. Two feet down they came across a layer of flagstones. At 10 feet down they encountered a layer of oak logs. At 20 feet and 30 feet, the found the same thing, another layer of logs. Being teenage boys, they abandoned the dig.
Nearly 210 years later, after numerous attempts and digs by various, well-financed groups, no one really knows what lies at the bottom of the Oak Island pit. Over the years, various expeditions have made more than a few interesting discoveries:
* Diggers have found a wide variety of materials at regular intervals, including more oak logs, layers of charcoal, layers of putty, layers of coconut fiber and a stone inscribed with mysterious writing.
* Booby-trapped side tunnels that led to a nearby beach, causing the shaft to flood when diggers reached a depth of 90 feet.
* Researchers eventually discovered that the nearby beach, Smith's Cove, was man-made and featured an ingenious filtration system made of eel grass and coconut fiber that prevented the booby-trapped shafts from clogging with sand, silt and other debris.
Over the years, millions of dollars have been spent in excavations on the island, and in the 1960s, four humans lives were added to the cost. Tragedy struck in 1965 when explorer Bob Restall passed out while excavating a shaft and fell into the water at the bottom. His son, Bobbie, and two other workers attempted to rescue Restall. All four were overcome by some sort of gas, probably carbon monoxide from a generator, passed out and drowned.
Later that same year, Daniel Blankenship, the head of the Triton Alliance, the current searchers on the island, began his quest to unearth the Oak Island Mystery.
Their first major discovery came in 1976, when Triton sunk a 237-foot steel tube into the ground 180 feet from the original shaft. A camera lowered down to a bedrock cavity at 230 feet returned some amazing images. At first, a severed hand could be seen floating in the water. Later, three chests and various tools could be seen. Finally, a human body was detected.
After looking at these images, the decision was made to send down divers. Several attempts were made but strong currents and sediment made it impossible to see. Soon after, the shaft collapsed and has not been reopened. Blankenship and Triton still continue their quest today.
"The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar," published by Destiny Books, offers one explanation as to what might lie at the bottom of the Oak Island "Money Pit."
This 293-page book suggests that the Order of the Knights Templar buried an enormous treasure on the island, a treasure that is rumored to include the genealogies of King David and Jesus and other religious artifacts as well as gold and jewels.
This fascinating book also offers a detailed history of the pit's excavation and an even closer look at the possible explanations for its existence. Sora also presents an intriguing look at the Templar's beginnings, the historical climate surrounding their origins and then follows the secret society through the centuries to the present day. The book is also cool because it hits on a variety of other topics, including Viking history, the authenticity of Shakespeare's writings and the family line of Christ.
In the end, if you enjoy real-life mysteries, tales of buried treasure, the intrigues of secret societies and thoughtfully researched revisionist history, then I recommend this book for you. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the book an 8.
posted by Lee Peacock at 3:49 PM
1 Comments:
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