Becker hole 24

Same spot as W8. Rock 160 (146 in the text) to 192; wood about 4 in at 192, clay, wood about 4 in at 193, cavity 193 to 199 (bit dropped under the weight of the rods); assumed rock to 207. Wood carbon dated 1575 +/- 85; blue and white china found below 180. Drilled May to Aug 1967; Becker group 3.

Positions on the map are approximate; each dot marks the top of the hole.

What the Drill Found

1. 0 ft
   SurfaceTop of the hole
2. 160 ft
3. 160 ft
   Stone / rockRock surface (bedrock or anhydrite)
   Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
4. 165 ft
   Stone / rockCyclone bit to gypsum bedrock at 165
   MacPhie: rock at 160 (table) or 146 (text).
   Dan Blankenship (29 Nov 1969), recalling May 1967
5. 15 ft
6. 180 ft
   CeramicPiece of blue and white china found below 180 ft
   Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
   Porcelain fragments →
7. 12 ft
8. 192 ft
   WoodAbout 4 in of wood (after 32 ft of continuous rock), carbon dated AD 1575 +/- 85
   Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
9. 192 to 193 ft
   Soil / clayClay (12 in)
   Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
10. 192 ft
    WoodWood from 192 ft carbon dated
    AD 1575 +/- 85
    Les MacPhie (2008)
11. 192 to 194 ft
    WoodAfter 27 ft of gypsum: 5 to 6 in of wood, a foot of clay, 5 to 6 in of wood, then a cavity at about 194; bedrock again at 207
    Dan Blankenship (29 Nov 1969)
12. 193 ft
    WoodAbout 4 in of wood
    Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
13. 193 to 199 ft
    CavityCavity; tricone bit dropped under the weight of the rods
    Les MacPhie (2008), from Blankenship's Becker notes
14. 203 to 210 ft
    CavityBedrock cavity
    Becker drilling (1967)
15. 203 ft
    WoodWood / clay / wood sequence under the cavity roof (Fig. 23 detail: 4 in wood, 12 in clay); wood and red brick-like material recovered
    Carbon-14: AD 1575 +/- 85 (1490 to 1660); Harris and MacPhie warn of the old-wood effect, so felling could be 100+ years later
    Becker drilling (1967)

Rows are in depth order; the column on the left is the hole, and a figure between rows is the stretch with nothing logged. Depths as reported by each source.

Where It Sits

Sources

• Drilled by Becker Drilling (Alberta) Ltd.
• MacPhie (2008) App. B Table B2, p5-8
• MacPhie (2008) App. B Table B2
• Blankenship reports (1965-94) p15
• MacPhie (2008) p7
• Harris and MacPhie, Oak Island and its Lost Treasure, 3rd ed. (2013); scan p89
• Harris and MacPhie, Oak Island and its Lost Treasure, 3rd ed. (2013); scan p87, p89-90
• Positions and depths: see how we know this on the Money Pit Map.