By Doug Crowell
In 1949, Rev. A. T. Kempton sent Oak Island treasure hunter Frederick L. Blair a letter. That letter changed the landscape of the mystery, introducing what is purported to be the inscription that was etched on the Money Pit's 90 Foot Stone.
Every artist's conception of what the 90 Foot Stone looks like has drawn upon the 39 or 40 symbols as depicted in Kempton's letter. This set of symbols has become known as the Kempton Cipher, though he never claimed them as his own. He was also an historian who lectured, among other topics, on Nova Scotia history. In 1909 he asked a minister he knew to find him someone who could write a good account of the Oak Island Mystery, as he had intended to publish it in a book he wanted to write. The minister had found a teacher in the Mahone Bay area of Nova Scotia to write up a account of the story. Rev. Kempton paid the clergyman for this story.
Though most people will recognize the now famous symbols that were provided to Kempton in the account he commissioned, many have never read the narrative that accompanied the cipher symbols. The story given to Rev. Kempton is a variation of the Oak Island Story not often told. Here it is, with minor edits for readability (our grammar checker insisted), for your reading pleasure:
Of Oak Island, so far as I can learn from reliable sources, old records, and old people, these are the facts. The island lies close to the main land, on North West part of Mahone Bay, N.S., near the mouth of the Gold River. Some 16 miles from the inner run of vessels sailing along the coast. The bay is studded with islands, and Oak Island is nicely sheltered from outside view. It is not a half mile from the main land. One and a half miles long, three-fourths of a mile wide. The top is about 80 to 85 feet above the level of the Bay. Has still some fine oak trees on it and two good farms.
About 1792 some German people settled on the main land, near the island, and the beautiful island clothed with large oak trees soon attracted attention.
In 1795 one of these old settlers sauntering about the island came to a spot among the oaks on the highest part of the island where the ground showed plain signs of having been worked over for quite a space as all was level – no cradle hills, and in some places white clover was growing in profusion. Of course, this seemed strange to him and on his return to his home he mentioned it to his family, and a neighbor and they made a special visit to the island to examine more closely. While looking the ground over, one of his sons, a lad of 15 looked up and to the surprise of all, there suspended from a large limb of one of the giant oaks was a heavy block, such as are used for hoisting, and boy like, he went up to examine. But the block had evidently been there a long time, for as soon as he began to handle it, the ropes that held it to the limb fell into pieces and the block fell to the ground. This block and the condition of the ground, led the men to think that something must have been buried there, as the level ground and the white clover were unusual and oak trees do not generally bear such acorns and what could be buried there unless it was “some pirate’s money”.
This led to the first diggings for buried treasure in the summer of 1795. They found that the ground had been dug over 12 feet one way, and 8 feet the other and evidently filled in as when some 8 feet down they came to a broken shovel handle, and at 10 feet they found pieces of plank, and at 15 feet or 16 feet found an old hat, and at 20 feet some more plank. These things encouraged them on. But, as they had their farm work, and fishing to attend to they could only work occasionally, but during the summer and autumn, went down about 30 feet. and then found the work so heavy that they left off for the winter. During the winter one of the families moved away, one of the men died, the pit filled in somewhat, and nothing more was done until 1801 when a Dr. Lynds of Truro, N.S. became interested in the matter and formed a company. The old people say that Dr. Lynds became interested through a paper that was brought to light in a peculiar way. Somewhere in Virginia there lived a very old man, who on his sick bed, told his son, himself a man of 70, where in an old sea-chart, he would find a piece of paper that might reveal some buried treasure, on an island somewhere up north, that the old man’s father had helped to bury with many others, who had been compelled to work under armed guard, under the pirate Kid. This old man had joined Kidd’s Company to save his life and after working a long time the treasure was buried at great depth on an oak covered island. And when the hole was nearly filled up, he and another man, fearing they would be killed when the work was done, decided they would endeavor to escape. And one stormy night mid rain and a gale of wind they made their way to shore, swam to the main land, and wandered on and on. After sometime his companion took sick and died. But after weeks of suffering, he saw a small vessel and was taken on board and found his way down south. He drew as best he could a rough map of the island, and part of the bay, and wrote out some few particulars of the burying of a lot of treasure. The grandson of this oldest man found the paper, and after father’s death endeavored to interest some people in the matter, so as to help him look up an island such as the one marked on the old faded paper. In some way Dr. Lynds heard of this paper, and from some source got an outline of the old map, and found that Oak Island compared quite well to the rough sketch on the old paper. This Company formed by Dr. Lynds went down some 60 feet. and on the way down found pieces of broken tools, and pieces of plank and board. When about 60 feet down, one evening one of the men who had been using a crow bar when knocking off for the day went to drive the crow bar into the ground to let it remain for the night, and in driving it down struck something that gave a hollow sound. So they must know what that was, and hoe and shovel soon were busy and in a short time they dug out a strong iron hooped cask. This was treasure, as it was very heavy. Of course all was excitement. Instead of knocking out the end of the cask and taking its contents by the bucketful, in the excitement they sent the Boss and three others off to Chester 5 miles away for stronger rope so as to hoist it out in the morning. When morning came, those on the island were surprised that the other four had not returned with the rope, as they were not in the shanty. But when they went out to the pit, they found the new rope, the cask had been raised, rolled down to the shore, and by the marks on the sand they say it had been put in the boat and boat, cask, and the four men were gone. But after some thought of giving up, it was decided that all this hole had not been dug so deep merely to bury this one cask, and there must be further down, so they dug on. When down some 78 feet they found a piece of boar with the rough outline of something cut on it that looked like a calf or lamb, but no one seemed to know what it meant until one said “it looks like a young goat” and another said “why a young goat is a kid” and another said “That must mean Kidd the pirate”. So they concluded his treasure was below.
