The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 23

Saturday, May 20, 1978 Oak Island, a treasured spot 21 Carroll Holland Alberta salesman falls for own line 1 sWte.of-. 1 ptt 1 'iliTg 1 I .1 1 VtAi JL, It's not entirely common in the travel field or many other commercial fields for that matter for a salesman to fall completely for his own line. That's what happened last summer to Don Smithson, 26, an urban greenhorn who climbed aboard a horse named Trigger at Cline River, west of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, and set out to test one of Travel Alberta's tourist products Rocky Mountain trail rides. Don, industry liaison co-ordinator for the provincial tourism office, had been on a horse before all of two or three ticW, on day outings around Jasper. During a coffee break at a tourism conference in Ottawa this week, he described how he felt when, minutes after their group set out, Trigger had to ford fast-flowing Coral Creek, water washing his belly all the way.

City-dweller Don sighed with relief when they reached the opposite shore. "Thank goodness that's over," he muttered out loud, only to have someone inform him they'd be crossing that creek 23 more times at various points along their route. Only later it didn't matter. Don had found out that Trigger was so reliable and steady, he could have taken notes on the animal's back as they moved along, if he'd wanted to. The outfitter with whom he travelled, a member of the Alberta Outfitters Association, had 25 years of mountain experience and was "almost too sincere to be in the travel business." Like the salty old fishermen of the Eastern coast, these outfitters make you feel very secure, he said.

An experienced hiker, Don was surprised at how much more you see In the mountains when you're relaxing on the back of a horse, without packs to weigh 4 By Gorden E. Rowley -Special to The Journal OAK ISLAND, Nova Scotia Dan Blankenshlp has spent eight years and more than $500,000 digging for pirate's booty on this tiny Island, 45 miles south of Halifax. But so far the only treasure he has found has come from the pockets of tourists who come to see the famous "Money Pit" and peer over the shoulder of one of the world's most ardent treasure hunters. Blankenship, 53, first learned about Oak Island from a 1965 article in "Readers Digest." The story was so tantalizing, he sold his Miami contracting business and came to Canada to' invest $80,000 of his own money in Triton Alliance Ltd. Triton, a consortium of Canadian and American businessmen, is the latest of a dozen companies formed over the last 183 years to search for the elusive treasure of Oak Island.

Six men have lost their lives and investors who In 1909 included the young Franklin D. Roosevelt have lost millions. It all began in the summer of 1795 when three boys playing on the island discovered a ship's tackle block hanging from an oak over a depression in the ground. Later excavations revealed a clearly denned shaft which had been filled in with loose dirt. Workmen found oak platforms at 10-foot intervals down to a depth of 90 feet, where they uncovered a stone bearing crude markings that were interpreted to red "Ten Feet Below, Two Million Pounds." Before they could dig the last 10 feet, however, the shaft suddenly filled with sea water.

If someone had buried a treasure here, he had also devised an ingenious system of flood tunnels which would foil any attempt to reach it. Through the Intervening years, hundreds of treasure hunters have sought to unlock the secret of the "Money Pit." Such an elaborate they argue, must protect something of great value. Furthermore, since whoever buried the treasure must have intended to recover it, there must be a way to bypass the flooding system. All have given up in defeat all except Dan Blankenship. "I'll never give up! says Blankenship as he stands beneath the Jolly Roger that flies over the shack where he sells tickets to the island.

He Insists that the tickets are only a means of "controlling the traffic" visitors each summer) and not an attempt to recover some of the $520,000 that Triton has spent on the project since Blankenship became its field manager in 1970. The irony is that no one knows for certain what the treasure is. Some believe it's the plunder of Captain Kidd. Ptwto by Rowtev Oak Island's Pit," whose Ingenious system of shafts and tunnels has defied all attempts to reach one of the world' most fascinalng burled treasures. Nova Scotia Halifax r4i 'Oak Island Atlantic Ocean Your $1.50 admission to the island itself permits you to follow a 34 mile trail through the woods, fields and along the coastline to the "Money Pit." Along the way you'll see Bore Hole 10X, which is little more than a 26-inch pipe covered by a wooden hut; the Coffer Dam, a seml-elrcle of cement made from molasses, sand and manilla grass that pirates allegedly built to hold back the sea while they dug the flood tunnels; and the Tragedy Pit, where four treasure seekers lost their lives In 1963.

