by the old fashioned process of elimination it has to be to the south. We’re going to try 8 ft. south of our shaft and if we don’t get the drain we will go right ahead at the Money Pit. [The rest of the letter refers to mechanical problems and proposed solutions.]
The next letter, written on October 19, described the work in the same area. They had put an eight-foot cribbed shaft directly north of the last shaft on the beach. Much to their disappointment, they did not intersect the sea water inlet tunnel; instead, they intersected an underground sand streak with surface water coming in at twelve feet below the surface.
Despite unwieldy boulders they then put in a four-foot by three-foot tunnel that ran from the shaft eight feet to the south. But they ran into hard clay on both sides of their shaft, thereby showing it was not part of the work of those who buried the treasure. Through these attempts they learned that the Vertical Shaft ran to a depth of thirty-two feet and deduced that the sea water tunnel was considerably lower than previously thought. Now they set up Hamilton’s drill slightly inland to probe across the line where they believed the inlet tunnel lay (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Enclosed with letter of October 19, 1961.
Certain that he was nearing success, Dad wrote to Fred, “I have sent up to Montreal for a couple of revolvers (Just to have them on hand before we start working down the Heddon Shaft).” Further in the letter, Dad described pressure from Chappell for success, and commented that he didn’t blame him. Dad then returned to the never-ending topic of money: “Regarding money, we are still OK and can make it till the end of November [Fred was supplying them with cash infusions]. I should think that with the publicity, it might be possible to raise a bit. If you or anyone you know wants to put in $500 that may be all we will need. If you can get someone to put some in don’t turn it down. The most we will take into the project is another $1,000 and as far as we know half of that may be enough …” The rest of the letter dealt with requests for equipment such as a blower to provide fresh air down the Money Pit.
The fact that Dad sent to Montreal for revolvers indicates how certain he was that they were within days of finding the treasure, and that he knew it would be all too easy for a well-organized group to hijack the treasure the instant it surfaced.
A month later he did not sound so confident:
Nov. 18th 1961
Dear Fred:
We received everything OK. The Blower is just right. We found the original trench dug by these people 14 ft. to 15 ft. across and 19 ft. down our beach shaft.
We found the drain to be definitely lower than we thought. Figures say (with our new information) 3 1/2 ft. to 7 ft. deeper. So we set up Prof. Hamilton’s Diamond Drill to bore 10 holes across this trench 10 to 11 ft. deep. We are No.8 hole now. No’s 6, 7 and 8 all struck close-set boulders at 3 ft. and on down. In no. 6 hole we hit a very hard stone that carbeloid won’t cut. We will come back to this later if we haven’t got the drain. No.8 hole is only 3 ft. deep yet. We are most anxious to finish this one and No’s 9 and 10. We will only put in an 11th if this stone work continues and we haven’t got the drain.
From what we have done here so far it appears that the cut is wider than necessary and that the drain was built on the North side of it. The floor on the south apparently being used for work space. We hope to finish this in a week. We got some of these holes down in a day and a half. Unfortunately it’s all a matter of the type of stone. Some drill very well with carbeloid.
It’s a lot of red tape drilling [in] this weather. The suction hose and water pump, etc. have to be drained each night.
In any case, our finances and the owner dictate that we must get down the Money Pit after the loot, starting December 1st. So the hour has finally come.
We got 18 barrels of gas over 10 days ago, took 12 up for the pump and left 4 at the beach shack. Also got over 2 barrels of stove oil. The weather here has been unseasonably warm. Mosquitoes (they don’t bite now), flies and moths are really out again …
Don’t know where I am going to dig up money this time. Expect this to be the very last. Would like very much to wind this up soon, successfully of course.
Well, I must close now, let me hear from you. I will keep you posted as regards results. Best regards to all from all of us here.
Yours truly,
Bob
Where was the money coming from to buy those drums of gas and oil? Since I know for certain that no outside investment capital came in, Fred must have come through. Several of Dad’s letters to Fred that year mention small amounts of money received in Fred’s letters, and in one letter Dad refers to having received a cheque for $440. In another, Dad mentions that he hopes Fred got the $1,500 job he was bidding on; possibly part of that had been earmarked for Oak Island. Throughout the years of Dad’s search, Fred worked assiduously at his plumbing and steamfitting business, and his son, Eddie, told me that many times his father’s attitude was, “Twenty dollars for us, twenty dollars for the Restalls. We can’t have them starving to death out there.”
In December, my husband flew down from Ontario to bring a diamond drill to the island, then stayed for a few weeks drilling with Dad and Bobby.
Dec. 12, 1961
Dear Lee:
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