In their digging they came to charcoal, planks, putty, and coca nut fibre. But the most important thing they found was when about 90 feet a stone 3 feet long, 16 inches wide with this inscription cut on it with much care, as the cutting was said to be very distinct and protected by pieces of board carefully laid over the inscription.
The stone was taken to Halifax, and a number of people tried to read the puzzle. At last an old Irish School Master made this out of it.
This stone was kept in Halifax for years.
When down between 95 and 100 feet one morning on going down to work, 84 feet from the top the tub struck water and they found the pit was filled to within 84 feet of the top with salt water. So, of course, they concluded it came from the bay. They also found that it rose and fell with the tide outside, so they knew it was useless to try and bail it out, and after a time the thing was given up by Dr. Lynds and his company. Nothing more was done until 1849 when another company was formed, with quite a fund to work with. They dug down in a new place, as the old pit had caved in and was partly filled. Their plan was to go down to the depth indicated by the inscription on the stone, and then tunnel over towards where they thought the treasure lay. They went down more than 130 feet and tunneled over towards the treasure and then bored through the soil with a large auger, and after some time struck oak wood, and bored 8 inches through the wood, then struck sheet iron, and then struck gold. So they concluded that the treasure was enclosed in a case of 8 in. oak timber lined with sheet iron and having struck gold felt sure of success. But before they had tunneled through the water burst in upon them and this shaft or pit was abandoned, and in 1850 they sunk one on the other side of the old Dr. Lynds pit thinking that possibly the water would not trouble them there. But they met with the same discouraging results and gave it up.
In 1863 another Company was formed with improved apparatus, steam umps, etc., etc. They went down in a new place 136 feet and then tunneled over and struck the side of a box of 8 inch hewn oak wood bored through 8 inches of wood, struck iron and then gold. Great preparations were now made to take it out and word was sent to all the shareholders of the Company to come to the taking out of the treasure and the division of it. There was great stir and commotion when again the water filled in, rising to the same height in the new pit – 84 feet from the top. Thou there was sore disappointment, yet there was the certainty of treasure there, and that there must be an abundance of it. So the next thing to do was to find the drain that led from the bay to the treasure and admitted the salt water. A large amount was spent in digging at different parts of the island to find the drain and after a long search two men found down under the stone and gravel and sand – the accumulated was of years some cocoa nut fibre, and West India grass. This removed, there were large slabs of a blue slate stone such as old farmers used as hearths to their fire places and were only found away near the South west entrance to the bay 10 miles away. On raising some of these flat stone, there was a drain filled with water, some two feet wide, and more than two feet deep, nicely walled up on the sides, without question, the work of men’s hands. A chip cut from an old drift log lying near, marked with one man’s name with red chalk, and thrown in, was carried into the island, and in a short time was found floating in the water in the pit. The drain was found to lead from a small cover up into the island. The next thing to do was to close up the drain. Pump out the water and then take out the treasure! This all seemed the easy thing to do. The drain was carefully filled with clay at several places and soon the water ceased to flow in or out and soon the pumps lowered the water in the pit. The day was set when the treasure would be reached and taken out, when lo! from some other source the water rushed in again to the same level. Then the work was to find this new drain as the first one was found to be all closed. But after weeks of toll in all directions, the work was a failure and reluctantly the thing was given up.
Nothing more was done until 1896 when a new company was formed with a fund of $60,000.00. This company sank one pit 145 feet when water broke in and they sank another some distance away to the depth of 155 feet and were planning to tunnel over to the treasure when again the water rushed. In the meantime two other drains were found and closed. But from source the water in and the work was given up. This summer another company took up the work and are there now. I enclose some clippings from the late papers as you will see. H. L. Bowdoin of New York has charge of the work now."
- unknown school teacher
We hope that you enjoyed reading up on the origin of the symbols that make up the 90 Foot Stone Cipher, and the little known story variation that accompanied it.
If we accept that the widely referenced cipher symbols that originated from this story as correct, what weight, if any, should we give this story as a whole?
Stay tuned for more interesting and little-known information about A.T. Kempton and his connections to the Oak island mystery.
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in Nova Scotia, Canada
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John Wonnacott, P. Eng.
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