The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-02-11
BURIED TREASURE
ATTRACTS PEOPLE WHO
SHOULD KNOW BETTER
By FRANKLIN COCHRAN

tracts lot of people who should
have enough sense to know better.
l know better, but today l got to
thinking again about Blackboard
and all that money and gold, spices
and silk that he is supposed to
have stashed around here on the
Outer Banks.
Of course we don't take the spic-
es too seriously nowadays, nor the
silks and satins, and 6ne raiment.
We've got Heinz and du Pont to
take care of those articles, but so
far, no one has found satisfactory
substitute for money and that other
stuff | mentioned.
l thought about buried treasure
a lot last summer and just about
came to the conclusion that | could
figure out where a guy like Black
beard would hide some of the.
stuff. This week, flying down to
Ocracoke after | had deposited my
passenger on the beach near the
Coast Guard Station, decided on
the return flight over the island l
would have another look at that
big, boXlike shape in the sandhills
that was partly uncovered by the
hurricanes.
1t was a cold day and the heater
in the little airplane wasn't work
ing. Flying alone with my hands
under my armpits and wishing |
could get my feet under too, lin
ed up my old landmarks and there
she was, in the same place | had
first discovered it. Last Fall l
wondered and fretted about this
big, squares shaped and box-like OBJ
ject in the sandhill so much that
it just wore me out thinking about
it. Actually taking a trip down
there for the specific purpose of
examining it occurred to me many
times, but for fear of being needed
by my friends, l just kept putting
it off until l just wouldn't fly near
it anymore.
But this week, just got to
thinking that fellow could come
pretty close to guessing where a
pirate like Blackboard might try
to bury his loot.
For instance, say you are a pi-
rate. | don't mean to say you are
dishonest. Just say you goofed
once and couldn't quit. Then say
you swung into operation around
the turn of the 18th Century with
all the opportunities to investigate
the interesting cargoes of ships of
all nations. There were lot of
opportunities for a young man to
make a living during that period,
especially if that young man hap
pened to be a successful pirate.
Blackboard was definitely a sue
cessful pirate, otherwise why did
they go to so much trouble and eX-
pense to cut his head off.
So being a lucky and successful
Pirate, Blackboard must have made
lot of money and this is where
you come in.
If you were a Blackboard, where
would you do your banking? The
answers very simple, you wouldn't
bank, you would bury. See how far
you've gone already toward find
ing treasure.
Now the next step is where
would you bury it? From here on
out, deduction becomes a little
more difficult. Under the ground,
of course, but the ground around
on Ocracoke Island is likely to wash
away a bit from time to time
around the edges. Much of the
shoreline cannot be depended to
stay put in one place for too long.
Even if you know this, what then,
would you do.
Now you're really beginning to
click on your deduction and l am
sure you can go on from this point
to find the spot of buried treasure
by yourself. Its really simple,
when you go about deducing the
right way. Just get the facts and
go on from there.
| got to this same stage of reas-
oning last Summer and was just
on the verge of uncovering some
thing important, l hoped, when
Channel Bass began to bite. And
since it was too cold on that flight
this week, even to think, l decided
to let further deduction go until
the weather warns up, That
shouldn't be long though, because
they're saying here that Spring is
just the Point"
Tell you what, though. You come
on down here next May or earlier
and I'll fly you down to Ocracoke