Oak Island Family Read online

  Oak Island Family

  The Restall Hunt for Buried Treasure

  Lee Lamb

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  1 What Would You Say?

  2 Treasure? What Treasure?

  3 But There’s More to the Story

  4 Simply Amazing

  5 Odds and Ends

  6 So This Is Oak Island

  7 An October Start?

  8 And So to Work

  9 Summer in Paradise

  10 1704? What Does It Mean?

  11 Meanwhile, Back at the Beach

  12 The Best Summer Ever

  13 More of the Same

  14 Time Stands Still

  15 1965

  16 The Aftermath

  Appendix 1 Timeline

  Appendix 2 Sketch of Pirates’ Work Under the Beach at Smith’s Cove

  Selected Reading

  Websites

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not have been possible without the letters, journals, essays, photographs, maps, and sketches left by my family members who lived the Restall hunt for treasure. Thank you to Eddie Sparham for saving the letters my father wrote to his father, and for sharing them with me. They gave me insight into my family’s experience far beyond what I could have learned without them.

  Very special thanks also go to Wayne McElhone, whose advice and encouragement helped me to prepare the Restall story for a teen audience; to Ann MacIntyre, who always provided a different viewpoint, which I truly appreciate; to Marilyn McCarthy, who was kind enough to take a last look at the manuscript and offer helpful suggestions; and to my brother Rick, who was generous in offering Restall insights — I greatly value his contributions and ongoing encouragement. Last, of course, I am grateful to Beth Bruder and the hard-working staff at Dundurn for believing in this project.

  Introduction

  People from all over the world seem to know about Canada’s Oak Island. And yet many Canadians do not. Amazing discoveries, personal sacrifice, and human tragedy are just a few of the ingredients that make the Oak Island story one that deserves to be remembered.

  Oak Island lies in Mahone Bay on the Atlantic coast of Canada. Buried deep within the island is a treasure so immense that no one can even guess how much it is worth. At least, that is what some people believe. And that is why, for more than 200 years, treasure hunters have come to Oak Island and have spent fortunes attempting to tame the island and claim the treasure.

  The Restall family — my father, mother, and two brothers — were among those treasure hunters. Their Oak Island adventure is told here. The events that many years ago started the hunt for treasure on the island, and the stories of searchers who went before the Restalls are included, too. This book was written especially for teenage readers and for adult, first-time readers of Oak Island lore.

  This is the story of Oak Island and of the Restalls, a Canadian family who were determined to be the ones to find the treasure and solve the mystery of Oak Island. They dreamed of fame and fortune. What they got was something very, very different.

  Chapter One

  What Would You Say?

  What would you say if you were 15 years old and your father pulled you aside and said, “Your mother and I are going to California to join the circus. Do you want to come?”

  You would know that you didn’t have to go with your parents. You could stay with your sister and keep attending school instead. Now, let’s see. So the choice is circus or school; California or Hamilton, Ontario; a new once-in-a-lifetime adventure or the same old routine.

  Bobby Restall closed his notebook with a snap and said, “When do we leave?”

  So Bobby, his five-year-old brother, Ricky, and their mom and dad packed up their motorcycles, their silk shirts, jodhpurs, and riding boots, as well as the 16 sections that made up the Globe of Death, and they piled all of it into a five-ton truck. They attached a little box trailer to the truck; then they hooked their 20-foot house trailer to their old Packard and set off on their Great American Circus Adventure.

  But that is a story for another time.

  I mention it here only so you can understand that the Restalls were not your average family. They had big dreams and a love of adventure. But they didn’t just dream, they actually did things that were quite out of the ordinary.

  The Globe of Death, circa 1957.

  Now, what would you say if you were that same young man, now 18 years old? For seven months you had travelled the west coast of the United States with your parents and their Globe of Death motorcycle act as the starring attraction for Pollock Brothers Circus. You had driven one of the rigs from city to city, you had worked alongside the men assembling and disassembling the Globe, you had watched your parents and other circus artists perform, night after night, before adoring crowds. When the contract was finished, you had come back to Hamilton to return to school and help your dad. He was a certified plumber and steamfitter as well as a showman, but you helped him with his spare-time projects, such as building carnival rides. And now your father was pulling you aside again, and this time he was saying, “I’m going to Oak Island in Nova Scotia to dig for treasure. I sure could use your help. Do you want to come along?”

  Again, Bobby Restall didn’t blink an eye before he replied, “Count me in!”

  In no time, a trailer carrying a 15-foot outboard motorboat was hitched to the old Packard, and a box trailer followed behind Bobby’s ’47 Dodge. Bob Restall, his wife Mildred, and their son Bobby loaded up as many tools and personal belongings as the boat, trailer, and two old cars could possibly carry.

  After the camera-snapping and the excited well-wishes and goodbyes were over, Ricky, Doug, and I stood in silence and watched as the car slowly drove out of sight.

