Figure 3: Enclosed with letter of March 6, 1961.
I want to give you a report on absolute fact.
The Reservoir at Smith’s Cove with its Paving to prevent erosion, its seals to keep mud and sand out of the reservoir, is absolutely incredible. We are the only people who examined this work from one end to another. When the 1850 outfit found the water running out of the beach in 1850 they uncovered the beach and found coconut at low tide. When they decided a Coffer Dam had to be built to examine this work, they uncovered [a strip of] this Coconut till they came to both ends [of the beach] (Incidentally, they removed the coconut from this whole strip) under it they found a layer of stones like Cobble stone paving.
Obviously this was man’s work. They [the 1850 group] built a Coffer Dam in a crescent to span this work exactly 241 feet. When this Dam was built and the sea shut out they started in the Middle and removed a few hundred tons of rock finding the rock work 5’ deep and 140 feet wide and from their Coffer Dam inland about 50’. On the bottom of this rock work they found 5 drains (box drains) these they followed inland (Hop scotch) reaching a place where they converged joining a round larger drain. When they attempted to follow the round drain they succeeded only for a short distance. The ground and gravel letting in so much water (they had no pumps) they had to give up. At this point a storm along with Spring Tides overflowed the Dam and when the Tide went out the whole thing went to pieces. The sea brought sand in and reformed the beach in the open work.
Now because the Main Drain across the Island to the money pit is 110 ft. deep (30 ft. hill) the drain is approx. 80 ft. below sea level 40 lbs. pressure this is enough to force the water through carrying sand with it. Where the level of the pit is down 10’ the pressure is only 5 lbs. It takes a week to fill the Pit back to sea level at this low pressure. But pump it down 40’ (120 lbs. pressure) it comes in at the rate of 250 gal. a minute. Pump it down 80 ft. and it comes back from 450 to 550 gal. a minute. When the water is pumped down 15 feet (7 1/2 lbs.) or more it brings a great amount of sand with it. This sand pumps up with the water. This proves the drain across the Island is full of sand and that it constantly gets new sand from the beach with the water.
Note on the sketch that the place is marked where we got the dated stone out of the Pirates’ work covered with decayed vegetation. The grease from this is right into the stone, I took this stone out of this work where its location, and condition proved that it had not been disturbed since placed there when this work was done and is therefore undoubtedly authentic.
I may phone you before you get this as there are two people I tried who have the money and who might come in, but you may know them, perhaps I should write them from here. In which case I would have to have their Addresses.
The winter here has been terrible; the ice is breaking up, the pieces floating by are 18” to 20” thick with some over 2’ thick. This on Salt Water yet. They are still using cars on what is left. There is a storm on now. Waves are only 3 to 3 1/2 ft but not too close together, this gets the chunks of ice (tons) enough momentum to give things an awful beating.
I am going ashore on foot this afternoon. The other half of the Island is in solid ice yet. So will mail this then. We have to wind this job up fast (it’s here, we can get it, and we are going to get it) but we can’t stand much more of the way we have been living, its enough to drive anyone out of their mind. Do the best you can and we have got to get enough for eating and stove oil, etc. Best regards to all from all of us.
Yours very truly,
Bob
Dad was providing Fred with a bit of a history lesson here. This information on the Truro Company would have been well known to Oak Island aficionados, but not to Fred. He needed to understand the beach work thoroughly if he was to describe it to potential investors.
Dad had mentioned sand and the problems it raised. The 1850 searchers had uncovered part of the reservoir in Smith’s Cove and found it consisted of a layer of coconut fibre and a layer of a jelly-like eel grass. They believed the reservoir acted as a sponge to hold water for the inlet tunnel so it could flood the Money Pit. As Dad and Bobby found, the reservoir certainly held sufficient water to make digging in the beach difficult, but more importantly, it had actually acted as a giant filter, screening sand out of the water so that sea water travelled with force to the Money Pit. But by this time, whenever the Money Pit was pumped down, the water that came in was mixed with plenty of sand, because the 1850 searchers had disturbed the original work during their explorations and had broken the reservoir seal, compromising the reservoir’s filter function. A cross-section of the pirates’ beach work shows one of the five box drains that lie under the water in Smith’s Cove (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Bob Restall’s sketch. Cross-section of seawater inlet system at Smith’s Cove.
Late in December, Chappell had dropped Dad a note to extend their existing contract until March 31. Then, on March 23, he sent a letter, long but worth reading.
March 23, 1961
Dear Mr. Restall:
Apparently I have been somewhat lax in replying to your letter which is dated March 6th. As a matter of fact, I believe the letter arrived in Sydney the evening of the day I went to Halifax on practically a whole week of Hospital Meetings, hence I did not get it until I got back from those meetings. [This refers to Chappell’s position as a member of the hospital’s board.] I believe it was March 16th. And incidentally, this old hip of mine is giving me quite a lot of trouble in moving around. It does not bother me much in sitting down or even lying down, but as soon as I start moving, it begins to kick up quite badly.
I have had several letters during the past number of weeks from parties who have all sorts of ideas about Oak Island. I am enclosing you a copy of one in particular from a party who has been corresponding with me every spring over a number of years, in fact seven or eight years, I believe. He also corresponded with Mr. Blair before he died and that is about eight years ago. Just what this man has behind him, I do not know; but I have written my son in Washington, D.C. asking him to check up and let me know what the resources are behind this company and what this man’s record is for carrying out work that he undertakes.
I have a letter from Calgary, Alberta, in fact, two. The first one came from a firm of solicitors and the second one came from a party who was their client; and he seems to be extremely anxious to get going on some sort of a proposition this spring. I have written him asking what his proposition is, so when I hear from him, will let you know if I think it is anything worth considering.
You remember the fellow in Boston who phoned me and said that he could raise practically an unlimited amount of finances. I had another telephone call from him yesterday, and he is anxious to come down the latter part of April and visit Oak Island with me and discuss matters with you. He seemed, according to conversation, quite willing to work in any kind of a proposition. I would gather he is a highly qualified engineer from the conversation I had with him, or if he is not, he has highly qualified engineers at his command to look into any technical angle.
Due to the extremely severe winter weather, we have not been able to get together as early as I had anticipated, so in order to keep things on the level until we can get together I am dropping you a line extending our time from March 31st to May 10th. The reason I say May 10th, is that there is a possibility I may be going in the hospital about that time to see what can be done in regard to my hip condition; so, we must come to some final decision before that date.
Incidentally, regarding the balance of the Island, or at least the portion that was formerly owned by Beamish. I do not know for sure that it covered all of the balance of the Island or not, but I am having a solicitor check