Sentence:  In 1896 . . . work was again started with two engines and steam pumps, with the intention of pumping out the "<WSD>money pit</WSD>". 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Long-standing nickname of a complicated, seemingly man-made excavation on Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, rumored to contain pirate treasure and which has been repeatedly and unsuccessfully probed at great expense.