  Ricky was only eight years old at the time and couldn’t go to Oak Island because he needed to attend school. I am Bobby and Ricky’s sister, Lee. That day I was 24 years old. By that time, my husband Doug and I had our own little family — Sandy, Barry, and Brook — so there would be no Oak Island adventure for us either.

  I don’t mind telling you that I was just a little envious as Mom, Dad, and Bobby drove off that day on their newest adventure.

  Figure 1: Bobby Restall drew this map. It shows the shafts dug by other searchers before the Restalls went to Oak Island. Take a look at the beach at Smith’s Cove, the curving cofferdam in the water of the cove, and Hedden’s Wharf. Inland, almost all pits and markers are located on a plateau, or “clearing” that is 32 feet above sea level. Be sure to note the round Money Pit with the rectangular Chappell Pit and Hedden Pit overlapping it. For a timeline of the treasure hunters who are responsible for this work on Oak Island, see Appendix 1.

  Oak Island, Nova Scotia, is the large, peanut-shaped island on the right of the photograph. The island is approximately 1.073 kilometres long and 0.8 kilometres at its widest point. The narrowing near the middle of the island is where the swamp lies. On the far right, the hooked tip of the island is where the Money Pit and Smith’s Cove are found. Details from that end of the island can be seen on Bobby’s map (Figure 1). Down the left edge of the photo is the mainland, which includes the community of Western Shore. The water in the gap between the island and the point of the mainland that lies closest to the island is where the Restalls rowed over to the mainland in their skiff, when bad weather prevented use of the motorboat.

  Chapter Two

  Treasure? What Treasure?

  I’ll bet that when Dad said “dig for treasure,” Bobby imagined leaning into a spade and uncovering a huge chest brimming with gold and jewels. But the treasure of Oak Island was nothing like that. It would have taken more than a chest full of jewels to keep all those treasure hunters w
orking on Oak Island for over 200 years.

  My dad had read about the Oak Island treasure when he was a young man on a trip to England — before the Second World War. He never mentioned his interest in Oak Island to the family, but we later learned that for several years he had written to the owner of the island, Mel Chappell, telling him that he would like a chance to search for the treasure there. Mr. Chappell had written back to him, and although he hadn’t said yes, he hadn’t said no either. A few times Mr. Chappell seemed ready to let Dad have a try at the treasure, but then he would give someone else permission instead. My father was a patient man. He kept writing.

  And finally, with Mr. Chappell’s approval, Bob Restall was on his way, accompanied by his wife and son, to conquer Oak Island.

  It’s time to learn a little history about Oak Island.

  Three Teenagers with Bright Eyes, Hopeful Hearts, and Bulging Muscles

  Oak Island is now a Canadian landmark. But its importance might never have been uncovered if it had not been for three teenage boys — Daniel McInnis, John Smith, and Anthony Vaughan.

  Figure 2: A block and tackle hangs from a tree and over a depression in the earth.

  Legend has it that one day in 1795, Daniel McInnis, a 16-year-old who lived nearby, rowed over to Oak Island and went ashore. As he walked around, he deduced that some of the original growth of trees and bushes at the far end of the island must have been cut down some years earlier because this area was now filled with newer trees and plants.

  Daniel noticed a big old oak tree that still stood among the new growth, and he saw that something was hanging from its sawed-off limb. It was a block and tackle. Daniel touched it and it fell to the ground in pieces, so he knew that it must be very old. Under the limb from where the block and tackle had hung, he also noticed a depression in the earth.

  His heart must have skipped a beat. A block and tackle is a type of pulley used to lift very heavy objects. A depression in the earth means someone has dug up the earth underneath. Daniel came to the conclusion that something must be buried there.

  At the time of Daniel’s discovery, many stories were told of pirates and buried treasures in this part of Canada. Perhaps that was because, in 1700, the governor of Acadia (Nova Scotia) had offered pirates safe haven in exchange for guarding the coast. It is well-recorded that on Saturday mornings pirate ships could be seen gathering together in Mahone Bay.

  Pirates

  We don’t know for sure who buried the treasure on Oak Island. Various theories are discussed in a later chapter. But most of the people who have hunted for treasure on Oak Island believed it to be pirate treasure. In this book I will usually refer to those who buried the treasure as “the pirates.” When I use the term “original work,” I’m referring to work on the island done by these people.

  So, when Daniel McInnis saw that block and tackle and the depression in the earth, he could be forgiven if his first thought was that a pirate’s treasure was buried there.

  He lost no time in bringing over his good friends, John Smith, who was 19 years old, and Anthony Vaughan, who was 13, to help him dig. The three youths set to work digging up the earth under the spot where the block and tackle had hung. The entire island contained very hard clay, but the earth here was loose. That led them to believe that the ground in this location had been dug before.The boys were digging in a circular area that was about 13 feet across (nearly four metres). When they got two feet down (0.6 metres), they came to a layer of flat stones. Eagerly, they pulled out the stones, expecting to find a treasure, but what they found was only more loose earth.

  How Big?