The "Money Pit" has been boarded up temporarily while drilling operations proceed elsewhere. But Triton has erected a sign (as it has at other significant locations) that explains what was found at various depths. If you're not impressed with drilling rigs, bulldozers and the like, you may be disappointed by the "Money Pit." After all. It's the legend that brings people here and the treasure is still underground. But it's a pleasant walk and the island is ideal for hiking (there is a nature trail), beachcombing, picnicking (tables are provided) or Just lying In the sun dreaming aVut that treasure lying somewhere beneath your head.

Oak Island is open from July I to Sept. 15. as Blankenship likes to call it, has so far turned up only three links of a gold watch chain. In 1971, however, a television camera lowered Into Bore Hole 10X, 200 feet northeast of the "Money Pit" revealed what the company claims were two large chests and a severed human hand. According to the printed guide that comes with your admission, the discovery of the hand supports the theory that pirates killed a man and buried him with the treasure "so that his soul would guard it against thieves." Some people distrust the blurry still photos of the hand that were taken off the TV monitor and are now on display in the shack.

Some say it was probably a glove dropped during the drilling. "No, it was a hand alright," says Blankenship. "I could see the bones sticking out of it! Oak Island is near the village of Western Shore on Route 3, part of Nova Scotia's scenic Lighthouse Route. Before driving over the short causeway that connects the island to the mainland, visitors usually stop at the Oak Island Museum (admission $1) where Joe Carsley, the curator, adds his own commentary to the exhibits which trace the 183-year-old treasure hunt. you down or false steps to worry about.

The country, he said, is literally a paradise for fishing and camera enthusiasts. Cut-throat trout from cold glacial lakes sizzled in their frying pans, and after supper one evening the outfitter "called down" a herd of elk for a campfire visit. A panda grizzly was also spotted along the way. With pack horses bringing the number of animals to 21 for a group of nine persons, they worked their way past "absolutely incredible" scenery, up beyond the tree line and through Job Pass (at about Others say that it's Inca gold stolen by the Spanish; the French crown jewels; a lost manuscript by Shakespeare; perhaps even the Holy Grail. Blankenship believes that there is treasure at several locations on the island.

A few years ago he went to Haiti to inspect a pirate an underground complex of vaults in which individual pirates had hidden their respective plunder. When it was discovered in 1949, that Haitian "bank" held $20 million in gold. Triton's "archaeological investiga A iunlor trail-rider Beethoven pilgrimage, in Bonn .4 I 11,000 feet), where the ground in lake August already was sprinkled with snow. Four of their group were experienced horsemen and women from the United States. Two had been on three or four previous trips with the same outfitter.

Don goes back for his second trip on his summer holidays this summer. He won't be product testing this time he'll be paying, about $400 a week, all Inclusive, plus another $400 for his wife. You sec, she couldn't believe they really ate freshly-made lemon'meringue pie on the trail, so Don's making sure she gets to sample it herself. Camping guide, available free The latest in Parks Canada's new guide book series, a 46-page, illustrated Camping booklet, is now available, at no charge, from the department's information division, 400 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa.

K1A 0114. There arc concise descriptions of each of our 28 national parks, plus charts detailing available facilities. In area, Canada has the largest national parks system in the world. Last year almost $50 million was spent on new parks roads, campgrounds, boat docks, hiking trains and other facilities, according to Parks Canada figures. There are about 13,000 individual campsites, costing $3 a day for an unserviccd site and $5 a day for a site with electricity.

There is a dally motor vehicle entrance fee of $1. Upper Canada Village opened for the tourist season this week. Located just east of Morrisburg, on Highway 2, the village is comprised of 35 restored buildings. Employees dress in period costumes and engage in blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, checsemaking and other pursuits to bring history alive for thousands of visitors each year. Dressed In authentic uniforms and using equipment dating back to 1867, the Old Fort Henry Guard perform precision drills dally at Old Fort Henry, Kingston.

During July and August, special Ceremonial Retreats will be presented each Wednesday and Saturday evening, weather permitting. Looking for an Inn somewhere? If you'd like to put your feet up at an Ontario resort this summer, but don't know where to head, your best bet might be to go to your travel agent and ask to see a copy of the Ontario Travel Agents' Manual, published by the ministry of Industry and tourism. Prices Included. The Oplnlcon, at Chaffey's Locks between Smiths Falls and Kingston, for Instance, charges per week, with meals.The manual lists bus tours, area attractions, boat cruises, special rail excursions It is worth perusing. A room In Beethoven-Haus cally dreadful.