  All evidence seems to point to the fact that those who buried the treasure on Oak Island used the Imperial system of measurement (feet, inches, miles). For this reason, accurate measurements are provided throughout the book in Imperial units. In some cases, approximate metric conversions are also given.

  So they started digging again. Ten feet (3.05 metres) beneath the stones they came to a layer of large oak logs fitted tightly together and firmly secured into the walls of the hole. The logs formed a solid platform. Surely the logs had been placed there to guard a treasure that must lie just beneath!

  Figure 3: The Money Pit, as it was uncovered by the three teenagers.

  Although it was very hard work to dislodge the logs, the young men managed to pull them out. But what they found was not treasure. Under the platform of oak logs there was just more loose earth.

  In great secrecy, all summer long, the three young men rowed out to the island and continued to dig. They dug through ten more feet of loosely packed earth and came to a second layer of oak logs. When they were able to get those out, they found another ten feet of earth and then another layer of logs.[1]

  This convinced them that they were clearing out a hole that had been dug in another time by persons unknown. The boys also had no doubt that a fabulous treasure waited for them at the bottom of that hole. But removing the earth and logs became harder and harder as they dug ever deeper. Finally, at 32 feet (9.75 metres), McInnis, Smith, and Vaughan stopped digging. They were forced to admit that this job was too difficult for them to continue on alone.

  They took several small sticks and drove them into the earth in a special formation to mark where their work had stopped. They shovelled all the earth and logs that they had worked so hard to remove back into the hole. Then, carefully, they covered all signs of their work and left the island. In time, that first shaft* would become known as the Money Pit.

  Daniel McInnis, John Smith, and Anthony Vaughan would go down in history for discovering the mysterious Money Pit on Oak Island.

  With their dreams of riches and their youthful energy, they had set into motion events that would make Oak Island famous well into the future and would stir the blood of would-be treasure hunters around the world.

  [1] In this book, the word shaft refers to any hole that is deeper than it is wide.

  Chapter Three

  But There’s More to the Story

  Of course Bobby enjoyed hearing how the Money Pit was first discovered by the three teens. It’s a story anyone would love — dreams of fabulous riches, teenage energy and hard work, and important secrets that must be kept from the adults. But before the Restalls’ work could begin on the island, Bobby needed to know more about what had been discovered on Oak Island long before. The history lesson continued.

  It turned out that the three discoverers of the Money Pit did not really give up on the treasure. In time, two of them bought property on the island. John Smith’s house overlooked the Money Pit and Daniel McInnis purchased a lot some distance away.

  After that last day of digging on the island, the boys realized they had a secret too big to keep. Eventually, they shared it with adult family members, who, in turn, quietly looked for people who would invest money to have the Money Pit dug out.

  It took about seven years, but finally enough investors were found. The Onslow Company was formed, and the hunt for the treasure was on!

  The Onslow Company Goes After the Treasure

  In 1804, wealthy local men who were related to Anthony Vaughan formed the Onslow Company. They were just as sure as the three boys had been that pirate’s treasure lay at the bottom of the Money Pit. The purpose of their newly-formed company was to get that treasure.

  Daniel McInnis, John Smith, and Anthony Vaughan, by that time in their twenties, all worked on the dig.

  The first task for the company was to carefully clear out the Money Pit. In doing that, they found the secret formation of sticks placed by the teens at the bottom of the hole years earlier, proving that the pit had not been disturbed since they had covered it over in 1795.

  As the Onslow crew dug down into the pit, they, too, came to a layer of previously-dug earth followed by a platform of oak logs, again and again, every ten feet. But three more substances were also found. Those were coconut fibre, charcoal, and putty. The putty was smeared on some of the oak log platforms. The coconut fibr
e formed separate layers next to some of the platforms.

  Coconuts do not grow in Canada, but coconut fibre, the hairs from around a coconut shell, was known to be used by some ships as a packing material to keep cargo items from breaking. Finding coconut fibre in the shaft was evidence that whoever had dug the shaft and put in the log platforms had probably come from another land.

  As the Onslow crew dug down, they could see pickaxe marks in the hard clay sides of the Money Pit; so while the pit was originally being dug in that solid clay, it would have been necessary to sharpen tools frequently. Charcoal could have been used by the workmen to make a small fire to keep warm or to sharpen their tools.

  Putty is used as a seal to keep water out. For instance, it can be used to make glass fit tightly in a window frame.

  Figure 4: What the Money Pit would have looked like before the Onslow Company removed each layer.

  After the Onslow crew had removed many layers of material from the Money Pit, they came to a large, heavy stone of a type not found on the island. The stone bore symbols and numbers. The markings on the stone have never officially been translated into English, although one university professor declared that the inscription read, “Ten feet below 2,000,000 pounds lie buried.” (That would be British money — British Pounds Sterling.) Most people do not believe this translation is correct.

  The Onslow men set the stone aside and continued to dig. At a depth of 93 feet (28.3 metres), for the first time the earth they encountered was damp. As they dug farther, so much water entered the shaft that they were forced to bail out one tub of water for every two tubs of earth.