It is hard to imagine how such great music was written on such an impossible instrument as the Graf-Flugel. Even Elly Ncy couldn't extract a sound more acceptable than rattling cutlery from its keyboard. But these trinkets are sold at the entrance, in a part of the building that is merely connected to the house the family lived in. There is also a family tree on the wall of the "Beethoven-store" which seems to glorify somewhat the great composer's origins. Ludwig van Beethoven: to most of us it does sound vaguely aristocratic.

But a van isn't a von, and his name really means "of the golden beetroot." The little room he was born in, with its minuscule window, Its roof-slanted ceiling and its unplaned floorboards with the wood-knots still bumping along Its wide planks, creates quite a different Impression. This room, hardly the size of a pantry, and the humble garden in the back of the house were my favorite spots. Here one could imagine Beethoven, born to tower like a great oak, but rising at first, like an oak, amidst bramble and weed. It is sadly ironic that about a mile from Beethoven's birthplace is the Beethovcnhalle, a concert hall of no particular merit. Its ceiling looks like the bottom of an egg carton, which would not matter at all if it served some accoustlcal purpose, but not only Is the sound erratically poor, the floor Is perfectly flat so one cannot even see what is happening on stage.

Risking cries of "poor taste" would suggest that it was called Beethovenhalle because It was designed for the deaf. How sad that this building, whose only redeeming feature seems to be a pleasant restaurant facing the river. Is so clearly marked on tourist maps, so easy to find and, by comparison, so By Maureen Peterson Music and drama critic It was my first morning in Bonn and I had made a vow before leaving Ottawa that I would visit Beethoven's birthplace when I reached this capital city, making the trip on foot from wherever my hotel was situated. A pilgrimage cannot be made by bus or taxi I fear, but as It turned out it was hardly a hardship on a sunny day to walk from the Hotel Am Tulpenfeld on Heussallec along the Rhine to the university and the heart of the city where the Beethoven Geburtshaus is at 20 Bonngasse. Incidentally, I have yet to meet a more gracious and efficient innkeeper than Herr Stolle, who is the manager of that hotel and its nearby restaurant.

Next year the annual flower exhibition, which is held In a different city each year, will be in Bonn, so If you should think of visiting the city in 1979 try to come In spring and be sure to make hotel reservations well In advance. I unreservedly recommend the Am Tulpenfeld, but whatever season and whichever hotel you pick. It is Important to book a room before you leave home as there is always something going on in this city of embassies and hardly enough hotels to accommodate the vlstors. Now back to Beethoven. I would scold the West Germans who belittle the site.

Indeed it seems as if someone had Intentionally made It difficult to find, which Is especially odd in a country that usually excels In Indicating directions for The Frankfurt Airport, for Instance, can boast the most explicit, non-literate language I have ever seen. Its Ideo-grammcs make alphabets seem archaic. But beyond the fact that finding Beethoven-Haus Itself requires patience and a good sense of direction, so many educated, Intelligent people suggested to me that, there was "nothing to see" at Beethoven-Haui and that the visit could not be stretched beyond a half-hour. I must believe that there is some misguided sense of modesty at work here, for, hero-worshipper that I am, I cannot believe that it Is less thrilling to visit the tiny room where this Titan was bom than to visit the Acroplis which Is now over-run with sellers ofma-chine-made pottery and worry-beads. A site Is more than Its natural or man-made grandeur.

The Beethoven-Haus is, it Is true, an unprepossessing structure (and barely a third of It was ever occupied by Beethoven's Immediate family) but it Is still Beethoven-Haus. As for there being nothing to see, that Is less true than It might be, as there Is a considerable collection of memorabilia, from instruments to scribbled scores. Beethoven's writing was as atrocious as his table manners, according to reports by contemporaries. Genius and neat- ness are not genetically linked, apparently. As a matter of fact, there were stains caused by over-turned inkpots in all of his pianos, four of which were in his last residence sitting around without legsl One can even buy a photographic reproduction of his messy musical notation in this mini-museum, after seeing authenticated originals on the second floor.

Among the other souvenirs for sale are postcards of various Beethoven portraits and sculptural likenesses that are now part of the Beethoven-Haus collection, Including a photo of his death mask and pictures of the original Instruments that are now housed here, including the famous Graf-Flugel piano. There are also several recordings available on which one can hear the original Instruments, unless your interest Is of a highly technical academic nature, a 7" 33 14 rpm should suffice for sentimental purposes as some of the Instruments are coml- rtri i InsideFamily Living Wine-heist stock-up hints Page 28 Snoring, the social disease Page 28 Out tor Dinner at Dill Pickle Page 28 Mortar and pestle as antiques Page 2 Allxe Carterlalks turkey PageB.